9 Chilling Native American Ghost Stories, From Cannibals To Evil Otters

Published October 28, 2021
Updated March 12, 2024

Water Babies: Mischievous, Ghostly Infants

Water Babies

Shoshone Bannock TribeWater babies are said to inhabit the placid waters of the Shoshone Bannock reservation in Idaho.

A number of western Native American tribes, including the Paiute, Shoshone, Washoe, Achumawi, Cahuilla, Cupeño, Luiseño, Serrano, Yokuts, and Salish, tell ghost stories about strange spirits called water babies.

These tales are all slightly different. However, they each feature a similar infant-like spirit that haunts a body of water. Sometimes, these water babies are simply mischievous. Other times, they’re murderous.

In one story told by the Shoshone tribe, water babies were birthed from a terrible tragedy. When famine seized the tribe, new mothers were forced to drown their babies in the nearby lake. They simply didn’t have enough food to keep the babies alive.

But the murdered babies, filled with vengeful rage, returned to haunt the Shoshone. They lurked along the shore where they’d been killed, laughing and luring concerned people to the water’s edge. Once someone got close enough, they’d drag them underwater.

Tribes near Pyramid Lake in Utah tell a similar story. According to their tale, deformed or sickly babies were often thrown into Pyramid Lake to reduce the burden on the tribe.

Pyramid Lake Water Babies

Wikimedia CommonsWater babies allegedly haunt the depths of Pyramid Lake in Utah.

But the babies survived — and turned into vengeance-seeking monsters. Once a year, they go after unsuspecting white men and drag them beneath the depths.

Another Native American ghost story tells a slightly different version of the water babies legend. Set along the shores of Lake Utah in Provo, this version claims that water babies are not babies at all.

Rather, they’re mythical creatures. By mimicking the cry of human infants, they draw people to the water so that they can drown them.

But all these tales seem to give the same warning: If you hear an infant crying near the water’s edge, proceed with caution.

author
Kaleena Fraga
author
A senior staff writer for All That's Interesting since 2021 and co-host of the History Uncovered Podcast, Kaleena Fraga graduated with a dual degree in American History and French Language and Literature from Oberlin College. She previously ran the presidential history blog History First, and has had work published in The Washington Post, Gastro Obscura, and elsewhere. She has published more than 1,200 pieces on topics including history and archaeology. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
Based in Brooklyn, New York, John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of expertise include modern American history and the ancient Near East. In an editing career spanning 17 years, he previously served as managing editor of Elmore Magazine in New York City for seven years.
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Fraga, Kaleena. "9 Chilling Native American Ghost Stories, From Cannibals To Evil Otters." AllThatsInteresting.com, October 28, 2021, https://allthatsinteresting.com/native-american-ghost-stories. Accessed July 25, 2025.