These tales are taken from personal accounts, witness testimony, and convincing retellings. Any likeness is coincidental. For entertainment purposes only. Reader discretion is advised.
Author’s Note: Happy Halloween spooky people! For this edition of The Stories of the Supernatural I am going to get very scary. Remember that you are beautiful, capable, and powerful entities yourselves. Enjoy and happy haunting! Editor’s Note: This story contains mature content and mentions the physical, mental, and sexual assault that occured at Haskell in its boarding school years.
The Three to Stay Away From
The Haskell campus is a highly active paranormal place. Many entities pass through, visit, and reside here. Some are trapped, lost, and scared. Some are children. Some are ancient ones. Most are harmless and even, sometimes, helpful. There are three that I know of that are not good. Mind you, it is possible for someone to come to college with dark entities from home attached to them. In my experience, this is rare, as Haskell is a place of happiness, opportunity, and laughter. However, there are three that remain on this land and in these buildings that linger and can be malevolent. The white demon in Powhatan, the wandering wraith, and the unnamed evil in Hiawatha.
Powhatan has been used on occasion to house various people in different situations. A story was told of a student sleeping in one of the rooms of Powhatan. He was a large guy and was sleeping soundly until he felt someone sit on the end of his bed. He could feel the pressure on the mattress. He looked to see what it was. He gazed upon a hunched figure sitting at his feet. The specter was bone-white, completely hairless, and skeleton thin. It slouched and hung its head low, almost as if in remorse. A sadness emanated from the creature. The student did not care. He angrily yelled, “Get outta here!” At this point, the gaunt body turned to him and lunged. Its mouth was agape and its hands were poised to attack. The guy pulled his coverings over him and waited for the attack. It never came. He peeped his eyes over his blanket and saw nothing. The creature was gone. His room was as it had been before the encounter. He immediately leaped out of bed and ran for the Resident Advisors office to tell them what had just occurred. I feel this entity is demonic in nature, however, I feel sorry for it. I have been told that it is something that was never born and that it regrets the circumstances that led to its current state of mind and estate of its soul. It is thought to have migrated to Roe Cloud Hall.
There is an eight to nine foot tall, cloaked entity that wanders the campus. It is described as being shrouded in all black and hooded. It has been most frequently spotted in the dead hours of the night around Cutis Hall and Tommaney library. There is a crossroads of sidewalk that converges in that location, however, there are stories of it coming into rooms. This spirit has no boundaries which makes it troublesome. There is a story of a Resident Advisor having an encounter with this being. At around three in the morning, the campus worker was doing his rounds at Osceola-Keokuk dormitory. He saw the massive shadow figure turn to go down a hallway in front of him. He sped up his walking thinking that it was a student up to no good. When he turned the corner, he saw the black, smoky figure move away from him and head up the stairwell. The worker chased the mass. The wraith fled from him, always maintaining a lead, but retreating nonetheless. This story is comforting because it means the wraith is scared and shy. He has never attacked anyone, but he will come into your room at night. Maybe it is the Grim Reaper.
Hiawatha Hall has been closed for a long time. It is referred to sometimes as “The Church”. It is the building with the bell tower. Apparently, there is an evil that resides within the edifice. Staff members are afraid of what is in that building. People get sick feeling when they have to enter it. Fortunately, it seems confined to Hiawatha. Some say you can see it in the bell tower late at night. I have heard that it is the ghost of a priest that is there, but not a good priest. It is said that what is in there has perverted and twisted the word of God so much, that its soul has become just as gnarled. He is the ghost of the disgusting, disgraceful, and dreadful deeds are done when these buildings were used to assimilate Indigenous children. Unfathomable evil took place at that time. Children taken, beaten, raped, traumatized, and murdered are the rumors of what happened here. I am glad those times have gone. I would like to think that humanity has learned from such tragedy. Unfortunately, it appears there is one lingering memory of that time and it watches from the windows of Hiawatha Hall.
Do not make any attempt to contact these spirits. Do not seek them out. If they happen to cross your path, be strong. Remember that you are loved by the Creator. Your existence is proof that you are more powerful than them. Be not afraid.
If you or someone you know has had a paranormal, supernatural, or preternatural experience at Haskell Indian Nations University and would like to share your story please contact Joe Singh at joseph.singh@ haskell.edu
