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In the winter of 1879, one man walked out of the forest alone. But behind him, nine of his family members were dead. At first, he said it was starvation. But his story revealed something much darker. For centuries, the Cree people have warned of a spirit, a spirit born from hunger that doesn't just kill. It takes over the body. They called it the Wendigo. To the Kree, it wasn't just folklore. It was a warning. But once the Wendigo takes hold, you became something else entirely. And that's exactly what happened to Swift Run. A Kree man who claimed a Wendigo had taken over his body and forced him to eat his family. This isn't just another legend. This was the man who tried to prove the Wendigo was real. So today we get all in to the Wendigo, where it comes from, and who was Swift Runner, the man who killed his family. So sit back, relax, and welcome to camp. What's up, people? And welcome back to camp. My name is Mark Gagnon, and thank you for joining me in my tent, where every single week, we explore the most interesting, fascinating, controversial stories from around the world, from all time, forever. Yes, that's what we do here. All right. In this very tent, I get cozy with y', all, and we talk about just the weird stuff that I find fascinating that I hope you find interesting as well. This is Ripley's Believe it or Not. If it was a podcast. Basically, this is just my weird wormholes, you know what I mean? Inspired by, you know, folklore, religion, history, whatever else comes across my desk that I feel like the good people back at home need to know about. Now, I can't do this alone, of course. I'm joined by my dear friend Christos. How are you, pal? Doing great, Mark. Glad to hear it. I'm not even going to interrupt you. I'm just going to let the comments handle you, Christos, all right? Because there's one of me. But there are thousands of them that are pissed off with your constant yapping. Very vocal. Anyway, today we're talking about the Wendigo, which I don't even think you're allowed to say the name, or else it's going to find you. It's three times, I think, so. You're good. It's like Voldemort or something like that. You can't even bring it up. And we're also going to be talking about Swift Runner, all right? Swift Runner was a Cree man who was obviously a Native American tribe, and he was a man of the tribe who was found to have killed and cannibalized his entire family and basically underwent something known as Wendigo psychosis. He was consumed by the spirit. But long before Swift Runner was ever born, Cree elders would gather around to tell people around fires during the long winters to share stories passed down for generations. And we're going to be getting into all these stories. That's what we do here at camp, specifically around the holidays. You know, this is, you know, not far from Halloween. And in the spirit of the season, it's just fun to get spooky with the boys, you know. Nothing wrong with that. Just getting a little spooked out. I hope you're listening to this. If it's daytime, dude, just listen to this at 2 in the morning, Put it on your loudspeaker while you're going to sleep and just have some crazy dreams. All right. So what do the Cree people talk about? They spoke of ancestors, of journeys and of lessons that, you know, were basically meant to keep their community strong. But they also spoke of the Wendigo, known in Cree as the Wintikau. Now, the Wendigo was not just a monster hiding in the trees. It was a spirit of corruption. It was a force that preyed on human weakness when life was at its hardest. The wendigo was often described as this sort of, like, gaunt, kind of, like, tall, slender, skeletal thing. And it has the skin stretched tight over its bones, and it's, like, kind of gray colored and sometimes covered with frost, as if, like, the cold itself was just stuck to its body. And in some accounts, its lips are missing. Or it looked as if, like, you know, the creature chewed his own lips away. His teeth were fully exposed. And many Cree stories also warned that the wendigo could grow larger the more that it consumed, becoming unnaturally tall and imposing, like, almost as if, like, the hunger was never satisfied. And the sounds associated with the Wendigo are also terrifying. Hunters and family spoke of strange whistles in the trees that were not made by wind or shrieks of, like, a half animal, half human thing. It was also said to mimic the cries of animals or even people to draw people closer when they were already weak or starving. Now, the Cree elders taught that the Wendigo was most dangerous in the coldest, darkest months of winter when game was scarce. People were maybe hungry. Families were trapped indoors by blizzards. Hunger alone was not the danger, though it was what hunger could drive a person to do. Now, in creed tradition, cannibalism is the greatest taboo. To eat human flesh, even in desperation is not just a crime. It opens the door for be Wendigo, this evil spirit, to attach itself to you. And once that line was crossed, the Wendigo could enter and basically strip away a person's humanity, like basically possessing them and leaving behind something that seemed human on the