THE PARACAST NEWSLETTER
October 2, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Explore the Legends of the Star People with Ardy Sixkiller Clarke on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: Gene and Chris present Ardy Sixkiller Clarke, everyone's favorite compiler of Sky People/Star People Native American tales. Her latest book, More Encounters with Star People: Urban American Indians Tell Their Stories, takes us from the Reservations out into the world-at-large for more entertaining tales of contact and intrigue. " details the UFO stories of American Indians who live off the reservation. One intriguing difference between the two groups: There were more cases of physical evidence presented to back up the testimony of urban American Indians. As with her first book, this volume not only recounts their encounters, but the recounting itself becomes part of the story. [Dr. Clarke] is a professor emeritus at Montana State University and reveals herself as part UFO investigator, part journalist, part therapist, and part friend."
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Ardy Sixkiller Clarke’s Blog: Ardy Sixkiller Clarke
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on October 2: Inspired by the appearance of folklorist Ardy Sixkiller Clarke on The Paracast, the main focus of this episode involves legends of interactions with ancient astronauts or star people. Are they separate events and contacts involving different tribes, or all based on the very same meetings with such beings? What about oral traditions, and how accurate are those recollections of the original cause or event? Are such traditions at times spun to fit the political dynamics of the situation, or just the failure to understand the implications of such meetings? Racial memory? Gene briefly recounts information he’s received that puts into question the claims of the late Yonah Fortner, a pioneer ancient astronaut researcher. Did Yonah just make things up for his own benefit? In closing, Chris explains how eyewitness testimony of events may differ even if the core details are very much the sam e.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
Of Memories of Encounters with Star Beings
By Gene Steinberg
I have to admire Native Americans, or anyone with close families that stay close to their roots. When you read about the legends of star people and other beings that crossed paths with humans in ancient times, these represent stories that were often presented as oral traditions across the generations.
You could argue the accuracy of those traditions, and where and how they began, but stories that humans met up with with advanced beings hundreds or thousands of years ago are common across many cultures. It’s hard to think they are all making it up, merely inventing myths and legends to convey moral concepts in a way that made them more credible than just originating from lowly humans. Yes, that may be true to some extent, but the similarities among such tales are striking.
When it comes to supposed star people, that’s part and parcel of the legend of ancient astronauts. So the story goes that, thousands of years ago, beings from other planets arrived on Earth and, having no prime directive in the sense that we consider such a thing, they were only too happy to spread words of wisdom to the local populace. Or even take control, turning the primitive locals as unwilling slaves. Or maybe they become willing when they were made to believe they were in the midst of gods and they therefore must do their bidding or suffer the consequences.
Certainly such legends have become part and parcel of sci-fi stories. So the 1994 blockbuster movie, “Stargate,” depicts the recovery of the titled mechanism during an archaeological dig. As the story goes, thousands of years ago, this stargate was used as a passageway via wormhole for evil aliens who arrived and enslaved the locals — ancient Egyptians. A modern-day team of soldiers and an eccentric scientist activate the stargate and visit another planet orbiting a far-off star that is now being enslaved in just the same way.
Now I am not suggesting ET, the star people, or whatever they were, used such devices to travel distances of thousands of light years. But the story fixed foursquare on the ancient astronaut legend, and gave it an entertaining spin, so entertaining that it helped inspire three different TV series and hundreds of episodes.
But what about those oral traditions about the presence of advanced beings? Did those creatures, human-like or otherwise, do their thing, whatever that might be, and just leave? Were they even from other planets? Is it possible there was once an advanced civilization on Earth that was destroyed in a global catastrophe or fled for unknown reasons?
Certainly, if you believe in the possibility that UFOs are spaceships, you have to wonder how long they’ve been here. There have been reports of strange objects or lights in the skies over the centuries. So whether Ezekiel’s Wheel depicts the arrival of a spaceship or not, ancient texts have been examined extensively for evidence of visitations by space-faring people across the centuries.
So then, the theory that UFOs arrived during or after World War II may not be true. Or perhaps they returned to us after a long absence, but that doesn’t explain other possible UFO sightings over the centuries?
What is most curious about this is that different Native American tribes report interactions with such beings. So is it possible one or more alien races separately interacted with individual tribes in some fashion? Or does all this date back to a single set of experiences that were altered along the way to benefit a particular tribal culture?
How do those experiences differ from sacred texts that also describe meetings with such advanced beings? Do they, too, represent separate events, or are all these accounts based on a single set of contacts with “them”?
Even assuming written material and oral traditions are conveyed as accurately as possible, you have to expect differences. It may very much be about people we’d regard as primitive now trying to convey information about something very alien to their experiences. The mere fact of being confronted by unknown beings that carry around advanced implements, flying in craft that’s beyond their understanding, would color the accounts.
