Where Did They Come From?

The legend of skin walkers has been told over and over from family to family since the 1800’s. They are a feared creature to many, although the lack of actual evidence is a bit staggering for such a renowned folklore. I have a Native friend who tells me of skin walkers often. They tell me how to avoid them and the supernatural powers they can possess. He himself is terrified of them, for all the right reasons if they were real. I’m sure to him and some others relief, I can assure that the data of skin walkers being real is very slim.

The legend of humans being able to hide themselves as an animal came from the Navajos. In their language, they call skin walkers yee naaldlooshii which roughly translates to "By means of it, goes on all fours.", this is probably referring to the ability to change into a four legged animal. Many times, the animal in context will be the person's spirit animal, and they will wear the hide of that animal. Although, the yee naaldlooshii is only one version out of several Navajo witches. There are many lore's about these different witches that the skin walker legend is unclear and unfinished. Not only is it an unfinished story, but the Navajos and natives will most of the time refuse to talk about skin walkers out of fear or distrust. This would only make for curious consumers to come up with their own conclusions for the myth.