1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 2: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 4 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 2: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 5 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 2: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 6 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:37,919 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. Traditions are more than 7 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 2: just things we do because we've always done them. For example, 8 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 2: Native American traditions are rich with lessons on how to 9 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 2: respect and connect with the natural world. In doing so, 10 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 2: many Native people gain an understanding of how their own 11 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 2: lives intertwine with the world around them. As an example, 12 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 2: members of the Ajibwe tribe of North America passed down 13 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 2: a legend related to one of the biggest parts of 14 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 2: everyday life life sleep. Most people don't think asleep is 15 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 2: something strongly connected to the natural world around us, but 16 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 2: this legend urges us to look at things differently, and 17 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 2: it even gives rise to a mystical item that you 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 2: might have in your home today. The legend goes something 19 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 2: like this, There once was a woman named Asi Bikashi 20 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 2: who watched over every creature on earth while they slept. 21 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 2: She was known to protect infants and children especially, but 22 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 2: she wasn't protecting them from wild animals, ghosts, or even monsters. 23 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,639 Speaker 2: She was protecting them from bad dreams. Native peoples believed 24 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 2: that dreams were a force of energy that surrounded a 25 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 2: person while they slept. That energy then caused the person 26 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 2: to see visions in their unconscious state, and so Asi 27 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 2: Bagashi wove delicate silken nets over children's cribs. These nets 28 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 2: trap negative energy so that it couldn't give the children 29 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 2: scary visions. She used her hands to make sure the 30 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 2: nets were strong enough to catch bad energy, but also 31 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: soft and soothing enough to sleep under. Because of the 32 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 2: net's elegant, weblike design, Asi Bagashi earned the nickname the 33 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 2: Spider Woman. After a long RESTful night, it was Asi 34 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 2: Bagashi's job to put the sun back into the sky, 35 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 2: another way that she controlled the good energy over the people. 36 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: That she cared for. This was Asi Bagashi's job for 37 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: a long time, but at a certain point, the Ajibwe 38 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: people began to migrate further and further throughout the land, 39 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: and this made it harder for her to spread sunlight 40 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: to all of her people. She couldn't do it on 41 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,640 Speaker 1: her own, so she asked tribal mothers and grandmothers to help. 42 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: Asi Bagashi knew that mothers and grandmothers were strong yet 43 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:36,839 Speaker 1: gentle enough to protect children and babies just like she did, 44 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: but they didn't possess the same power of web making. 45 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: So Asi Bagashi got creative. She came up with a 46 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: way for the people to make webs like hers that 47 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: they could take with them anywhere now. At first, she 48 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: told the mothers and grandmothers to find a thin piece 49 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: of willow and bend it into a circle, and then 50 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: she showed them how to use the sinew, likely from 51 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: a buffalo, to weave a web within that circle. To 52 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: make the webb extra special for children, some women decorated 53 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: theirs with feathers, beads, and charms. Willow and sinyw weren't 54 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: strong enough to last forever, though the willow would dry out, 55 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: and that when that happened, the strands of sinu would collapse. 56 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: But that was the point. Asi Bagashi knew that youth 57 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: was temporary, so these webs were designed to fall apart 58 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: as children grew up and became strong enough to confront 59 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: their own bad dreams themselves but even grown ups needed 60 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 1: to help dealing with scary things from time to time, 61 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: so many a Jibwa people began to weave webs entirely 62 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: from fiber so that they would last longer. These kind 63 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: of webs are still used today. You've probably seen them 64 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: and may have even had one of your own. Today, 65 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: they're called dreamcatchers. Whether or not you believe that different 66 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 1: forms of energy exist, dream catchers can still provide comfort. 67 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: They're a symbol of love and protection that mothers provide 68 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: for their children, and they're a reminder of Indigenous people's 69 00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: sense of community and their knowledge of natural resources, a 70 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: lesson to be sure that all of us could take 71 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: comfort in. Fans will do anything for the artist they love, 72 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: sneaking into concerts, buying bootleg merchandise, anything to get closer 73 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 1: to their favorite artist. For some music lovers, however, that's 74 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: not far enough. They don't want to just listen to 75 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: an artist music or buy their T shirts. They want 76 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: to get to know the artists themselves. After all. Fan 77 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 1: is short for fanatic, and a real fanatic wouldn't let 78 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: anything come between them and their idol. The year was 79 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty six and twenty one year old Thomas Fatz 80 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: Waller was on top of the world. His jazz career 81 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 1: was taking off. He'd been asked to headline the College In, 82 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: one of Chicago's most famous jazz clubs, and word was 83 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: getting around about the talented pianist with the rapid fire jokes. 