YEAR: 1996

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: June

STATE: South Dakota

COUNTY: Meade County

LOCATION DETAILS: 1996, Bear Butte State Park, Cheyenne Side.

OBSERVED: My sister says I must tell this to this WWW sight. So here goes.

In June of 1996 I was a helper at a vision quest on the Cheyenne side of Bear Butte. This is a state park as many or all of the sacred sights of the indigenous peoples of this land are. Camp was set and people went off to do errands as the painters had yet to arrive. I know that I should explain some of the terms I use, but please bear with me, that isn't the point. Anyway the head woman askes me if I wouldn't mind serving the next camp over some soup when they are done with their work, I say sure. I find myself alone on the back of the butte when the men also leave for town, Sturgis, S.D. I am standing at the cook stove wondering what to do with the pot of soup, set it on the ground or put it over on the table, etc. I happend to glance out across the camp and to the ridge beyond, about 100 yards. Over the top he came. I say He because I felt this was so. He was as stunned as I was. I dropped my eyes, I don't know why. I looked back but in that moment I felt a rush and the feeling that someone pulled on the back of my t-shirt. No mortal being could travel that fast nor could they come unseen. In that moment I was changed. I no longer can nor will poke fun at the cooks who have seen things that few others have seen. My body was charged, goose-bumps. I spoke outloud, "I'm going to my tent now," as if to let him know I felt no threat. I didn't but I was unnerved. The elders in camp at breakfast dismissed my sighting as (run of the mill, no big thing) as many see him back there. Good luck for the camp, people who stand in the doorways see him. as in , when alone, watching the fort, or in this case camp..many who are fire keepers for lodges have seen him skirt the encampment like no big deal. Well, I don't care what the Northern Cheyenne say, it was a big deal for this Sioux. As I struck camp days later I thought of the feeling thesurprise we both felt..how could he be startled by a human, I know he had so many more powers than we humans..he can move unseen, so fast.

ALSO NOTICED: People in camp went up the ridge and looked for hair or footprints and to see how tall the pine tree was that was as tall as he was from looking at him from 100 yards away and down elevation. He was thought to be around seven foot tall.

OTHER WITNESSES: Cleaning up a camp kitchen. Visiting with elders in a tarped area.

OTHER STORIES: Bear Butte State Park had a forest fire two or three years ago. There have been no sightings of this being now to date. My heart is sad to think the worst. Each year I am at the butte several times. I watch and hope. I was startled but not from a scence of fear. I just didn't want to give up whatI thought real and illusions were. So there you have it in a nut-shell.

ENVIRONMENT: Landscape, pine forest high elevation, mountain fidge, large rock outcroppings. Lake and streems.

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