outside, but on the inside was. Was hollow and decrepit and decaying, driven only by this insatiable hunger. But to the Cree, these weren't just stories like you would tell kids or whatever to freak them out. This, you know, this story for the Cree, like many other native tribes like the Algonquin, believed that the Wendigo was real and that they had seen what it could do to people. When blizzards trapped families and food ran out, some people ended up breaking this taboo. They would eat human flesh. And among the Cree, this wasn't just about survival. They believed that it opened this door to this evil spirit. The spirit would take hold and basically take away this humanity. And, you know, that's not the only thing it would do. It also overtake the Wendigo sense of relationships and family. They wouldn't see people as human beings, but just as flesh. And some traditions even warned that the spirit could come first in dreams to try to push someone towards eating flesh. But once the cannibalism occurred, the bond was then sealed. But the Cree didn't just fear the Wendigo. They actually, like, prepared for it. During times of famine, they actually held ceremonies to remind people of this rule against cannibalism. Dancers would wear masks and move backwards around the drum, acting out warnings about what would happen if someone gave in to this hunger. And the message was very clear. Survival depended on sharing food, sticking together, and not turning on each other. Now that we have an idea of what the Wendigo is and what it actually means to the Cree people, let's jump to 1839, Alberta, Canada. There's a young Cree boy by the name of Ka Ki Su Kuchin. And now the crew name, Kakisu Kuchin translates to Swift Runner, or, you know, a fast runner. And this is a title that he earned for basically being this exceptional hunter and tracker. He was also known for his size. He was about 6 foot 3 and had a strong, muscular build that really made him stand out amongst the other members of his tribe. Now, Swift Runner grew up much like many other Cree children at the time. He learned the skills needed to survive basically in this wilderness. He was taught the customs, and most importantly, he was told stories and was warned about the Wendigo. Now, when he got older, his Knowledge of the territory landed him a job as a hunter and a trapper, and he eventually married a woman named Charlotte, and together they had six children. Now, his reputation for reliability and extensive knowledge of this territory actually caught the attention of the northwest mounted police. And in 1875, they actually hired Swift runner basically as, like, a guide. And this position was very important and really prestigious, and it required an insane amount of trust from the. The colonial authorities. Now, for several years, he would lead police expeditions through rough terrain, and he really got a lot of respect from the other officers who relied specifically on his expertise for their survival. Now, at the time, he seemed to represent someone who could balance both worlds, right? His Cree identity that he was raised in, but also someone that could adapt to the new economy brought in by, you, know, European Canadian settlement. Now, as we can see, Swift runner was extremely respected, but this respect wouldn't last long. His downfall began when he was introduced to alcohol, which many European traders at the time were bringing into the region in massive amounts. And even though it was sometimes labeled as medicine to get around these trade restrictions, whiskey spread quickly and caused major problems in indigenous communities that are still issues even to this day. And for swift runner, what started as, you know, an occasional drink turned into a serious addiction. That changed him completely. People who knew him at the time noticed the difference. When he was drunk, people would say that he could be violent or even dangerous. And some people even called him the terror of the whole region. And this behavior eventually cost him his job, since the workers could no longer depend on him. And after losing his position, things only got worse. His drinking caused chaos in the community and disrupted the order. Basically needed to survive in these harsh winter conditions. If he was scheduled to go on, like, a hunt, he'd miss out or be too drunk to show up. One account even said that he turned the cree camps into little hells with his behavior. It finally reached a point where his own people literally kicked him out of the community. One of the harshest punishments in Cree society, especially since being cut off from the group could basically just mean, you know, death in the wintertime. So by the winter of 1878, Swift Runner was in a desperate spot. He had been pushed out by both the European settlers and he lost his job and then by his own Cree community. But he still had his wife and his children with him. Instead of staying near others, he decided to take his family deep into the wilderness for the winter hunting and trapping season. And this is a choice that would turn out to be disastrous. The group consisted of nine people Total Swift Runner, his wife, Charlotte, their six children, his elderly mother, and his own