The Yee Naaldlooshii is, you guessed it, the Navajo word for werewolf; though the Navajo werewolves are actually referred to as “skin-walkers”, which is a term popularized by various films. Yee Naaldlooshii means literally, “with it, he goes on all fours”, in Navajo language. A Yee Naaldlooshii is actually only one of several varieties of witches in the Navajo culture. The witches in the Navajo culture are malignant figures, such as they would be in the Christian or Jewish theology. In order to become a Skinwalker, one must first be initiated into the Witchery Way, –killing a relative, or sibling, incest, or necrophilia are particularly common initiations.

After initiation into the Witchery Way, in Navajo the “án’t’i;i;zhi”, or Corpse-poison Way. Corpse Poison is literal, –it’s powdered corpse, particularly from the fingertips, back of the skull. The preferred source of corpse poison is dead children, especially twins. The witch people become skinwalkers in order to deliver the án’t’i;, –the corpse poison, in secret to the “witch sing”, taking place in a secluded area called the “án’t’i;báhoolan”. The witch’s sing is the opposite of a good sing, –the Navajo gather to sing, paint, and pray to the spirits for blessings, good crops, good hunting, safe families, etc., –the witch’s sing calls for the opposite. At the witch sing, the witch people paint with ash instead of sand. Contrary to popular media representation, the skinwalkers are a malevolent force, there are no “good guy skinwalkers.”

The witch turns into a Yee Naaldlooshii to either travel to a witch’s sing, or escape from pursuers, –skinwalkers are not always wolves or coyotes, but can be any animal. Some legends caution that skinwalkers can even steal a human skin, just by looking into your eyes. The Yee Naaldlooshii are known because their eyes glow like an animals when they’re in human form, –when they are in animal form, the eyes do not glow as they should. Animal skins in the Navajo culture are a taboo item, because of their association with skinwalkers, –sheepskin and buckskin are among the very few others used by the tribe. One of the most interesting things about skinwalkers, is that the belief in them did not die, –the Yee Naaldlooshii are still feared and avoided by the Navajo.

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1. Native American Werewolves
2. Native American Wolf Gods
3. An American Werewolf Tale

Native Americans have incredibly profound and fascinating beliefs, many of them involving wolves. To several tribes (past and present), the wolf itself is known as a protective spirit or totem. They view the wolf as a wise fellow hunter to be respected and admired.

In spite of what some Twilight fans think, Stephenie Meyer wasn’t the one that came up with Native American werewolves, no, I’m afraid that is a very old belief that many tribes have. Since Twilight is causing a stir of interest in Native American lore and beliefs -especially with the second movie, New Moon coming out soon which has much more of Jacob Black and the rest of the wolves involved- we’ll shed some light on the subject.

Quite a few Native American tribes are familiar with the idea of a man transforming from man to beast. The belief is known in many tribes including the Mohawk (whose territories once covered upstate New York to southern Quebec) where those that could shift were known as limmikin (sometimes yenaloosi) but it is the Novajo tribe that is best known for its shifter beliefs. These shifters are called skinwalkers, the Navajo word for such people is yeenadlooshi, which means “he goes on all fours.”

According to Navajo tradition skinwalkers will even look physically different from normal people – the main difference being their eyes, which are large and glowing, even in daylight. It is thought that if someone looks a skinwalker in the eyes they can absorb a person and “steal their skin.” So it goes without saying that someone should avoid looking anyone suspected of being a skinwalker in the eyes. They were also believed to have no genitals and their skin was supposedly rock hard, making it impervious to axes and arrows.

In some versions of the tradition the skinwalker’s tongue would be black, proof that their soul was poison. It was also believed that becoming a skinwalker was caused by dark forces, a person that becomes one was believed to have done something immoral to attract that darkness. Also, a skinwalker didn’t take just one form, they took many, such as owls, crows, coyotes, but one of the most common forms was wolf. While in animal form they lost all trace of humanity, the beast and animal instincts took over, making them vicious and unpredictable. This was only one version though, another is that while in animal form they were actually much more intelligent. They were also able to read minds and could lure people out of their homes and into the woods by imitating the voices and cries of loved ones.

Then there are the Hopi Indian traditions where shapeshifting is brought on by a special ceremony known as Ya-Ya. The details on this ceremony are extremely secret and well-protected but it is thought to involve wearing the skin of the animal one wishes to become.

And there you have it, one small look into the very expansive collection of Native American traditions and beliefs.

- Moonlight

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1. Native American Werewolf Legends Presents: Yee Naaldlooshii
2. Native American Wolf Gods
3. Another American Werewolf in London