There are some that may go without an animal skin though because all that is seen are the pastes on the body. They may be covered in white or black paste, like the others. The difference is that there is no animal skin apparent. It was one of these that knocked my husband's uncle out cold with something. All he saw was a black shape that loomed up in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere. This type, I hazard, don't usually draw attention to themselves.
Full Version: Skin Walkers
If you're re-asking the question, the majority of skinwalkers would be smooth and not hairy unless you count the animal skin they use. There are some that may go without an animal skin though because all that is seen are the pastes on the body. They may be covered in white or black paste, like the others. The difference is that there is no animal skin apparent. It was one of these that knocked my husband's uncle out cold with something. All he saw was a black shape that loomed up in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere. This type, I hazard, don't usually draw attention to themselves.
There are some that may go without an animal skin though because all that is seen are the pastes on the body. They may be covered in white or black paste, like the others. The difference is that there is no animal skin apparent. It was one of these that knocked my husband's uncle out cold with something. All he saw was a black shape that loomed up in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere. This type, I hazard, don't usually draw attention to themselves.
wow ive never heard of skin walkers..very interesting
^^ AAAhhhh!! 
Wow, mega letters. 
They are very interesting. Most people don't know about them unless they're big fans of X-Files or Tony Hillerman--neither of which is a very good source of information about them, lol. Students and professors of Native American Studies may know about them but it's been my experience that many of these people tend to view them as either being mythological or something that went on in the past and not something that still exists today. Considering how reticent Navajo usually are about discussing them, I guess that it's no great surprise.
They are very interesting. Most people don't know about them unless they're big fans of X-Files or Tony Hillerman--neither of which is a very good source of information about them, lol.
Students and professors of Native American Studies may know about them but it's been my experience that many of these people tend to view them as either being mythological or something that went on in the past and not something that still exists today. Considering how reticent Navajo usually are about discussing them, I guess that it's no great surprise. QUOTE(ryan1_84534 @ Nov 15 2005, 04:19 PM) [snapback]932694[/snapback]
my names Ryan and im a Full Blooded Utah Navajo
i know exactly what your talking about......the same thig happened to my mother when she was driving back to utah late one night from a Educational Conference in window rock, arizona. execpt with her it was an actually coyote.....running besides her car at about 70 miles per hour give or take. she was alone and so she couldnt exactly panic rather then just speed up an continue driving.
IN ANY CASE a skin was is ..yes... a Witch...well a person whos very very educated in "the evil way". there are many ceremonies that are involved in a person who turns into a Skinwalker. the ones everyone heard about are usually when a WITCH jumps over a fire and when he/she lands on the other side....he'she is a skinwalker. however in his or her time as being a skinwalk, she cannot die from any type of gun shots....or injuries UNITL they transform back into their human form.
there are many types of skinwalkers ranging from your Basic "werewolf" type creature to just a Man-Form having the same "supernatural" abilities. these types are usually just men painted completely WHITE from head to toe with black spots around their bodies. I've heard stories of them being in HORSE form, DOG form, some stories i heard from my own family member is that htie can actually be in a black "FOG" like form with only RED EYES. now i know your thinking...their just seeing ghosts....NO, thats an entirely different thing.
there are many things about Our culture in which a truely Traditional Navajo like myself knows. however i am your "liberal" type navajo in which i am NOT christian, i do unmderstand whats right and wrong. im actually majoring in political science and im currently servicing my term in the US Marine Corps at the moment. if that tells u what kind of common sense i have about these stories, then i IMPLORE YOU TO QUESTION ME[attachmentid=20589]
i know exactly what your talking about......the same thig happened to my mother when she was driving back to utah late one night from a Educational Conference in window rock, arizona. execpt with her it was an actually coyote.....running besides her car at about 70 miles per hour give or take. she was alone and so she couldnt exactly panic rather then just speed up an continue driving.
