Native American Traditions Reveal Bigfoot and Cryptid Lore

If you've ever wondered what indigenous elders really think about Bigfoot, UFOs, and the strange things that roam the forests and skies of North America, there's a fascinating interview floating around YouTube that you absolutely need to check out. The conversation comes from Spaced Out Radio, hosted by Dave Scott, who sat down with Lance J. Dorrel — a historian, ethnographer, and author from Missouri whose work bridges Native American history, oral tradition, and unexplained phenomena. For more than two decades, Lance has been doing something most researchers don't bother with: actually listening to indigenous elders and comparing their oral accounts to conventional historical sources. What makes this interview stand out is the range of topics Lance covers. This isn't just a surface-level chat about Sasquatch. We're talking about First Nations connections to UFOs, star people (which many tribes refer to as their ancestors), Dogman, Little People, and a whole spectrum of cryptids that mainstream researchers tend to overlook. Lance has traveled extensively through the American West, building lasting relationships with Cheyenne, Lakota, Crow, Arapaho, and other First Nations communities — not just to study them, but to earn the kind of trust that leads to stories "they don't tell just anybody." His journey into this world started with the Battle of Little Bighorn. Growing up in Northwest Missouri in the 70s and 80s, Lance became absolutely obsessed with that chapter of history, fueled by parents who encouraged reading and two outdoorsman uncles who taught him about the land around bonfires on the river. Those uncles — one of whom had done archaeological digs across Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and the Dakotas — sparked something in him that never went away. By the early 2000s, while working out west, he started making contact with Lakota people at Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations, and eventually met elders who pointed him toward the tribal historic preservation offices. From there, the snowball effect took over. One of the most compelling parts of the interview is how Lance frames the whole topic. He brings up the idea that maybe we need an outside universal threat — something like an alien presence — to remind us how much we actually have in common as human beings. It's a perspective that ties directly into why indigenous oral traditions matter so much when it comes to understanding high strangeness. These aren't just campfire stories. They're cultural memory passed down through generations, and they deserve serious attention. The interview also touches on how Lance's research into Little Bighorn opened doors that eventually led him into the world of cryptids and ET contact. The elders he connected with recognized his genuine respect for their history and traditions, and that's what allowed those deeper conversations to happen. It's a reminder that if you want to understand the phenomena that have been reported across North America for centuries, you have to go to the source — and that source is often oral tradition, not written records. If this sounds like your kind of thing, definitely go give the full interview a watch. It's the kind of conversation that makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about the connections between indigenous knowledge and the unexplained. Dave Scott keeps the energy up throughout, and Lance brings decades of research and personal experience to the table. It's well worth your time. And if you're looking for more high strangeness content, the same channel is promoting Caribou Con — happening September 18th through 20th in the heart of British Columbia. Sounds like the perfect gathering for anyone deep into this stuff.