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In Navajo culture the word ch’į́įdii translates in english to ghost or spirit In the Christian bible,  the direct translation of the word in Navajo refers to demonic spirits. Navajo people believe that ch’į́įdii exists the human body after death and takes everything bad that lingered from the person. They also believe that even saying the name of the deceased can send ch’į́įdii searching to infect living people with negative feelings

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In the spirit (heh) of Halloween, the Navajo word ch'į́įdii (English loanword: chindi) means ghost or spirit (malevolent).

It is widely held in Navajo tradition that ch'į́įdii leaves the body after death, taking all that was unbalanced and 'bad' from the individual. Navajos that maintain this understanding do not linger around the deceased's possessions or body - unlike the ch'į́įdii. So much as uttering the name of the deceased can bring the ch'į́įdii looking to infect the living with it's spirit of unbalance.

In the Christian bible translated to Navajo, ch'į́įdii may refer to demonic spirits. It is understood to also be a form of evil in Navajo churches.

Some Navajo use ch'į́įdii as if to say, "Don't say that!" in response to anything ranging from the playful to the genuine and serious.

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In the spirit (heh) of Halloween, the Navajo word ch'į́įdii (English loanword: chindi) means ghost or spirit (malevolent). It is widely held in Navajo tradition that ch'į́įdii leaves the body after death, taking all that was unbalanced and 'bad' from the individual. Navajos that maintain this understanding do not linger around the deceased's possessions or ...

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For Navajo people, witchcraft is just a way of life and a part of their spirituality. Navajo culture believes witches exist through humans not supernatural beings. Their knowledge is passed down through generations and there are good witches and bad ones. The witch is called “yee naaldlooshii” is only one kind of several witches and is the most dangerous out of all of them.These witches come to be from starting off as respected healers or spiritual beings who have chosen to use their powers for dark and evil.

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In the Navajo culture, a skinwalker is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal.

This witch is called "yee naaldlooshii" by the Navajo, which translates to "with it, he goes on all fours." It is just one of several types of Navajo witches and is considered the most volatile and dangerous.

For the Navajo people, witchcraft is just another part of their spirituality and one of the "ways" of their lives. As such, witchcraft has long been part of their culture, history, and traditions. Witches exist alongside humans and are not supernaturals.

The Navajo believe there are places where the powers of both good and evil are present and that those powers can be harnessed for either. Medicine men utilize these powers to heal and aid members of their communities, while those who practice Navajo witchcraft, seek to direct the spiritual forces to cause harm or misfortune to others. This type of Navajo witchcraft is known as the "Witchery Way," which uses human corpses in various ways such as tools from the bones, and concoctions that are used to curse, harm, or kill intended victims

The knowledge of these powers is passed down from the elders through the generations.

The Navajo are part of a larger culture area that also includes the Pueblo people, Apache, Hopi, Ute, and other groups that also have their own versions of the Skinwalker, but each includes a malevolent witch capable of transforming itself into an animal.

Among these tribes, a number of stories and descriptions have been told throughout the years about the Skinwalkers.

Sometimes, these witches evolved from living their lives as respected healers or spiritual guides, who later chose to use their powers for evil. Though they can be either male or female, they are more often male. They walk freely among the tribe during the day and secretly transform under the cover of night.

In order to become a Skinwalker, he or she must be initiated by a secret society that requires the evilest of deeds - the killing of a close family member, most often a sibling. After this task has been completed, the individual then acquires supernatural powers, which gives them the ability to shape-shift into animals. Most often, they are seen in the form of coyotes, wolves, foxes, cougars, dogs, and bears, but can take the shape of any animal. They then wear the skins of the animals they transform into, hence, the name Skinwalker. Sometimes, they also wore animal skulls or antlers atop their heads, which brought them more power. They choose what animal they wanted to turn into, depending on the abilities needed for a particular task, such as speed, strength, endurance, stealth, claws, and teeth, etc. They may transform again if trying to escape from pursuers.

Because of this, the Navajo consider it taboo for its members to wear the pelt of any predatory animal. However, sheepskin, leather, and buckskin are acceptable.