brother. Being cut off from the community put Swift Runner's family in a really dangerous position. Cree teaching warned that people who became isolated were more likely to fall victim to these harmful spirits, including the Wendigo. And without the protection of ceremonies and the support that came from sharing these resources, families risked not just the physical hardships, but to them, what also this spiritual danger now? The winter of 1878-1879 was especially harsh in Canada. Hunting was almost impossible because of the cold and the heavy snow. Food would barely grow, causing many indigenous families in the region to face some semblance of starvation. And that desperation was the exact type of situation that, according to the Cree, that the Wendigo would take advantage of. Now, as the winter dragged on, the family's food started to run low, and Swift Runner's oldest son was the first to die of starvation. Despite the ground being completely frozen, Swift Runner buried his son in the traditional Cree. Way up to that point, the loss looked like the kind of tragedy that many indigenous families would face during these harsh winters. But later, Swift Runner would say that this is when things would take a terrible turn. He claimed that losing his son, combined with his family's desperation left him open to the Wendigo. The spirit, he said, began to work its way into his mind and actually showed up in his dreams. In his own words, he said, a Wendigo spirit called on him to consume the people around him. The spirit crept through his mind, gradually taking control. Finally, he was Wendigo and Swift Runner no longer. What's up, guys? We're gonna take a break really quick because buying work boots is annoying. Okay? Take it from me. Stand up, comedian, podcaster. Okay, I'm busting my tuchus. You can see my hands calloused. Don't look too close. Doesn't matter, guys. Buying work boots is tough because basically, you got to choose. All right? Do I want them to be comfortable? Do I want them to be really durable? Do I want them to be safe, or do I want them to be affordable? You know? And so now you're going through all these different brands, you're like, okay, well, these are going to wreck my feet. You know, these ones are going to last a long time, but they're super expensive. These ones feel good, but they're going to get destroyed. Well, now you don't have to choose, and that's because I want to talk to you about Brunt Workwear. This was started by just a regular blue Collar guy that basically was talking to all his friends that work in trade jobs. And they kept on being like, hey, these big brands don't listen to us. And, you know, they either haven't changed in a hundred years or they've changed too much and now they're super cheap and poorly made. But that's why he invented Brunt, because these are products that are used by real hardworking tradesmen that want something that is extremely comfortable right out of the box. They want them to look cool, they want them to be not crazy expensive, and they want them to last a long time. And that's why Brunt is amazing. I've been wearing these around the city because, you know, it's a little bit chilly now. And I put on my boots just to make people think that I have a blue collar job. And they are comfy right out of the box. I mean, like, I wear, you know, like running shoes, regular shoes all the time. And these kind of feel like that. Like it feels like I'm just wearing like a normal boot. But these are awesome because they are super safe. They're waterproof, they are, you know, lace up. They are great ankle support, and on top of that, they last forever. I actually have friends that work in roofing and they'll wear these in the wintertime up in, you know, Pennsylvania, and they'll be able to wear them throughout the whole year. And they keep your feet warm. They, they last a super long time. They've dropped like hammers on their toes and they're, you know, generally safe. I mean, I wouldn't recommend testing it yourself, but if some mistakes happen like they do on the job site, you can be sure that you'll be safe with your Brunts. Now, I don't think there's a ton of other brands that are doing what Brunt is doing, and that's because Brunt stands by what they make. You can wear them to work and if they're not right for you, you can send them right back. I don't know any other brand that does that. That's a company that is standing on the business. So all that to say Brunt stands on what they believe. You can try them out, send them back if they don't work. But I'm telling you, you're going to love them. They're extremely comfortable. I've been wearing them around the city. They keep your feet warm, they keep your feet safe, and they're not crazy expensive. And they might be the last boots you ever buy because you're going to wear them for years and they're going to hold up. I'm telling you. Brunt is amazing. And they love this podcast so much that the listeners of this very show are going to be getting $10 off brunt when they use the code camp at checkout. Just go to bruntworkwear.com use the code camp and you are good to go. Stop messing around. Your feet are important and your health and safety is the most important thing you can do. Check