What is a Skinwalker?

In Navajo culture, a skinwalker (Navajo: yee naaldlooshii) is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal. The term is never used for healers. 

In the Navajo language, yee naaldlooshii translates to "by means of it, it goes on all fours". While perhaps the most common variety seen in horror fiction by non-Navajo people, the yee naaldlooshii is one of several varieties of skin-walkers in Navajo culture; specifically, they are a type of 'ánti'įhnii. 

Navajo witches, including skin-walkers, represent the antithesis of Navajo cultural values. While community healers and cultural workers are known as medicine men and women, or by other positive terms in the community's Indigenous language, witches are seen as evil, performing harmful ceremonies and manipulative magic in a perversion of the good works medicine people traditionally perform. In order to practice their good works, traditional healers may learn about both good and evil magic, in order to protect against evil. But people who choose to become witches are seen as corrupt. 

The legend of the skin-walkers is not well understood outside of Navajo culture, both due to reluctance to discuss the subject with outsiders, as well as what Cherokee Nation academic Adrienne Keene says is a lack of the necessary cultural context the stories are embedded within. Traditional Navajo people are reluctant to reveal skin-walker lore to non-Navajos, or to discuss it at all among those they do not trust. Keene, founder of the website Native Appropriations, has written in response to non-Navajos incorporating the legends into their writing (and specifically the impact when J. K. Rowling did so) that when this is done, "We as Native people are now opened up to a barrage of questions about these beliefs and traditions...but these are not things that need or should be shared with the public." 

Despite the reluctance of many Navajo people to discuss skin-walkers, there are a number of stories and legends that have been passed down through the generations. These stories often describe skin-walkers as being able to transform into a variety of animals, including wolves, coyotes, bears, and owls. They are also said to be able to control the weather and cause illness and death. 

Some people believe that skin-walkers are real, while others believe that they are simply a product of Navajo folklore. There is no scientific evidence to support the existence of skin-walkers, but the stories continue to be told and retold, and the fear of skin-walkers remains a part of Navajo culture.