Water Babies ...

Little People and Water Babies

“Mister. Watch out for Water Babies”. That was the reply from one of my Native students regarding the fishing opportunities in the Wind River area. He had a very serious look on his face. Tristan was rather stoic and did not reveal too much to me. But in this case he was serious.

I wasn’t sure what to make of that response.

My new friend from Wyoming, Casey, is a fellow instructor. He has military experience as well as a nursing degree. He has proven to be invaluable. He offered an immeasurable amount of advice regarding all of the intricacies of life in the Cowboy State.

We chatted about the topic.

Among the Shoshoni and Arapaho the legend of the water babies dates back to dark times. In the past, during times of famine and starvation some women would toss their infants into the Wind River to drown. To them it must have been considered to be an act of mercy rather than allow an infant to die a slow death of starvation.

A legend grew regarding the spirits of those dead children. There seems to be a strong belief that the spirits of these murdered babies could come back and enact revenge upon someone who is in or near the waters edge, especially in late afternoon or early evening.

Another topic that came up was that of what were called “Little People”. Akin to the Water Babies, these were basically dwarves that inhabit some areas of the land, notably the Wind River Canyon. I did not really dismiss any of this as it seems many people in Fremont County took it very seriously.

The Arapaho Tribe has a darker description of the “Little People”. The legends describe them as Teihiihan or Hecesiiteihii, who were cave-dwelling, cannibalistic dwarfs.

From what I have been told they will do you harm. One could walk the edge of a canyon or the river and get pushed in. As you can see from the image I posted, it can be a long way down. Some of the elders state that you are safe if you leave some tobacco on a rock nearby to appease them.

When I lived in Wyoming I spent as much time as possible in the wilds of that unique state. I can say that I never spotted any Water Babies or Little People.

The Wind River area has many legends.