A chilling encounter from the Navajo Nation reveals what happens when a yeenaadlooshii targets a group of young sisters alone in a remote hogan under the moonlit sky. Their terrifying night of pounding walls, circling footsteps, and shadowed eyes peering through the smoke hole still raises the question of who or what stalked them in the darkness.

"Navajos who grow up on the reservation often hear stories about skinwalkers, known as yeenaadlooshiis. Because of this, nearly everyone is cautious about whom they trust and what they discuss. Yeenaadlooshiis are believed to be dangerous individuals who possess the abilities of animals while retaining their cunning human intellect. My mother has many tales about yeenaadlooshiis, and she shares them with us to raise our awareness of potential dangers in the world and to reassure us that there is a God who watches over everyone, including little Navajo children.

One true story she recounted, which took place in the 1960s, involves her and her four sisters (my aunts). One night, after a long day of shepherding and chores, my mom and one of her sisters needed to use the bathroom. The outhouse was far from their traditional hogan, and they didn't want to go alone in the dark, so they decided to go together.

It was late, and the only light came from the moon. As they approached the outhouse, they thought they heard faint sounds resembling whistling. It was birdlike, and it seemed that whoever was whistling was following them and circling the area. Clinging to each other in fear, they pressed on. To their surprise, the outhouse door was open; typically, it would be latched or wired shut.

As they got closer, they saw a prominent black figure sitting inside the outhouse. Although they couldn't make out its features, it appeared to be human in shape. Terrified, they screamed and ran back to the hogan as fast as they could. They heard something chasing them and gaining on them. Once they reached the hogan, they dashed inside and slammed the door. Breathlessly, they told their other sisters what had happened, and they all sat in silence, anxiously waiting for something to unfold.

The door of the hogan was not secure; it was an old, worn door without a knob, just a rickety latch nailed inside to keep it closed. The smoke hole in the roof was open to the sky. Then, they heard something banging on the walls, causing the five of them to huddle in fear near the stove. Heavy objects were thrown around, creating a cacophony of noise. Soon, they heard the figure climb onto the roof, walking back and forth, occasionally peering through the smoke hole at them, its face shrouded in darkness. Although there were adults nearby, they were a rather rude foster family living in a separate hogan, and when my mother and her sisters called out for help, they angrily ignored them.

In desperation, my mom's three older sisters, who had been raised Catholic in boarding school, told her and the younger sister to get down on their knees. They began to pray to God for protection. One of them had brought holy water from the church and sprinkled it near the door.

All night, the skinwalker circled the hogan, pounded on the door, and continued the whistling. Despite the inadequately secured hogan, that skinwalker never managed to break in and harm them.

To this day, my mom never found out who had tried to hurt them that night. Medicine men can perform chants to reveal the identity of those who wish to harm someone, but this was never done. Reflecting on the experience, my mom believes that nobody was protecting them that night, nothing but Heavenly Father, who kept them safe from harm. Although yeenaadlooshiis would bother them intermittently, they were never harmed." D

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THANKS! LON