The skinwalkers are also able to take possession of the bodies of human victims if a person locks eyes with them. After taking control, the witch can make its victims do and say things that they wouldn't otherwise.

Once they were shape-shifted, one way that others could tell that they were not a real animal is that their eyes are very different than those of the animal. Instead, their eyes are very human, and when lights are shined on them, they turn bright red. Alternatively, when they are in human form, their eyes look more like animals.

The evil society of the witches gather in dark caves or secluded places for several purposes - to initiate new members, plot their activities, harm people from a distance with black magic, and perform dark ceremonial rites. These ceremonies are similar to other tribal affairs, including dancing, feasts, rituals, and sand-painting, but were "corrupted" with dark connotations. The evildoers are also said to engage in necrophilia with female corpses, commit cannibalism, incest, and grave robberies. During these gatherings, the Skinwalkers shape-shift into their animal forms or go about naked, wearing only beaded jewelry and ceremonial paint. The leader of the Skinwalkers is usually an old man, who is a very powerful and long-lived Skinwalker.

Skinwalkers also have other powers including reading others' minds, controlling their thoughts and behavior, causing disease and illness, destroying property, and even death.

Those who have talked of their encounters with these evil beings describe a number of ways to know if a skinwalker is near. They make sounds around homes, such as knocking on windows, banging on walls, and scraping noises on the roof. On some occasions, they have been spied peering through windows. More often, they appear in front of vehicles in hopes of causing a serious accident.

It is said that, in addition to being able to shapeshift, the Skinwalker is also able to control the creatures of the night, such as wolves and owls, and to make them do its bidding. Some are able to call up the spirits of the dead and reanimate the corpses to attack their enemies. Because of this, the Indians rarely ventured out alone.

Its supernatural powers are uncanny, as they are said to run faster than a car and have the ability to jump high cliffs. They are extremely fast, agile, impossible to catch and leave tracks that are larger than those of any animal. When they have been seen, they have been described as not quite human and not fully animal. They are usually naked, but some have reported seeing the creature wearing tattered shirts or jeans.

The Skinwalker kills out of greed, anger, envy, spite, or revenge. It also robs graves for personal wealth and to collect much-needed ingredients for use in black magic. These witches live on the unexpired lives of their victims and they must continually kill or perish themselves.

Skinwalkers and other witches have long been blamed for all manner of unexpected struggles and tragedies through the years, including sickness, drought, poor crops, and sudden deaths. Even smaller or individual problems such as windstorms during dances, alienation of affection by mates, the death of livestock, and reversal of fortune, were often believed to be the work of a witch.

This was most apparent with the Navajo Witch Purge of 1878, which initially evolved from a cultural response to so many people moving across and onto their lands. After a series of wars with the U.S. Army, the Navajo were expelled from their land and forced to march to the Bosque Redondo ( Fort Sumner) in New Mexico in what is known as the Long Walk of the Navajo in 1864.

There, the people suffered from bad water, failed crops, illness, and death, reducing their numbers dramatically. After four years, the government finally admitted they had made a mistake and the Navajo were allowed to return to their homeland in the Four Corners area.

During these years, many of the tribe's members were said to have turned to shape-shifting to escape the terrible conditions. In the meantime, the rest of the tribe were convinced that their gods had deserted them.

Once the people had returned to their homeland, their conditions improved, but the dreaded skinwalkers, for whom they blamed for their years on the bleak reservation, were still among them. Accusations of witchcraft and the hunting of the skinwalkers began. When someone found a collection of witch artifacts wrapped in a copy of the Treaty of 1868, the tribal members unleashed deadly consequences. The "Navajo Witch Purge" occurred in 1878, in which 40 Navajo suspected witches were killed in order to restore harmony and balance for the tribe.

Today, most of the tales of sightings of these witches do not include death or injury, but rather, are more "trickster-like."

Numerous people have told stories of swift animals running alongside their vehicles, matching their speed. After a short period, however, they run off into the wilderness. Along the way, these animals sometimes turn into a man, who sometimes bangs on the hood.