IN ANY CASE a skin was is ..yes... a Witch...well a person whos very very educated in "the evil way". there are many ceremonies that are involved in a person who turns into a Skinwalker. the ones everyone heard about are usually when a WITCH jumps over a fire and when he/she lands on the other side....he'she is a skinwalker. however in his or her time as being a skinwalk, she cannot die from any type of gun shots....or injuries UNITL they transform back into their human form.
there are many types of skinwalkers ranging from your Basic "werewolf" type creature to just a Man-Form having the same "supernatural" abilities. these types are usually just men painted completely WHITE from head to toe with black spots around their bodies. I've heard stories of them being in HORSE form, DOG form, some stories i heard from my own family member is that htie can actually be in a black "FOG" like form with only RED EYES. now i know your thinking...their just seeing ghosts....NO, thats an entirely different thing.
there are many things about Our culture in which a truely Traditional Navajo like myself knows. however i am your "liberal" type navajo in which i am NOT christian, i do unmderstand whats right and wrong. im actually majoring in political science and im currently servicing my term in the US Marine Corps at the moment. if that tells u what kind of common sense i have about these stories, then i IMPLORE YOU TO QUESTION ME[attachmentid=20589]
Hi, I'm from Australia, I'm part aboriginal and have heard stories from my Aunt that sound pretty close to this, Elders that turn into animals. Apparently one elder could turn into an emu and was shot in emu form, he was later found dead in human form by tribe members.
QUOTE(beccy2481 @ Jan 11 2007, 07:55 AM) [snapback]1496410[/snapback]
Hi, I'm from Australia, I'm part aboriginal and have heard stories from my Aunt that sound pretty close to this, Elders that turn into animals. Apparently one elder could turn into an emu and was shot in emu form, he was later found dead in human form by tribe members.
I remember hearing about a story like that in the news not too long ago but I think it was in a different part of the world. I really think the concept of man/animal is a very common theme just about everywhere. It's depicted in rock art in Europe to Africa and so many peoples have lore about such things going on. I know out here, a skinwalker doesn't really physically change into an animal but they might as well be because they become that animal mentally and spiritually. It's a definite blur on the line between man and animal. The concept, however, is so diffuse that it makes me wonder if there was a common stimulus to the concept. I sometimes think that feral children are the key. If one is in a hunter/gatherer society and a child is lost or exposed only to appear years later as a blend between man and animal, wouldn't it be viewed as both miraculous and sacred? Who knows.
I have to say that the whole concept of 'skinwalkers' freaks me out totally.
Like bigfoot. (feet?)
I just read all these posts and got to thinking. I seen something once I would have swore was a bigfoot. Now that I think about it this thing was unnaturally black though and did have red glowing eyes. I saw it outside the headlights as I was getting a ride home from work one night. Didn't look like a shaggy animal in the dark but more a deep black. Was a biped standing at least 6' tall at the edge of some trees. Just as I saw it(It seemed to be facing our car) it just turned and stepped into the trees out of sight. My friend who was driving said she hadn't seen anything but I know I did. After reading all these posts it sounds more like a skinwalker than a bigfoot though the shape has had me thinking sasquatch for the last few years since it's happened. Only thing is I was living in north central Ohio at the time.
QUOTE(MakeshiftSage @ Jan 18 2007, 05:47 AM) [snapback]1505997[/snapback]
I just read all these posts and got to thinking. I seen something once I would have swore was a bigfoot. Now that I think about it this thing was unnaturally black though and did have red glowing eyes. I saw it outside the headlights as I was getting a ride home from work one night. Didn't look like a shaggy animal in the dark but more a deep black. Was a biped standing at least 6' tall at the edge of some trees. Just as I saw it(It seemed to be facing our car) it just turned and stepped into the trees out of sight. My friend who was driving said she hadn't seen anything but I know I did. After reading all these posts it sounds more like a skinwalker than a bigfoot though the shape has had me thinking sasquatch for the last few years since it's happened. Only thing is I was living in north central Ohio at the time.
Though I doubt one was in Ohio, you never know. I have heard about instances where they showed up in Phoenix or Tuscon and some feel like they would go anywhere after their victims. I do think that they would sometimes look like a bigfoot. A person that I talked to once said that his sister ran into one at night once that she swore had to be 8 ft tall and like a big shaggy bear. It was definitely a skinwalker (she was a Navajo Nation police officer). I could see somebody seeing one of them and thinking "omg, it's bigfoot!". I don't know how they appear so tall but it probably has to do with what they wear. Some of them look like big shaggy bushes and I'm sure that outfit only adds to their height. I wonder if some of the bigfoot sightings out here are actually skinwalker sightings. Never know...