We are also trying to look at these legends based on our 21st century knowledge of technology and what might happen in the event ancient humans — or any primitive species — had such visitations. Such ideas were also conveyed from time to time on different “Star Trek” TV shows and movies, particularly when the crew of the Enterprise was forced, for whatever reason, to violate the Prime Directive of non-interference. It was a fairly common scenario.
Based on the accounts of contacts with the star people, we can assume that the ancient astronauts didn’t have a Prime Directive that governed their interactions with a primitive species. Or perhaps they violated it too, or had a totally different set of motives that we can only dimly understand.
Just as important, how accurate are those oral traditions anyway? Can one depend on people across generations accurately recounting original events that may have occurred centuries ago? While the training process for such people is said to be quite intense, and oral recollections are said to come close to written records, that doesn’t mean there’s no spin control. It may well be that events, or at least the interpretations of them, are altered or tailored to convey moral lessons or to enhance a set of political priorities.
Nothing strange about that.
More important, however, is whether such legends have a basis in fact. That’s difficult to know, without being there of course. Certainly a more primitive society interpreting the possible appearances of spaceships and advanced beings would be limited by their culture and ability to understand what’s happening around them.
Of course, that may very well be true in this day and age. People who report UFOs, and the possible beings seen in and around them, are no doubt also coloring those descriptions in accordance with today’s culture. How might we look at similar encounters decades or centuries in the future?
If they still occur.
Advocates of UFO disclosure continue to believe that they will be vindicated eventually with the revelation by governments that we are being visited by alien beings from other worlds. But how do people interpret events that they are unable to understand other than to put their own knowledge and life experience into their testimony?
I still remember a scene in the movie, “Contact,” in which the protagonist, a radio astronomer portrayed by Jodie Foster, appears to have an encounter with an alien from another star system. Only that alien appears to her in the form of her deceased father — with whom she had unresolved issues — on the pretext that she couldn’t accept the being’s true form.
Using the example, is it possible that these beings, whoever or whatever they might be, deliberately tailored their appearance and interactions to appeal to the local populace? What do they really look like, and why were they — are they — here?
What about the theory that humans were seeded by aliens, and that we are the results of some sort of genetic experiment?
One can least hope the experiment was successful, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
October 2, 2016
www.theparacast.com
Explore the Legends of the Star People with Ardy Sixkiller Clarke on The Paracast
The Paracast is heard Sundays from 3:00 AM until 6:00 AM Central Time on the GCN Radio Network and affiliates around the USA, the Boost Radio Network, the IRN Internet Radio Network, and online across the globe via download and on-demand streaming.
SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY A PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to After The Paracast, plus a higher-quality version of The Paracast free of network ads, and chat rooms when you sign up for The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes, the new Paracast+ Video Channel, episode transcripts, Special Features and Classic Episodes. Check out our new “Lifetime” membership and special free eBook offers! For more information about our premium package, please visit: http://plus.theparacast.com/.
This Week's Episode: Gene and Chris present Ardy Sixkiller Clarke, everyone's favorite compiler of Sky People/Star People Native American tales. Her latest book, More Encounters with Star People: Urban American Indians Tell Their Stories, takes us from the Reservations out into the world-at-large for more entertaining tales of contact and intrigue. " details the UFO stories of American Indians who live off the reservation. One intriguing difference between the two groups: There were more cases of physical evidence presented to back up the testimony of urban American Indians. As with her first book, this volume not only recounts their encounters, but the recounting itself becomes part of the story. [Dr. Clarke] is a professor emeritus at Montana State University and reveals herself as part UFO investigator, part journalist, part therapist, and part friend."
Chris O’Brien’s Site: Our Strange Planet
Ardy Sixkiller Clarke’s Blog: Ardy Sixkiller Clarke
After The Paracast -- Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on October 2: Inspired by the appearance of folklorist Ardy Sixkiller Clarke on The Paracast, the main focus of this episode involves legends of interactions with ancient astronauts or star people. Are they separate events and contacts involving different tribes, or all based on the very same meetings with such beings? What about oral traditions, and how accurate are those recollections of the original cause or event? Are such traditions at times spun to fit the political dynamics of the situation, or just the failure to understand the implications of such meetings? Racial memory? Gene briefly recounts information he’s received that puts into question the claims of the late Yonah Fortner, a pioneer ancient astronaut researcher. Did Yonah just make things up for his own benefit? In closing, Chris explains how eyewitness testimony of events may differ even if the core details are very much the sam e.
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
Of Memories of Encounters with Star Beings
By Gene Steinberg
I have to admire Native Americans, or anyone with close families that stay close to their roots. When you read about the legends of star people and other beings that crossed paths with humans in ancient times, these represent stories that were often presented as oral traditions across the generations.
You could argue the accuracy of those traditions, and where and how they began, but stories that humans met up with with advanced beings hundreds or thousands of years ago are common across many cultures. It’s hard to think they are all making it up, merely inventing myths and legends to convey moral concepts in a way that made them more credible than just originating from lowly humans. Yes, that may be true to some extent, but the similarities among such tales are striking.