out Brunt. And now let's get back to the show from his perspective. The man had been slipping away and was replaced by something else entirely. Now, what happened next broke the deepest Cree taboos and became one of the most infamous crimes of basically on the entire Canadian frontier. Instead of looking for help or trying to hunt, Swift Runner turned on the rest of his family and he killed them. The way he carried out the killings showed just how deliberate they were. He would use a mix of weapons, guns, blunt objects, strangulation. He killed everyone. His wife, their five remaining children, his mother, his brother. And that's not all, because after each killing, he consumed portions of his family's flesh and used tools to actually go into their bones to eat the marrow inside. Perhaps the most disturbing detail is that he had forced one of his sons to participate in killing one of the other siblings before that child became a victim as well. The trial record actually states the Wendigo forced one of Swift Runner's boys to kill and butcher his younger brother. But here's the thing. Throughout all of this, Swift Runner maintained that he was no longer in control of his actions. He claimed throughout the entire trial that the Wendigo spirit had taken complete possession of his mind and his body and basically directed every movement and decision that he was making. When spring came in 1879, Swift Runner decided to leave his camp and showed up alone at a nearby Catholic mission. He was the only one left from what had been a family of nine. And at first, he told people that his wife and his children, his mother, brother, they all died of starvation in the winter. However, the workers and local authorities found Swift Runner's account sort of suspicious. His physical condition appeared to be too good for someone who had supposedly endured months of starvation with his family. And inconsistencies in his story started to raise even more doubts, because when he was questioned about the specific circumstances of his family's deaths, he began trying to avoid answering any questions after that. After deciding that a formal investigation was necessary, the police organized an expedition to examine Swift Runner's entire camp and Shockingly, Swift Runner offered to guide the police to his camp to save them the trouble of searching. When the police arrived at the scene, they saw something that they never could have expected. They found one child's body properly buried, consistent with what Swift Runner had said about this account of starvation. However, the remains of the other eight human beings presented a far more horrifying picture. Bones were scattered through the campsite showing clear evidence of having been deliberately broken open and prepared for consumption. The investigators discovered tool marks on the bones indicating this systematic butchery, along with other physical evidence that left no doubt about what had actually occurred. One official report later noted that they found, quote, a man who had shot, bludgeoned, and, or strangled his whole family and snapped open bones to eat the insides. Now, what makes Swift Runner's case particularly significant is that survival alternatives were still available. A Hudson's Bay Company post with emergency food supplies was just 25 miles away from their winter camp. Swift Runner definitely knew it was there and could have made the journey to seek help for his starving family. But instead, according to his account, the Wendigo spirit directed him towards this darker solution. Now, the police arrested Swift Runner immediately, and they brought him back to Fort Saskatchewan to stand trial. Throughout the trip and later during his time at jail, he showed none of the mental instability that these, you know, colonial authorities might have used to explain his actions. Instead, he remained completely normal. Beside the fact that he claimed that Wendigo had very recently possessed him. Word of Swift Runner's crime spread through the entire region, both indigenous and European communities. Among the Cree, his actions represented not only a terrible tragedy, but a spiritual matter that demanded a traditional Cree jurisdiction. Swift Runner's own relatives made it known that they intended to take matters into their own hands if he somehow escaped European custody. But honestly, for Swift Runner, he was lucky to be in a European colonial jail, because in the Cree tradition, the way you get rid of a Wendigo and making sure it never returns from the dead involves dismembering the possessed individual's body and burning the heart in a fire. But this isn't seen as a punishment to the individual. It's more as like a just protection against the Wendigo for the rest of the tribe. Now, the trial for Swift Runner began on August 8, 1879, at For Saskatchewan, marking a huge moment in history. It was the first time a Cree man was tried in a colonial court for murder. With his defense based on the claim that he had been possessed by Wendigo, the jury included three English speaking Cree men and Three white men from Battleford who were fluent in the Cree language. This was intended to ensure that both cultural perspectives would be adequately represented in the