Another story tells of a man who was making repairs on an old ranch home when he began to hear loud laughter coming from the nearby sheep pens. Thinking he was alone, he went to investigate and found all of the sheep but one huddled in one corner of the pen. However, there was a lone ram separated from the group that was standing upright and laughing in a very human manner. After the man locks eyes with the ram, he sees that his eyes are not that of an animal, but very like a human's. The animal then casually walked away on all four legs.

Some say they have seen them running through the night, sometimes turning into a fiery ball, leaving streaks of color behind them. Others have seen angry-looking humanoid figures looking down on them from cliffs, mountains, and mesas.

In the 1980s one of the most notable events occurred when a family was driving through the Navajo Reservation. As they slowed to make a sharp curve, something jumped from the ditch. It was described as black, hairy, and wore a shirt and pants. A few days after this event, at their home in Flagstaff, Arizona, the family was awakened to the sounds of loud drumming and chanting. Outside their home were three dark forms of "men" outside their fence. However, these shadowy creatures were seemingly unable to climb the fence and soon left.

These events have occurred in the Four-Corners area of southwest Colorado, southeast Utah, northeast Arizona, and northwest New Mexico.

In the 1990s, a ranch in northeast Utah, far away from the Navajo Reservation, became the partial focus of the Skinwalkers. Called the Sherman Ranch, the Skinwalker Ranch, and the UFO Ranch, this place has a history of UFOs, aliens, cattle mutilations, and crop circles. Located near the Ute Indian reservation, these people have long thought that the Navajo put a curse on their tribe in retribution for many perceived transgressions and since then, the skinwalkers have plagued the Ute people. (See Article HERE.)

Witchcraft represents the antithesis of Navajo cultural values and is not tolerated. They work to avoid it, prevent it, and cure it in their daily behaviors. However, when it exists, their laws have always said that when a person becomes a witch, they have forfeited their humanity and their right to exist, so they should be killed.

However, skinwalkers are notoriously hard to kill and attempts are usually unsuccessful. Trying to kill one will often result in the witch seeking revenge. Successful killing generally requires the assistance of a powerful shaman, who knows spells and rituals that can turn the Skinwalker's evil back upon itself. Another alternative is to shoot the creature with bullets that have been dipped into white ash. However, this shot must hit the witch in the neck or the head.

Traditionally, the Navajo will not speak with outsiders about these creatures, for fear of retribution by the skinwalkers. For that matter, it is a taboo subject amongst the natives themselves.

"These are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders. At all. I'm sorry if that seems 'unfair,' but that's how our cultures survive." - Dr. Adrienne Keene, Native American academic, writer, and activist

©Kathy Weiser-Alexander, updated February 2020.
Also See: Native American Legends Skinwalker Ranch of Uintah County, Utah Witchcraft in America Zuni Witchcraft
Sources:

Allison, A. Lynn, The Navajo Witch Purge of 1878, Arizona State University West literary magazine Paloverde, 2007
Center For Inquiry
Kelleher, Colm, and Knapp, George; Hunt for the Skinwalker, Simon and Schuster, 2005
Our Strange Planet
Paranormal Pastor
Rocky Mountain Legends

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Navajo Skinwalkers - Witches of the Southwest

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In the Navajo culture, a skinwalker is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise themselves as an animal. This witch is called "yee naaldlooshii" by the Navajo, which translates to "with it, he goes on all fours."

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This is a term for skin-walker in Navajo culture. In the Navajo language, yee naaldlooshi translates directly to ""by means of it, it goes on all fours". This witch is believed to have powers that disguise or possess themselves in the form of an animal.

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The legend of the Skinwalker... Why won't Native Americans mention it by its name?

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The legend of the Skinwalker... Why won't Native Americans mention it by its name?

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Not only do the Navajo people have legends involving this witch, but the Pueblo people, Apache and Hopi do as well. Navajo people believe that yee naaldlooshi  were once medicine men who obtained the highest ranking of priesthood and then he used his power for evil. Legend also has it that these witches are almost impossible to kill unless with a bullet or a knife dipped in white ash.
Native Americans believe that speaking about the beings is extremely bad luck and doing so will possibly summon the appearance of these creatures.