I'm from the Pacific NW originally and there's a huge difference between the forests out here in comparison to those in the NW. It just doesn't seem like good bigfoot turf. Hmmm... QUOTE(battleangel @ Jan 18 2007, 05:09 PM) [snapback]1506886[/snapback]
Though I doubt one was in Ohio, you never know. I have heard about instances where they showed up in Phoenix or Tuscon and some feel like they would go anywhere after their victims. I do think that they would sometimes look like a bigfoot. A person that I talked to once said that his sister ran into one at night once that she swore had to be 8 ft tall and like a big shaggy bear. It was definitely a skinwalker (she was a Navajo Nation police officer). I could see somebody seeing one of them and thinking "omg, it's bigfoot!". I don't know how they appear so tall but it probably has to do with what they wear. Some of them look like big shaggy bushes and I'm sure that outfit only adds to their height. I wonder if some of the bigfoot sightings out here are actually skinwalker sightings. Never know... I'm from the Pacific NW originally and there's a huge difference between the forests out here in comparison to those in the NW. It just doesn't seem like good bigfoot turf. Hmmm...
I'm from the Pacific NW originally and there's a huge difference between the forests out here in comparison to those in the NW. It just doesn't seem like good bigfoot turf. Hmmm... Well possibly not the exact same but in theory if the supernatural abilities are possible, a different culture may produce something similar? I dunno. There were a number of tribes who at one point inhabited Ohio. Cherokee,Chippewa, Delaware, Erie, Honniasont, Illinois, Iroquois(Seneca), Kickapoo, Miami, Mosopele(Ofo), Ottawa, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Wyandot. I never knew of so many myself till I looked some up as I write this post. Either way I no longer believe whatever I saw was a bigfoot. Curse all these mysteries! hehe =)
QUOTE(MakeshiftSage @ Jan 19 2007, 12:35 AM) [snapback]1507146[/snapback]
Well possibly not the exact same but in theory if the supernatural abilities are possible, a different culture may produce something similar? I dunno. There were a number of tribes who at one point inhabited Ohio. Cherokee,Chippewa, Delaware, Erie, Honniasont, Illinois, Iroquois(Seneca), Kickapoo, Miami, Mosopele(Ofo), Ottawa, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Wyandot. I never knew of so many myself till I looked some up as I write this post. Either way I no longer believe whatever I saw was a bigfoot. Curse all these mysteries! hehe =)
The ability to emulate an animal isn't really a supernatural ability for, at least, the Navajo version of skinwalkers. It's mostly costume--just a very unpleasant one. This makes it even more likely for there to be similar things in other tribes. I know that there other instances of the same type of medicine man in other tribes. I just can't recall any particular ones this morning, lol. Must need more coffee.
Definitely curse all these mysteries but then again, mysteries are pretty cool because they remind us that we might not know everything there is not about the world.
QUOTE(battleangel @ Jan 19 2007, 01:30 PM) [snapback]1507931[/snapback]
The ability to emulate an animal isn't really a supernatural ability for, at least, the Navajo version of skinwalkers. It's mostly costume--just a very unpleasant one. This makes it even more likely for there to be similar things in other tribes. I know that there other instances of the same type of medicine man in other tribes. I just can't recall any particular ones this morning, lol. Must need more coffee.
Definitely curse all these mysteries but then again, mysteries are pretty cool because they remind us that we might not know everything there is not about the world.
Definitely curse all these mysteries but then again, mysteries are pretty cool because they remind us that we might not know everything there is not about the world.
Well I was refering more to the "shadow form" and glowing eyes as opposed to a reflective property. The mysteries make my brain both hurt and work. What would I do without them? It's a love/hate thing. -mutter-
QUOTE(MakeshiftSage @ Jan 19 2007, 10:27 PM) [snapback]1508248[/snapback]
Well I was refering more to the "shadow form" and glowing eyes as opposed to a reflective property. The mysteries make my brain both hurt and work. What would I do without them? It's a love/hate thing. -mutter-
The "shadow form" is done by the wearing of black pastes. My husband has trouble sleeping from those experiences. He'll be dreaming one thing and turn a corner to have a black shape loom up in front of him. He hates it but it's black pastes. The red eye glow thing is probably a product of a drug and physical defect to the eye. It looks precisely like the red eye seen in pictures. Something is retarding the pupils to prevent them from dilating properly. We were talking about this on another thread somewhere here and the fact that suspected skinwalkers have enlarged pupils came up. It's an eye defect but sure can make them look demonic, lol.
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