proceedings. Now, Swift Runner's defense strategy centered entirely on this claim of Wendigo possession. Through his attorney, he maintained that he had been completely overtaken by this evil spirit that had commanded him to kill and consume his family members. He insisted that Swift Runner, who had been a loving father and respected community member, had effectively died when the Wendigo took control. The defense attempted to present testimony about Cree spiritual beliefs and the traditional understanding of Wendigo possession. They argued that Swift Runner had no personal responsibility for his actions, having been completely controlled by the supernatural force beyond his influence. The prosecution, however, focused entirely on the physical evidence and Swift Runner's behavior throughout the winter. They emphasized that he had the knowledge and the ability to seek help from the Hudson's Bay company, but had chosen instead to turn on his own family. They also pointed to the systematic nature of the killings with the way Swift Runner processed the bodies as proof that this was deliberate criminal behavior, not the result of some supernatural possession. Now, the cultural clash was very clear during this trial. European law had no way to handle the idea of a spiritual sort of folklore possession, and the judge and jury didn't view the Wendigo idea in the same way as the Cree. The court also had no legal space to treat supernatural influence as a defense or even a factor to lessen the charges in any way. So either way, Swift Runner's defense was basically useless. Now, after hearing all testimony and examining the physical evidence, it took the jury only 20 minutes to return with a unanimous verdict of guilty on all counts of murder. When asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, Swift Runner reportedly showed no remorse or even surprise. At the verdict, the judge pronounced that he would be sentenced to death by hanging, making Swift Runner the first person to be executed in Alberta. Now, his execution was scheduled for December 20, 1879, and it quickly exposed the inexperience of the Fort Saskatchewan authorities. At the time, no one at the post had ever carried out a legal hanging before, which meant that they had to prepare for this event with really no idea what to do. Staff Sergeant Fred Bagley was in charge of organizing everything. Now, what's interesting about Fred Bagley is that he's also the fort's bugler. Like the guy that would, like, sound the horn for, like, special events and stuff. The authorities quickly built gallows within the fort's enclosure and hired an elderly army pensioner named Rogers to serve as the Hangman. Even though the execution was being carried out by people with little experience, Swift Runner himself seemed pretty calm leading up to everything. In his final days, he actually converted to Catholicism and spent much of his time in prayer with the fort's chaplain. When the day finally came, a crowd gathered to witness the execution of Swift Runner, and he openly admitted his guilt and even thanked his jailers for the way that they had treated him during his time in prison. But that morning, it was so freezing, literally temperatures were below freezing, which made things even more complicated for this inexperienced execution team. When the time came to actually take him to the gallows, Rogers discovered that he had forgotten the leather straps needed to tie up his arms and his legs. This forced Swift Runner to wait on the scaffold in the freezing morning air while Rogers went and retrieved the straps and made final adjustments to the mechanism. During this delay, Swift Runner did what anyone should do in this situation. He joked around. He looked at Roger the hangman and noticed he was still struggling with the equipment and said, I could kill myself with a tomahawk and save the hangman any further trouble. Just Moments later, at 7:30am, the trapdoor opened and Swift Runner died, becoming the first person and possibly the first Wendigo legally executed in Alberta. However, in Cree tradition, Swift Runner's hanging didn't end the threat. His body was not dismembered and his heart was not burned. He was simply buried in the ground after he was hungry. And by Kree teaching, that meant that the Wendigo wasn't truly destroyed. The spirit could still be out there, waiting for another chance to return. But while the Kree saw his death as unfinished business, outsiders quickly turned his case into something else. Swift Runner's story became one of the most documented examples of what psychiatrists and anthropologists would later term Wendigo psychosis. Researchers actually claim this is a culture specific mental disorder amongst Algonquin speaking peoples. However, from the Cree perspective, Swift Runner's case wasn't complicated at all. It was a direct example of what their teachings had always warned about. What could happen when someone became cut off from their community and open to this dark spiritual force. Everything about the case fit the deliberate way that the murders were carried out, the fact that food is available not far away, and Swift Runner's own testimony about losing his control to this evil spirit. For the Cree, it all