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According to Navajo legend, Skinwalkers are shapeshifting witches that disguise themselves as deformed animals like wolves and bears.

The legend of the shapeshifting entity known as the Skinwalker has largely been relegated to hoax status. After all, it is difficult to believe that a humanoid figure has been transforming into a four-legged animal and terrorizing families in the American Southwest.

While unscientific, the Navajo Skinwalker does have deep roots in Native American lore.

The rest of America got its first real taste of the Navajo legend in 1996 when The Deseret News published an article titled "Frequent Fliers?". The story chronicled a Utah family's traumatizing experience with the supposed creature that included cattle mutilations and disappearances, UFO sightings, and the appearance of crop circles.

But the family's most distressing encounter occurred one night just 18 months after moving onto the ranch. Terry Sherman, the father of the family, was walking his dogs around the ranch late at night when he encountered a wolf.

But this was no ordinary wolf. It was perhaps three times bigger than a normal one, had glowing red eyes, and stood unfazed by three close-range shots Sherman blasted into its hide.

The Sherman family weren't the only ones to be traumatized on the property. After they moved out, several new owners experienced eerily similar encounters with these creatures, and today, the ranch has become a hub of paranormal research that's aptly renamed Skinwalker Ranch.

While paranormal investigators probe the property with novel inventions, what they seek has a history that is centuries old.

This is the legend of the Navajo Skinwalker.

What Are Skinwalkers? Inside The Navajo Legend

So, what is a Skinwalker? As The Navajo-English Dictionary explains that the "Skinwalker" has been translated from the Navajo yee naaldlooshii. This literally means "by means of it, it goes on all fours" - and the yee naaldlooshii is merely one of many varieties of Skinwalkers, called 'ánti'jhnii.

The Pueblo people, Apache, and Hopi also have their own legends involving the Skinwalker.

Some traditions believe that Skinwalkers are borne of a benevolent medicine man who abuses indigenous magic for evil. The medicine man is then given mythical powers of evil, that vary from tradition to tradition, but the power all traditions mention is the ability to turn into or possess an animal or person. Other traditions believe a man, woman, or child can become a Skinwalker should they commit any kind of deep-seated taboo.

The Skinwalkers are described as being mostly animalistic physically, even when they are in human form. They are reportedly near-impossible to kill except with a bullet or knife dipped in white ash.

Little more is known about the purported being, as the Navajo are staunchly reluctant to discuss it with outsiders - and often even amongst each other. Traditional belief portends that speaking about the malevolent beings is not only bad luck but makes their appearance all the more likely.

Native American writer and historian Adrienne Keene explained how J.K. Rowling's use of similar entities in her Harry Potter series affected indigenous people who believed in the Skinwalker.

"What happens when Rowling pulls this in, is we as Native people are now opened up to a barrage of questions about these beliefs and traditions," said Keene, "but these are not things that need or should be discussed by outsiders."

In 1996, a couple of outsiders were introduced to the legend after a series of inexplicable events occurred at their new ranch.

Terry and Gwen Sherman first observed UFOs of varying sizes hovering above their property, then seven of their cows died or disappeared. One was reportedly found with a hole cut into the center of its left eyeball. Another had its rectum carved out.

The cattle the Shermans did find dead were both surrounded by an odd, chemical smell. One was found dead in a clump of trees. The branches above appeared to have been cut off.

One of the cows that vanished had left tracks in the snow that suddenly stopped.

"If it's snow, it's hard for a 1,200- or 1,400-pound animal to just walk off without leaving tracks or to stop and walk backwards completely and never miss their tracks," Terry Sherman said. "It was just gone. It was very bizarre."

Perhaps most terrifying were the voices Terry Sherman heard while walking his dogs late one night. Sherman reported that the voices spoke in a language he didn't recognize. He estimated that they came from about 25 feet away - but he couldn't see a thing. His dogs went berserk, barked, and ran back hastily to the house.

After the Shermans sold their property, these incidents only continued.

Are Skinwalkers Real?

