Hi Jane,

Btw and excuse me not having said it earlier, nice to see you here and as Jane.

I think you have the wrong picture of the skinwalkers. They are human, they think as humans and act like humans when not in "animal" form. And even in animal form, they still think, they do not solely "go on instincts" since they are, after all, still at half humans!

The Navajo skinwalkers are outcasts. They very probably are born as outcasts, live as outcasts and die as outcasts. This naturally would cause grudge and anger and will to revenge onself, which they do. But at the same time the only hope for them to EVER be accepted back, is to turn back the clock to the days before the Long Walk when they were accepted as respected parts of the Navajo society. And how do you do that? One main point is keeping the unity between the Navajo people and keeping their sacred ways alive. As Stryfe said, a great deal has been lost. If nothing is done, more will be lost, untill it is beyond recovery and has been mutated to hazy mythological tales. As it is now the Long Walk is not too far back and the tales have been passed on to the next generations. IMO, the constant pressure from the skinwalkers does keep some of the customs and beliefs alive, customs that are otherwise pretty easliy lost in the modern world.

It would be interesting to gather the info about what kind of families are harassed. Are those the families, where the old customs are resepected and remembered over the average, or is it the other way around? Or are these families in some kind of connection with the skinwalkers having been declared outcasts way back?

This said, as the skinwalkers are outcasts, they have to make a living out of something. Yes, I can very well think they get paid to scare and harass due to personal vendettas, and maybe even due to a few dirty medicinemen, who get business thrown their way in the form of Blessing Ways to perform.
So are they evil? I'd personally say yes and no. Yes, in a way, that they misuse the shapeshifting and it's original purpose. But no in a way, that they do bring balance. The context of right cannot exist without the context of wrong. The light and darkness picture all over again.

As to my saying Amen! to the shapeshifting, yes, I did. Everything that exists, be it visible or unvisible can be symbolised by animals, their caracteristics and powers. Reaching out and assimilating to one can only be benefic in the ways of understanding the meaning and goal of the existence itself. This said, when I say shapeshifting, I do not mean the Navajo skinwalkers in their present state.
But yes, I was also saying Amen! to Stephanie's description of shapeshifting.


Just corrected an interesting typo: I had typed Stryfer instead of Stryfe! Freud put aside, I wonder if Stryfe is not being pointed towards his new task!

Ritva



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2005 03:09PM by ritva.