Legends of demons circulated through various communities around the world for thousands of years. There are countless sightings and encounters of demons with more happening every year. One of the most malicious demons is Walking Sam. Much of the encounters of Walking Sam take place in Native American reservations in South Dakota. Many believe that this is the reason for the increasing suicide rate of Native Americans in the South Dakota tribes.
Walking Sam is described as a shadow figure by those that reported seeing him. The shadow figure is thin and tall with long arms. Most people that encountered Walking Sam don’t see him, but can feel his presence. One way that people know Walking Sam is lurking is by the whistling sound he makes. Walking Sam usually targets young children and teenagers. He communicates with his victims through telepathy. He sends you thoughts, convincing you to give up on your life. You will hear voices in your head that you can’t escape from, and he will bring up memories in your mind that can convince you to commit suicide. It is not known why he convinces people to commit suicide because many of the members of the South Dakota Native American reservation refuse to share details of the legend.
Evidence of Walking Sam
The Native American tribes in South Dakota have a high suicide rate, and the suicide rate has increased in recent years. In 2015, there were around 40,000 Native Americans living on the reservation. At the end of 2015 there were over 200 suicide attempts, however, only nine were successful. There were multiple disturbing post on social media about groups of child members of the reservation trying to find the best techniques to commit suicide. Groups of people were discovered hanging from trees in the woods near the reservation, and nooses were found with no one hanging from them.
Many critics claim the suicides are not a result of Walking Sam, but result from the high poverty rates of the reservation. While it is true poverty can make it more difficult to survive and make it harder for some people to find happiness it there isn’t a correlation with suicide and poverty rates. Suicide is more common wealthier areas than poverty-stricken areas. This means that there is most likely another reason behind the increased suicide rates in the reservation. Many people on the reservation agree that Walking Sam causes the high suicide rates.
Walking Sam is often one of the topics covered at meetings of reservation officials. The officials tell reservation members to avoid walking on streets at night because it would be a convenient time for Walking Sam to approach his victim. Multiple residents have requested for police officers to look out for Walking Sam. Dozens of residents have reported seeing his shadow and reported their encounters to the police. The sounds of whistling coming from nowhere were reported too.
Because of the ghost-like nature of Walking Sam, there isn’t any film or footage of him. At the moment there is no known way to contact him, the only way to encounter him is for him to approach you. What do you think causes the high suicide rates in the South Dakota Native American reservations? Do you believe Walking Sam roams the reservation? If so, why do you think Walking Sam convinces people to commit suicide? Have you ever seen or heard the creepy whistling of Walking Sam? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Sanburn, Josh. “Why Suicides Are More Common in Richer Neighborhoods.” Time, Time, 8 Nov. 2012, business.time.com/2012/11/08/why-suicides-are-more-common-in-richer-neighborhoods/.
[Email Protected]. “Is an Urban Legend Encouraging South Dakota Sioux Teens to Take Their Own Lives?” The Daily Dot, 29 May 2021, www.dailydot.com/irl/walking-sam-myth-lakota-pine-ridge-suicides/.