Navajo Tradition Reveals Bigfoot as Child of the Night
Posted Monday, June 29, 2026
By Squatchable.com staff
So I just stumbled across this interview on YouTube that I couldn't stop thinking about, and honestly, I had to share it with anyone who appreciates a good firsthand account. The host of Beyond the Woodline, Joe De Hoyos, sat down with Don Yazzie, who runs his own podcast called "Don't Whistle at Night" on the United Public Radio Network. Right off the bat, you can tell this isn't your average paranormal chat. Don is Navajo, from the Monument Valley area right along the Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado border, and his clan lineage is deeply tied to the spiritual and the unexplained.
What makes Don's perspective so compelling is that this stuff isn't some hobby for him. It's woven into who he is. He mentioned that his clan is naturally sensitive to negative energy and dark intentions, and that his family has been going out at night with spotlights since he was five years old, breaking up parties on the reservation, looking for lost livestock, and just... seeing things. Skinwalkers, dogmen, Sasquatch, UFOs, portals, little people. He rattled off the list like it was a grocery run, and that's what got me hooked.
One thing that really stood out was his take on Sasquatch and pinion nut season. For anyone unfamiliar, pinion nuts are these little treasures that fall from pinion pine trees across the Southwest, usually hitting the ground in early October. Families collect them, roast them with salt, and sell them. Don pointed out that Sasquatch apparently has a taste for them too, and during that season, they're known to take women from the gathering areas. That's a detail you don't hear every day, and it adds a whole new layer to the idea that Sasquatch isn't just some wandering forest dweller but a being with its own seasonal behaviors and cultural ties to the land.
Then there's the little people story, and this one gave me chills. Don was about six years old when his grandmother passed, and the family was dealing with intense nightmares for weeks afterward. One night he woke up on the couch, sweating, with that unmistakable feeling of being watched. He looked under the dining table and saw a small figure playing peekaboo behind the table legs. When the little person realized he'd been spotted, he stood up, and Don described him as wearing green clothing with a hat that tilted back, almost like Peter Pan, with pointed elf-like ears and skin that was somewhere between white and brown. The figure looked toward the kitchen, then back at Don, and bolted toward the back door. Don heard it open and close, and only then could he move again.
For those who don't know, little people are a huge part of Native American folklore across many tribes, not just Navajo. The Hopi, Zuni, and others have rich traditions about them, often describing them as powerful, sometimes dangerous beings who live underground or in hidden places. Some tribes consider them ancestors, others warn against engaging with them. Don's account fits right into that tradition, and hearing it told with such vivid detail as a childhood memory makes it hit differently than a secondhand story.
The whole conversation is worth checking out because Don touches on portals on the reservation, the cultural rule that the night belongs to these beings and humans should stay indoors, and the idea that these entities are active and present in ways most people simply ignore. He also talks about how his uncle's complicated history with a skinwalker shaped his family's life, which is a whole story on its own.
If you're into Sasquatch, skinwalkers, little people, or just love hearing someone talk about the paranormal from a deeply cultural perspective rather than a casual hobbyist angle, this one's a must-watch. Don Yazzie brings something rare to the table, and the way he speaks about these encounters feels grounded in lived experience rather than secondhand research. Definitely go give it a look when you get a chance.