In 1969, in the months leading up to the Moon landing, the Apollo 11 astronauts trained in a remote moon-like desert in the western United States. One day as they were training, the astronauts came across an old Native American.
‘What are you doing here?’ the old man asked.
‘We are here as a part of a research expedition that will very soon travel to explore the Moon!’
‘The Moon?! Hmm... could you then do me a favor?’
‘What do you want?’
‘Well, the people of my tribe believe that holy spirits live on the Moon. I was wondering if you could pass an important message to them from my people.’
‘What’s the message?’
The man uttered something in his tribal language, and then asked the astronauts to repeat it again and again until they had memorized it correctly.
‘What does it mean?’ asked the astronauts.
‘Oh, I cannot tell you. It’s a secret that only our tribe and the moon spirits are allowed to know.’
The astronauts were intrigued with the secret message, so when they returned to their base they searched and searched until they finally found one Native American who could speak old man's tribal language and translate the message.
When they repeated the message they had memorized, the translator started to laugh his ass off.
‘Why are you laughing man, what does the message say?’
'It says - Don’t believe a single word these people are telling you. They have come to steal your lands.’
‘What are you doing here?’ the old man asked.
‘We are here as a part of a research expedition that will very soon travel to explore the Moon!’
‘The Moon?! Hmm... could you then do me a favor?’
‘What do you want?’
‘Well, the people of my tribe believe that holy spirits live on the Moon. I was wondering if you could pass an important message to them from my people.’
‘What’s the message?’
The man uttered something in his tribal language, and then asked the astronauts to repeat it again and again until they had memorized it correctly.
‘What does it mean?’ asked the astronauts.
‘Oh, I cannot tell you. It’s a secret that only our tribe and the moon spirits are allowed to know.’
The astronauts were intrigued with the secret message, so when they returned to their base they searched and searched until they finally found one Native American who could speak old man's tribal language and translate the message.
When they repeated the message they had memorized, the translator started to laugh his ass off.
‘Why are you laughing man, what does the message say?’
'It says - Don’t believe a single word these people are telling you. They have come to steal your lands.’