UFO enthusiast and Las Vegas realtor Robert Bigelow bought the ranch for $200,000 in 1996. He established the National Institute for Discovery Science on the grounds and put up substantial surveillance. The goal was to assess what exactly had been going on there.

On March 12, 1997, Bigelow's employee biochemist Dr. Colm Kelleher spotted a large humanoid figure perched in a tree. Detailed in his book, Hunt for the Skinwalker, the creature was 20 feet off the ground and about 50 feet away. Kelleher wrote:

"The large creature that lay motionless, almost casually, in the tree. The only indication of the beast's presence was the penetrating yellow light of the unblinking eyes as they stared fixedly back into the light."

Kelleher fired at the supposed Skinwalker with a rifle but it fled. It left claw marks and imprints on the ground. Kelleher described the evidence as signs of a "bird of prey, maybe a raptor print, but huge and, from the depth of the print, from a very heavy creature."

This was only a few days after another unnerving incident. The ranch manager and his wife had just tagged a calf before their dog began acting strangely.

"They went back to investigate 45 minutes later, and in the field in broad daylight found the calf and its body cavity empty," said Kelleher. "Most people know if an 84 pound calf is killed there is blood spread around. It was as if all of the blood had been removed in a very thorough way."

The distressing activity continued well into the summer.

"Three eyewitnesses saw a very large animal in a tree and also another large animal at the base of the tree," continued Kelleher. "We had videotape equipment, night vision equipment. We started hunting around the tree for the carcass and there was no evidence whatsoever."

Ultimately, Bigelow and his research team experienced over 100 incidents on the property - but couldn't amass the kind of evidence that scientific publication would accept with credulity. Bigelow sold the ranch to a company called Adamantium Holdings for $4.5 million in 2016.

Nevertheless, the research on Skinwalker Ranch is more sophisticated and secretive than ever.

Skinwalkers In Modern Pop Culture

There are many stories about Skinwalkers online in such forums as Reddit. These experiences commonly occur on Native American reservations and are allegedly only prevented by the blessings of medicine men.

While it's difficult to discern just how truthful these accounts are, the descriptions are almost always the same: a four-legged beast with a disturbingly human, albeit marred face, and orange-red glowing eyes.

Those who claimed to have seen these Skinwalkers also said that they were fast and made hellish noise.

Skinwalkers have crept back into popular culture through television shows such as HBO's The Outsider and the History Channel's upcoming The Secret Of Skinwalker Ranch documentary series. For horror-centric programming, a virtually demonic being that roams the countryside is rather perfect.

Since taking over Skinwalker Ranch, Adamantium has installed equipment all over the property including cameras, alarm systems, infrared, and more. Most alarming, however, are the accounts from company employees.

According to VICE, employee Thomas Winterton was one of several who randomly experienced skin inflammation and nausea after working on the grounds. Some had to be hospitalized, with no clear medical diagnosis for their condition.

This, and the following account, parallel some of the inexplicable events featured in Sci-Fi shows like The Outsider. As Winterton reported:

"I take my truck up the road, and as I start to get closer, I start to get really scared. Just this feeling that takes over. Then I hear this voice, as clear as you and me talking right now, that says, 'Stop, turn around.' I lean out the window with my spotlight out and start searching around. Nothing."

Despite this dreadful experience, Winterton reported that he isn't leaving Skinwalker Ranch anytime soon.

"It's like the ranch calls to you, you know," he said with a wry smile.
After learning about the legend and stories about Skinwalkers, read about the surprising true story of another mythical creature, the Chupacabra. Then, learn about another horrifying Native American legend, the child-eating Wendigo.

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Meet The Skinwalker: A Creature So Horrifying That Native Americans Won't Speak Its Name

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The legend of the shapeshifting entity known as the Skinwalker has largely been relegated to hoax status. After all, it is difficult to believe that a humanoid figure has been transforming into a four-legged animal and terrorizing families in the American Southwest. While unscientific, the Navajo Skinwalker does have deep roots in Native American lore.