lined up with their deep understanding of how Wendigo and Wendigo possession actually occurs. And the case also just showed how far apart the indigenous and European worldviews really were. And probably still are. To a certain extent, the Colonial Court saw Swift Runner only as a criminal and tried him and carried out the execution, which. I mean, good. He killed his whole family. But among his own people, he was understood as, you know, something more complicated. Both as one who had committed this terrible act, the ultimate taboo, but also someone who had fallen victim to this evil spirit. And in the end, Swift Runner's story is remembered as more than just a crime. For the Kree, it was just further proof of what could happen when someone's cut off from the people and left open to the Wendigo. His family ultimately died in the wilderness, and he followed them to the gallows. But Swift Runner's body was buried whole. His heart never burned and his spirit never cleansed. So, technically, the Wendigo is still out there. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of Swift Runner. I mean, truly messed up. Like, I couldn't even imagine. Just, like, ugh. I don't know. I mean. Okay, a few things. One, I. I tend to take a view that, like, a lot of sort of, like, religious stories kind of just sort of. They serve two purposes. Maybe the religious story is true. Maybe the Wendigo is a real thing that we need to be worried about. Sure. Maybe it's a demon. And that's just their word for a demon. Okay, I'll leave that open. And that. And it's a way to make people behave in the way that is in ordinance with what the society needs. So, hey, winters are hard. Sometimes starvation happens. You might want to eat your boy. Don't do it. And so now it becomes like a sort of a law, and then it becomes a myth that then can go on forever. Because, again, laws are difficult. You hear a law and you're like, well, why do I need to follow that? But if you get told this supernatural force, the thing that you know can possess your body and make you do the most unthinkable act ever, it keeps you very aware, and then it helps you stay away from it. You know what I mean? Hey, don't eat pigs. Don't eat pork. Right. That's unclean. But it's also like, well, maybe they carry parasites. And maybe the pigs of the region don't actually have that much food, and it takes a lot of money to take care of pigs. So it's actually not good for the society. But we'll tell people, you know, don't eat pigs. Or the religion's true. Maybe it's both. I don't know. All I'm saying Is it seems like this story has, like, a functional purpose for the Cree society and many of the indigenous people that live in this region. So there's that. Secondly, this thing of, like, oh, the voices made me do it. I'm like, maybe, like, it. Is it possible that he's just, like, a drunk psychopath that killed his whole family because he didn't want to die? Which there's something, like, inhuman about that. Like, I feel like most parents would, like, rather die than let their kids die. So the idea that, like, he would kill his whole family, including his kids, is, like, truly, like, the worst shit ever. And, like, eating their bodies like that is insane. Like, it's like we're kind of, like, being blase about it because, like, it happened so long ago. But, like, maybe it's the most grotesque thing we've ever talked about on the show. I mean, truly psycho. So I'm like, you have to be demented to do that. I don't think, like, just being drunk is going to do that to you. You also probably have to be starving in some capacity. And then maybe the circumstances could lead you to do things that are completely inhuman. Sure. I mean, maybe he had, like, a schizophrenic, like, psychosis thing where, like, he was hearing voices. Like, is it possible he actually had a mental disorder and was hearing voices or, like, hearing the spirit or who knows? You know? But you fast for a couple days and you're out in the cold, like, you start to hear things. And then maybe he also has, like, this underlying psychological disorder. I'm not sure. I mean, crazy. Also shout out to the people that, like, investigated a story. You know what I mean? Like, that they, like, heard what he was saying and they were like, well, can we see the. Can we see? And then they went. And then they were like, what the fuck? But it's also another thing where, like, he didn't try to run away. He didn't just, like, try to, like, move towns. Like, he kind of turned himself in maybe from the guilt. Maybe he's actually just, like, mentally unstable and, like, psychotic. And then he was like, yeah, yeah, you guys can see it. Maybe he thought they wouldn't care. I don't know. It's just crazy. He would just, like, lead them back so willingly and be like, yeah, this is what happened. I mean, it's also, like, by all accounts, like, he was a scumbag. Like, to get kicked out of colonial Canada, it's, like, one thing. But to get kicked out by your own people, you'd have to be a real piece of shit. This is like an indigenous community facing colonial oppression. The last thing they're going to do is turn on their own brother and kick him out. And his elderly mom and the whole. That's like, he must have been