84 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: Every night, more and more well healed Chicagoans were packing 85 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: in to see them. What Fats didn't know was that 86 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: one particular jazz enthusiast had become intrigued by his talents. 87 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: Instead of going out to see Fats at the College In, 88 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: this man was going to bring Fats to him, whether 89 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,599 Speaker 1: Fats liked it or not. One night, after a particularly 90 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: rock as set, Fats was leaving the stage door for 91 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: the College In when he felt something hard and cold 92 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:29,359 Speaker 1: poking into his abdomen. He realized, with mounting horror that 93 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: he was surrounded by four suited men, and one of 94 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: them was pressing a revolver right into his stomach. The 95 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: four men forced Fats into a waiting limousine and told 96 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: the driver to head for East Cicero, a suburb of Chicago. Now, 97 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,239 Speaker 1: as you might imagine, Fats didn't know what to think. 98 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: He had heard of the fearsome Chicago bob who ran 99 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: with guns, liquor, and any other smuggled goods that could 100 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: get their hands on in the prohibition city. Yet he 101 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: couldn't think of what that had to do with him. 102 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,080 Speaker 1: He was a jazz pianist, not a gun slingers. As 103 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,919 Speaker 1: the limousine drove deeper into the night, Fats worried that 104 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,479 Speaker 1: this would be the last ride he would ever take. Finally, 105 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 1: the car pulled up to a nondescript venue in Cicero, 106 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: and Fats was forced out once more at gunpoint and 107 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,599 Speaker 1: ushered through the door. Inside, he was surprised to find 108 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 1: a party in full swing. The four black suited men 109 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: shoved him towards the piano and told him to play, 110 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: so Fats Waller played as if his life depended on it. 111 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: After the first few songs, he finally dared to look 112 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: at the crowd, who were dancing, singing, and cheering with enthusiasm, 113 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: And when he did, he was surprised to see a 114 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: familiar face at the back of the room, one that 115 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: he had seen plastered on wanted posters and newspapers. There 116 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: clapping and cheering. The loudest of all was Chicago mob 117 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: boss al Capone. It turned out that Fats wasn't in 118 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: danger at all. Al Capone was famously a huge fan 119 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: of jazz, often booking the biggest acts of the day 120 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: to play in his underground Speakeasies Louis Armstrong, Count Bassie, 121 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: and Billie Holliday all performed in al Capone's clubs. Al 122 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: had heard about Fat's residency at the college in and 123 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 1: so as a surprise for his birthday, four of his 124 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: henchmen had decided to bring him a private performance by 125 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: Fats Waller as a present. Too bad, they forgot to 126 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: ask Fats about it first. Understanding that his life was 127 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: no longer at risk, Fats was able to relax and 128 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: enjoy the party. The gangsters plied him with mountains of 129 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: food and glass after glass of expensive vintage champagne. Although 130 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: he tried to leave several times, Capone and his boys 131 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: kept convincing him to stay, offering him a tip of 132 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: one hundred dollars per song. He reportedly stayed for three days, 133 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: taking breaks from playing only to nap on the piano bench. Finally, 134 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: the gangsters set Fats Waller free, allowing him to take 135 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: the limousine back to the College in they deposited him 136 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: back where they found him exhausted, drunk on champagne and 137 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: several thousand dollars richer. Fats went on after his kidnapping 138 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,040 Speaker 1: by Capone to have a storied career and a huge 139 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: impact on jazz piano. He wrote several Broadway musicals and 140 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 1: hundreds of songs, including the jazz standards Honeysuckle Rose, and 141 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: Ain't Misbehaving. Things could have gone very differently for Fats Waller. Thankfully, 142 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,680 Speaker 1: when al Capone ordered him to blow them away, he 143 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: was just talking about the music. I hope you've enjoyed 144 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for 145 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show 146 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created 147 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. 148 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: I make another award winning show called Lore, which is 149 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can 150 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: learn all about it over at the Worldoflore dot com. 151 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: And until next time, stay curious.