by Joyce Ann Mallare

Created on: May 10, 2010   Last Updated: May 13, 2010

Have you ever watched Teen Titans? One of the characters is called the Beast Boy, he transforms into different animals, from wolf to bear or coyote to birds and others. Pop culture uses skin walkers in many ways as to maybe introduce the culture and beliefs of Native Americans.

Skin walkers believed to be associated with the Navajos or American Natives. The term yeenaldooshi (Navajo language) refers to “with it, he goes on all fours.” 

These yeenaldooshis are a variety of witches in Navajo where they choose a certain skin of animal, for instance the wolf and they would wear it, dance around the fire as a ritual. In order for them to gain the power they kill a close relative.

They usually naked except for the skin of animal they wear. They choose a certain animal on what job they want to do, if they chose a bear skin, it’s for brute strength, and if they want to become a coyote it’s for their high speed, accurate sense of smell and acute agility.

Skin walkers does not also use the abilities of the animals but also use charms, mind control, diseases and immobilization powder. When they turn into animals they still carry with them their intelligence and awareness as a human being.  

Other abilities of the skin walkers are as follows: they are able to mimic any human and animal sounds. As I watched an episode on Lost Tapes in Discovery Channel about the skin walkers.  

It was able to imitate the wife’s voice though she was at home, while the father and son followed the voice and thought it was coming from the radio’s car but it wasn’t turned on. 

Another would be their ability to disappear, legend say that if someone chase them  they are not able to be found that’s because they either turned into human or into any animal.  

One more of their ability is to steal a skin’s person. According to Navajo legend once the skin walker and the person stared at each other they are able to absorb themselves into your body.

True or not these skin walkers has history of its own and this history is part of the Native American just like any other legends such as vampire and werewolves in Europe, chupacabra in Mexico or berserker in Norway it only tells us that this stories are always based from something that is really true. It’s a part of a culture that needs to be valued.

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa061801b .htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker

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