like, the worst. So the idea that, like, this terrible person that everyone didn't fuck with all of a sudden kills his family, it's like, all right, he obviously had some issues going on. And then on top of that, he's a drunk, mentally unstable. I think that is probably the most plausible. The most plausible thing here. But I can also understand how this reinforces the Wendigo theory amongst the Kree. And furthermore, this has probably happened in their history at some point before, which is why the story even exists in the first place. Which, at a certain point, you're like, hey, let's go to Malibu, right? Like, you could just go to California. It's there the whole time. Like, it's not that far. Or I don't know, go, like, just go south for a. Like, come on, guys. What are we doing? Like, I get this is your home, sure. But, like, there's other homes near the beach and you just fish all day. There's just. The ocean is just full of food. You just go fish all day. It just like, is crazy. Like, hey, where we live is so cold that we have to, like, have a story about not eating each other. My parents never told me not to eat people. They never came up. Not once. A matter of fact. We went to communion. We consumed the body of Christ. Kind of the opposite. They told me, like, hey, you can. You know, we're Catholic. This is what we do. But like, no, it's like, guys, if this is a part of your story, we're like, hey, guys, this is. This is where we are. This is where we live. It's going to get cold. Don't let the flesh eating cannibal spirit consume your body. Then maybe it's time to just reconsider where exactly we're at. Okay? But, yeah, I don't know. The Swift Runner story is, like, pretty brutal. And I mean, good that he got executed. Like, like, look, I'm not saying the Canadian colonial forces were good because I feel like the Cree would have also handled them. They're like, hey, either y' all got them or we got them, whatever. Like, this. This dude's gotta die. I low key, if I was them, if I was the colonial Canadian authorities, like, after he gets hung, I'd be like, all right, you guys want his body like, do whatever you want with it. You know what I mean? Like, burn his heart. Like, if I was the Canadians, I would be like, look, I don't believe in the Wendigo. This guy was just a psychopathic killer. Drunk, murdered his family, starving, sure. But also, let's burn the heart. You know what I mean? Just in case. Just in case. Like, why not also do that? You're gonna bury him. Like, just light it on fire, like, just to be safe. I one time talked to a crazy dude in the studio. Did I ever tell you this? I don't think so. There was a time in this very studio where there was a guy that got in here that was, like, crazy, and he was, like, telling me that, like, there were, like, spirits and, like, the voices are talking to him kind of thing. Like, he was having, like, a manic episode. You've talked about this on flagrant. Yes. Yeah. And he was, like, starting to lose it, and I was like, what do you mean? So he's kind of showing me around, like, going through the delusions. I'm like, oh, is he going to, like, fight me? I was, like, legit sketched out. And he, like, goes and opens the closet. He's like, yeah, the spirits told me that, like, this bucket has to be inside this bucket. Anyway, let's move on. And just, like, passively just, like, keeps on going. And I eventually get him out of the building. He gets removed. Yada, yada, yada. I lock up all the doors. And then, like, a few weeks go by, I open up that same closet, and the two buckets are separated. No way. I mean, someone was using the buckets. Oh, okay. Like, it wasn't like a spooky. It wasn't like the closet was locked off. Like, someone was cleaning, and they moved the buckets. And then me being like, all right, I don't believe anything this guy's saying. I don't think that, like, the spirits are talking to him. But I also put the bucket inside the other bucket just to, like. Just to, like. Why risk it? It takes nothing for me to move the bucket back in the other bucket. And then I'm covering all bases. You know what I mean? Yeah, that's kind of. It's like a little. Little Pascal's wager, You know what I mean? I'd rather look a little silly putting a bucket inside a bucket or burning this guy's heart and look, you know, oh, maybe it's all fake and whatever. Or there's the 1% chance it's true, in which case, I saved everyone from getting possessed by a cannibal demon inside the bucket closet. More than anything, this sounds like a cautionary tale about alcoholism for the people. I'm glad you brought that up. You know what? I'm glad you brought that up because we do want to just talk about the indigenous community's relationship with alcohol. That's really what this is about today. So this was a whole big parlay just to be like, you know what? We need to repatriate the land, and we need to do a land back initiative. Okay. That's. I think that's really what this was all about. Now, I agree, obviously, alcoholism is terrible within the Native American community, but. Yeah, I mean, but I just don't think alcoholism is going to cause you to, like, murder your whole family and your young children in the wintertime. Well, he got ousted from