Ritva Kurittu Wrote:
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> Yes, I can see exactly what you mean by the envy
> (I think Cicely is right, envy is a better word
> here) in the community. I would think, that it is
> a phenomenon very much in norm with that kind of a
> situation, especially when most are poor or next
> to it. Even more so, when the community has an
> identity clearly differing from the worl outside
> itself. Still, I think being labelled as witch is
> characteristic only to the native, or shamanistic
> communities, otherwise the overly rich, or those
> who become so almost overnight are labelled as
> criminals of some sort (ask any Finnish gypsy
> about this...)!
Exactly.
>
> Which begs the next question. What does a Navajo
> mean by "whitch"? Does it have only negative
> connotations? Does it mean using magical powers to
> get money? Or does it mean having money to buy
> magical services? Is it linked directly to the
> skinlwalkers and having the means to buy their
> services? Or does it even mean being a
> skinwalker?
> The conception of the word witch can have so many
> characteristics....
Okay, explaining what a "witch" is to the Navajo. A medicine man is not a witch even though he works spiritually and with herb lore and etc. He is a medicine man (or she). A witch has only negative connotations. A Navajo witch intends ill, period. Now it gets more complex. It's presumed that all skinwalkers are witches. However, not all witches are skinwalkers. A witch could look like anybody else, not around in animal skins and would still be a witch if they used medicine lore for ill. There can even be witches that run around on two legs wearing skins that would also be loosely called skinwalkers. For the running on all fours shapeshifting type, though, the more precise name for them is yenaldlooshi and only the skinwalkers that run on all fours wearing skins fall under that particuliar term. A person acquiring the services of a witch, however, I don't think would be considered a witch themselves. A person using a medicine man is not considered a medicine man. I think that it would just be really frowned upon if someone were caught hiring a witch. I'd have to ask my husband that one when he gets home.
Hopefully, I didn't confuse you on that one, lol. In short, a Navajo witch is one who uses their spiritual and medicine lore for ill and/or evil purpose. There are multipe types of witches of which some may be skinwalkers and some of these skinwalkers would be yenaldlooshi.
I hope that's clear. It's confusing me just reading it, lol.
Stephanie
In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil.--Ralph Waldo Emerson