I met Tony, Jason, Chief Tomalapus, and his indian witchdoctor at a boy scout camp I was a counselor at a few years ago. Jason and Tony used to be very close friends with my brother when he was a counselor at the same camp several years before. Tony adopted me as his little sister and helped me through the first week of camp away from home. Jason adopted me as his friend after the first week. I was the only one he could talk to.
Chief Tomalapus was a great indian warrior. According to the stories, he died in a great battle and was buried on the property that is now the most beautiful camp I have ever been in. He was buried under a tree so that his body could give back to the earth the life he was given, To fertilize the ground and make a beautiful tree. The indians believed that this was a sacred ground because a great chief was buried there. According to legend, his indian witchdoctor, who still has no name, put a curse on the tree. If you walk three times around the tree clockwise, you will be blessed with good luck. If you walk three times around the tree counter-clockwise, you will be cursed with bad luck.
At one time, there was proof of the curse. A camper decided that he would be smart and walk around the tree three times counter-clockwise. As a result, later that week, three staff members were going to town for pizza. They had an accident killing one, and putting one in a bad coma. I remember the day my brother was called and told that one of his friends was dead and the other in very bad shape.
At first, I didn't believe the stories. I thought they were trying to put a fast one over on me. I told them to take me to the so-called cursed tree. We went after dark. I am night blind so I had to hold Tony's arm the whole time through the woods. When we finally got to the tree, I felt each and every hair on the back of my neck prickle and stand on end. I knew which tree it was before they even told me. The moon shone on that tree. It was like a light from heaven showing me where he was. I slowly approached the tree and everyone that came that night was trying to tell me not to. It seemed like someone was calling from the tree louder than my new friends were calling for me not to go.
I knew then and there that an indian spirit lived in the large tree. He knew my name. He called me to come closer, to feel the power of the spirit. Below the tree was the smoothest large rock I have ever seen. He instructed me to sit on the rock and look at the greatness of the tree. I sat on the rock and looked at the tree. It was evil looking. It had to have been over 200 feet tall. Large and looming over me. The tree then took on the appearance of a human figure. It's two large branches appeared to be reaching out across the creek to the other side of the camp. He told me that there was a rock there shaped to look like a bear. This rock was his spirit animal and to stop the curse he needed his spirit animal by his side so he could rest in peace and know that his spirit would be protected by his spirit animal.
The whole time I was staring at the large branches, my friends were talking to me, telling me that it was time to go back to our cabins. I didn't hear a word. Just the indian spirit telling me about the rock. When I finally came out of my trance, my friends were worried about me. I told them that I had never felt closer to nature and all of her wonders. We made our way back to the cabins.
The next night, I told Tony that I wanted to go back. He didn't think that it would be such a good idea, but I was persistent enough that he finally took me. He said that Jason had to go with us because they were the only ones in camp with a blessed medicine bag to ward off evil spirits. We made our way back to the tree. This time, no one was there beckoning to me. I approached the tree and laid my hands on it. I felt a jolt like electricity flowing through my vanes. All of a sudden, I understood. I turned to Tony and Jason and said "This tree is not the great chief Tomalapus. It is evil. I think it is the burial place of the evil witchdoctor." They thought I had gone totally nuts. I stuck to my feeling all the way back to the cabins where we built a fire.
Jason and Tony were wise in the ways of many indian rituals. They formed a blessed circle around the fire so that no evil spirits could enter. A blessed circle is an imaginary circle. The person with the blessed medicine bag walks in a circle three times clockwise saying a territorial chant while shaking his or her medicine bag therefore blessing a circle. We began discussing the things I felt when I was near the tree. I again went into a trance. I saw a bear in the fire and tried to take it out so I could take it to the tree. Jason stopped me from sticking my hand in the hot fire. That got me out of my trance. I told them that we had to find the bear so the curse would not go on. I didn't want anyone else hurt. They figured out a solution. We would find chief Tomalapus and have him call off his witchdoctor. Since I seemed to be the only one who could communicate with the spirits, I had to find him and his real burial place.
That night, I couldn't sleep so I walked to the dining hall after lights out for some milk. Everyone was supposed to be in bed so I couldn't use a flashlight. I didn't want to be found. I took one along just in case. I knew how to get to the dining hall, but the roads were dark. I shone my flashlight every once in a while so I could see that I was still on the road. Once I got up next to where the dining hall was supposed to be, I could see a little because right out of the woods there was a very bright security light. I saw a dark shape walking toward me on the other side of the road. I thought it might be one of the scoutmasters or the head of camp. I was for sure I was in trouble. He walked on past without a word. I didn't hear his footsteps on the gravel so I turned on my light to see if he needed help getting somewhere in the dark. I shone my light everywhere and saw no one. I then realized that the hairs on my neck were prickling again. I had just met the great chief Tomalapus.
The next day, I told Tony and Jason we were going on a ghost hunt. That night, we did. We found the place the spirit disappeared and walked into the woods. I led them to another giant tree which they told me later was one of the two that were believed to be his final resting place. We built another blessed circle and sat inside. I waited until I felt the presence of a good spirit. I then approached him and we spoke. He was unaware that his witchdoctor was causing trouble. Together, Tony, Jason, the chief, and I devised a plan. There would be one final confrontation. I was to help the chief battle the witchdoctor on another plane. The battle was set for the next night.
We arrived in a clearing late the next night. There were no trees close to us, just moonlight. Tony and Jason built a blessed circle and sat inside. I couldn't go inside because the evil witchdoctor wouldn't be able to enter and I wouldn't be able to help the chief. Tony and Jason were there in case something went wrong so they could get me into the circle and leave the evil spirit out. I put myself into a trance.
I was standing in the middle of a large, vast, dry prarie. I saw dust rising to my left and right. Soon the indians were upon me. I was the bravest, strongest warrior in the tribe of chief Tomalapus. The witchdoctor had formed his own tribe of evil, villanous warriores. We began talking in a language that was foreign to me, but somehow I understood every word. We told the evil tribe to leave or their spirits would be forever damned. They wouldn't leave peacefully. The war started. There was a lot of blood shed by the end. None of it was ours. We were the proveyers of good and all good spirits near and far came to join us. It was a long, hard war, but we didn't stop until the last of the evil was slain. The chief thanked me and told me to make a medicine bag of my own. He went to great detail on where to put the crystals in the creek so that he and all the good spirits could bless them.
I had a dream the night my crystals were being blessed. I dreamt that all the evil spirits were eternally damned and they were being tortured. I also had a dream that the great chief Tomalapus came and blessed me in my sleep. He told me that I should go early in the morning and put my crystals in my medicine bag and every place I went with my bag, I would be blessed with good luck.
I never forgot that week at camp and I never will. I still keep my medicine bag close to my heart. On long road trips, I have it hung on my mirror so I don't run into any trouble. At night I hang it above my bed so that he can bless me with sweet dreams all night.
This page was last updated on 13, January 1999.
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