his community because he was an alcoholic who was acting up. My thing with this is, I think that he was more than just an alcoholic because, like, I don't think he was the only one that was boozing. I think he was boozing and then also was schizophrenic or mentally unstable in some legitimate way, like disassociated something like a bunch of compounding things that also would lead him to do the most atrocious act ever. In the face of starvation, they're allowed to drink. Who? The native people. I mean, I don't know if they have, like, a social more against it or if there's like a religious, like a spiritual folk moray against it, but unfortunately, many of them do. With the introduction of, like, drugs and alcohol, it's kind of decimated these communities, which is very unfortunate. I mean, there's, you know, that's like a pretty rampant thing. So I think there's actually now more initiatives to actually, like, curb it in some way. And, like, they're offering, like, you know, rehab and, you know, AA and stuff like that. On res. Did you look up some. Yeah, they are allowed to drink alcohol. I thought it was more of a rum springer thing where this guy goes and drinks. No. Okay. No, no. It's like. I mean, you've heard the stereotype of, like, Native Americans are drinking. I haven't. You've never heard that? No. Oh, it's like a. Yeah, it's like a real issue. It's like, ravaged Native American and, like, res populations because, like, alcoholism is, like, very rampant. Good to know. Yeah. Which is. It's just. It's tragic. But again, this guy, I just think is more than alcoholic. I just don't. I just don't see it as just like, oh, I was drinking. Whoops. Killed my whole family. You know? Like, I've been drunk. I've killed zero families. Like, it's once again, like, this is beyond. Yeah. And who knows? It's so. It's so morbid and evil that maybe he was possessed by the Wendigo. I don't know. Probably not. But who knows? I don't. Like, again, I leave room for these things where anytime there's, like, a guy that was like, the voices told me to kill everybody, I'm like, probably not. Who knows? Maybe I've never had voices in my head. You know what I mean? I barely hear my own voice. There's not much going on up there. But for some of these people, again, I don't count it out. Because some of these acts are so evil and so morbid that you're like, I almost want there to be some type of supernatural explanation because I hate the idea that just, like, the average person could get put to a position where they kill their whole family and eat them. Yikes. Anyway, this has been the story of Swift Runner. I don't know, Christos, do you take anything away from this? Did you learn anything today? Don't drink alcohol and be a dick, dude. No true words have ever been spoken. Appreciate the sage wisdom there, Christos. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Have you heard of the story before? Are you familiar with the Wendigo? Are you familiar with Swift Runner? If there's anything that I missed. If you are Cree, if you speak Algonquin, if you live on rez, if you're familiar with this story, I would love to know what you guys think. Specifically from people that grew up in this type of spiritual tradition. Drop a comment. Is there anything I missed? Anything I got wrong? I'm always open to critique and becoming a better citizen of this planet. If you never heard of this, let me know what you think. I mean, did this track with your upbringing? Anything you've ever heard about? Do you live out of the woods and you hear some crazy stuff? Drop a comment, because I'll be reading every single one. And on top of that, the top comment on this video and all videos going forward until some undisclosed date when we eventually end this, we'll be getting free merchandise. We will find a way to get it to you after a few days, whatever the top comment is. So drop a comment. Spotify, YouTube, all that. I read them all. So please just be nice about it, okay? Unless you're talking about Christos, in which case, let it rip. Anyway. Also, you can check out Religion Camp. You can check out History Camp. We get into all sorts of the same vibes and stuff, but obviously a little bit more niche. Also, you can see me on the road. Mark Yagnon, live. I'm doing standup comedy. Unfortunately, a lot of people have said that it's the greatest, the greatest show of all time ever. Bigger than just standard. The greatest show ever done. By all accounts. By all accounts, every person. I mean, I mean, it's honestly, it's been, it's been a lot going on the road and just getting carried out of every show. Just, it's annoying because I'll sometimes be five minutes into my set and they're hoisting me on their shoulders. I'm like, guys, there's still another 55 minutes of jokes that I need to lay down, so please put me back on the stage. And they do sometimes. But anyway, if you want to be a part of the action, you can check me out. Mark Yagnon, live. I'm on the road all sorts of places. Probably not going to go to Alberta in the wintertime for obvious reasons, but you can catch me at all these other places on the website. Anyway, thank you guys so much for tuning in to another episode of Camp and I will see you guys next time.