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Reading this passage in Trail of Lightening reminded me of how Hawaiians also have legends and myths about spirits similar to Native American people. Night marchers are ghosts or spirits of a band of people who move while beating their drums. Some people describe them as armed spirits that are on a route to or from battle and they are dressed in helmets and cloaks. Night marchers were believed to travel at night to protect people so sacred that no average human were to look at them and doing so meant death.
Legend says that if you come in the path of the night marchers’ trail, you must strip naked, lie face down, and must not make eye contact with them. If you are a descendant of a night marcher your life will likely be spared.

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We consulted with Lopaka Kapanui, owner of Mysteries of Hawai'i, for some spine-tingling Island ghost stories. This week: Night marchers.

While most ghost hunters are out looking for spirits, there are some ghosts you should never look at. Hawai'i's night marchers, the phantoms of ancient Hawaiian warriors are said to roam the Islands at night. In life, these warriors supposedly traveled at night to protect people so sacred that the common man was never allowed to look at them. Breaking that rule meant death.

The night marchers' job wasn't to terrorize people. It was simply to protect the most sacred, high-ranking chiefs (﻿depending on kapu status, the chiefs marched in front or behind the procession). The night marchers showed mercy by traveling at night to spare people from harm, storyteller Lopaka Kapanui says.

It's easy to tell if night marchers are approaching, he says. They carry torches. They march to the thunderous sound of drums. They give warning by sounding a conch shell. That's when you know it's time to run and hide.

If you're already in the path of the night marchers' trail, legend dictates you must strip naked and lie face down. There's a rumor that peeing on yourself will keep you alive. Whatever you decide to do, don't look at them! If you're lucky enough to share a blood line with somebody marching in the procession, you'll supposedly be saved.

The night marchers are said to frequent sacred Hawaiian grounds, such as sites of sacrificial temples, and other areas of O'ahu, including Yokohama Bay, Kamehameha III's summer mansion, Mākaha Valley Plantation, Ka'ena Point and Kalama Valley. There's even a night marchers path that goes through the armory inside the Diamond Head crater, Kapanui says.

In downtown Honolulu, there's reportedly a night marchers trail that runs through the footprint of the Davies Pacific Center (not our building, thank goodness). In 2012, Kapanui met with attorneys on the 23rd floor, who claimed that the building's security cameras captured the night marchers on video. A native Hawaiian cleaning lady was reportedly doing her job at night when a column of mist appeared. The woman died the next day. The following month, someone claimed to have seen the ghost of the lady marching with the night marchers and disappearing to the other side of the wall.

The night marchers are said to march on the last four Hawaiian moon phases, before the moon goes completely dark. This month, beware of Oct. 20-23 when Kapanui says the night marchers will appear. Kapanui recommends showing respect to the night marchers: Don't go looking for them.

Yet, sometimes you don't have to try looking for them.

Ricky, a security guard at the Cades Schutte building, claims he once caught a glimpse of the night marchers during a brief trip to Waialua some 19 years ago. Ricky and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer, visited their friend Richard and his son Ryan, who were camping on Mokulēʻia Beach. Ricky remembers the exact date: July 5, 1995. They arrived on the beach between 10 and 11 p.m. A distant flash of light caught their attention in the dark: It looked like a line of fire ants marching down the mountain by Dillingham Airfield.

"I thought people were hunting, but there was a long line of torches," he says.

It was a strange sight at first, because it looked like a endless line of torches disappearing off the mountain ridge. But he later realized those weren't hunters, but night marchers. He recalls hearing the legend of the night marchers as a kid at YMCA Camp Erdman. One staffer always used to warn young campers about a night marchers path in the same spot he saw them. Luckily, Ricky and his friends survived to tell the tale.

He hasn't been back to Mokulēʻia since.

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Friday Night Frights: The Legend of Hawai'i's Night Marchers - Honolulu Magazine

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We consulted with Lopaka Kapanui, owner of Mysteries of Hawai'i, for some spine-tingling Island ghost stories. This week: Night marchers. While most ghost hunters are out looking for spirits, there are some ghosts you should never look at. Hawai'i's night marchers, the phantoms of ancient Hawaiian warriors are said to roam the Islands at night.