When it comes to supposed star people, that’s part and parcel of the legend of ancient astronauts. So the story goes that, thousands of years ago, beings from other planets arrived on Earth and, having no prime directive in the sense that we consider such a thing, they were only too happy to spread words of wisdom to the local populace. Or even take control, turning the primitive locals as unwilling slaves. Or maybe they become willing when they were made to believe they were in the midst of gods and they therefore must do their bidding or suffer the consequences.
Certainly such legends have become part and parcel of sci-fi stories. So the 1994 blockbuster movie, “Stargate,” depicts the recovery of the titled mechanism during an archaeological dig. As the story goes, thousands of years ago, this stargate was used as a passageway via wormhole for evil aliens who arrived and enslaved the locals — ancient Egyptians. A modern-day team of soldiers and an eccentric scientist activate the stargate and visit another planet orbiting a far-off star that is now being enslaved in just the same way.
Now I am not suggesting ET, the star people, or whatever they were, used such devices to travel distances of thousands of light years. But the story fixed foursquare on the ancient astronaut legend, and gave it an entertaining spin, so entertaining that it helped inspire three different TV series and hundreds of episodes.
But what about those oral traditions about the presence of advanced beings? Did those creatures, human-like or otherwise, do their thing, whatever that might be, and just leave? Were they even from other planets? Is it possible there was once an advanced civilization on Earth that was destroyed in a global catastrophe or fled for unknown reasons?
Certainly, if you believe in the possibility that UFOs are spaceships, you have to wonder how long they’ve been here. There have been reports of strange objects or lights in the skies over the centuries. So whether Ezekiel’s Wheel depicts the arrival of a spaceship or not, ancient texts have been examined extensively for evidence of visitations by space-faring people across the centuries.
So then, the theory that UFOs arrived during or after World War II may not be true. Or perhaps they returned to us after a long absence, but that doesn’t explain other possible UFO sightings over the centuries?
What is most curious about this is that different Native American tribes report interactions with such beings. So is it possible one or more alien races separately interacted with individual tribes in some fashion? Or does all this date back to a single set of experiences that were altered along the way to benefit a particular tribal culture?
How do those experiences differ from sacred texts that also describe meetings with such advanced beings? Do they, too, represent separate events, or are all these accounts based on a single set of contacts with “them”?
Even assuming written material and oral traditions are conveyed as accurately as possible, you have to expect differences. It may very much be about people we’d regard as primitive now trying to convey information about something very alien to their experiences. The mere fact of being confronted by unknown beings that carry around advanced implements, flying in craft that’s beyond their understanding, would color the accounts.
We are also trying to look at these legends based on our 21st century knowledge of technology and what might happen in the event ancient humans — or any primitive species — had such visitations. Such ideas were also conveyed from time to time on different “Star Trek” TV shows and movies, particularly when the crew of the Enterprise was forced, for whatever reason, to violate the Prime Directive of non-interference. It was a fairly common scenario.
Based on the accounts of contacts with the star people, we can assume that the ancient astronauts didn’t have a Prime Directive that governed their interactions with a primitive species. Or perhaps they violated it too, or had a totally different set of motives that we can only dimly understand.
Just as important, how accurate are those oral traditions anyway? Can one depend on people across generations accurately recounting original events that may have occurred centuries ago? While the training process for such people is said to be quite intense, and oral recollections are said to come close to written records, that doesn’t mean there’s no spin control. It may well be that events, or at least the interpretations of them, are altered or tailored to convey moral lessons or to enhance a set of political priorities.
Nothing strange about that.
More important, however, is whether such legends have a basis in fact. That’s difficult to know, without being there of course. Certainly a more primitive society interpreting the possible appearances of spaceships and advanced beings would be limited by their culture and ability to understand what’s happening around them.
Of course, that may very well be true in this day and age. People who report UFOs, and the possible beings seen in and around them, are no doubt also coloring those descriptions in accordance with today’s culture. How might we look at similar encounters decades or centuries in the future?
If they still occur.
Advocates of UFO disclosure continue to believe that they will be vindicated eventually with the revelation by governments that we are being visited by alien beings from other worlds. But how do people interpret events that they are unable to understand other than to put their own knowledge and life experience into their testimony?
I still remember a scene in the movie, “Contact,” in which the protagonist, a radio astronomer portrayed by Jodie Foster, appears to have an encounter with an alien from another star system. Only that alien appears to her in the form of her deceased father — with whom she had unresolved issues — on the pretext that she couldn’t accept the being’s true form.
Using the example, is it possible that these beings, whoever or whatever they might be, deliberately tailored their appearance and interactions to appeal to the local populace? What do they really look like, and why were they — are they — here?
What about the theory that humans were seeded by aliens, and that we are the results of some sort of genetic experiment?
One can least hope the experiment was successful, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Copyright 1999-2016 The Paracast LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!