I used to watch Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone growing up in the 6o’s. I loved the part where he introduces the episode by saying, “Imagine if you will.” Then transports us to a different time and place when the episode begins. Welcome to the Twilight Zone.

That brings me to my story. Imagine if you will, driving on the empty, lonely roads in Arizona at 60 miles an hour. Out of the darkness, some creepy looking monster taps on your window. What do you do?

I know I would jump, my heart pounding a mile a minute, but I would keep driving. That is not something I would stop my car along a dark, empty desert highway to investigate.

Littered along this creepy stretch of the road are reports of missing people that have. “Skinwalker,” the culprit’s name is whispered in fear. A creature that no Navajo will speak to strangers about, nor will they say its name out loud.

The Navajo Nation, or Dine’ as they call themselves, is the largest registered tribe. Anthropologists debate how old the tribe is and when they settled in Arizona. Scientists estimate between 200 and 1300 A.D., leaving no doubt that the Navajo is an ancient tribe.

Yet, even today, in the 21st century, the Navajos still believe in the Skinwalker. They will not speak of the Skinwalker to outsiders, nor will they say its name out loud. To say its name out loud is to get the attention of the Skinwalker.

Who and what is this creature that has an entire nation gripped in fear?

Tony Hillerman introduces the first tantalizing look into Navajo Culture. The younger generation won’t remember who Tony Hillerman is. He started writing in the 1970s and is known for the Navajo Tribal Police Mysteries. His novels wove Navajo Myth into his murder mysteries and revolved around two tribal police officers.

Hillerman’s protagonists, Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Officer Jim Chee, had two very different methods of investigation.  Leaphorn is very pragmatic and follows the evidence, whereas Chee is a traditionalist. Chee knows and understands the beliefs of his people. So, they made a great team in solving crimes on the enormous Navajo reservation.

The Navajo Nation is the largest reservation encompassing 27, 413 square miles and four states. Arizona is home to the Navajo Tribal capital of Window Rock and a hotspot for Skinwalker sightings. Window Rock, Sedona, and the Flagstaff area have the most Skinwalker sightings.

Hillerman’s first novel Skinwalkers debut in 1986 with Leaphorn and Chee trying to solve murders. Murders that hint that a Skinwalker was responsible for the deaths. The story gives readers a compelling look inside the Navajo culture. 

The interest in Skinwalkers exploded, and a PBS Mystery series aired in 2002.  Adapted from the Hillerman novel, it delved deeper into the mystery of this fearful creature.

So what is a Skinwalker? 

Even with the renewed interest, The Navajo people are still tight-lipped about the subject. Information about the Skinwalker is sparse and pieced from sightings of the dreaded monster.

The commonality is that it is a witchcraft practitioner, which is why the Navajo’s hate witches. Taboo because it is a witch that practices the black arts using that magic to become a Skinwalker.

To become a Skinwalker, the witch must kill a family member. That horrible deed gives the witch the power to become a shapeshifter. Can you imagine? Someone in your family craving power so much that they will kill you to obtain it?

Even worse, if you lock eyes with the witch, they can steal your human form. Skinwalkers read and control minds, make you do and say things. Things you wouldn’t do if in control. They destroy property, cause disease, and, eventually, death.

Still brave enough to talk about the Skinwalkers? Then the Skinwalkers would taunt you with noises on the outside of your homes. They would knock on windows, make scraping sounds on the roof. Sometimes peek at you through the windows.

It’s no wonder people refuse to talk about the Skinwalker. The possibility of crops destroyed, or your family cursed, would make anyone hesitate. 

Shapeshifting into animals, one could not tell the difference between a Skinwalker and the host. Except for the eyes. Skinwalkers’ eyes differ from their animal host. Their eyes glow with an unnatural brilliant gold light, telling you it wasn’t human.

The Skinwalker can also control animals. To make the animals do their evil work on moonless nights, whether it was to kill someone or spy on them.

National Geographic did a reality series titled Navajo Cops in 2012, and it was about a Skinwalker on the loose. It gives people a look into a magical culture hard for outsiders to believe is real. Navajo’s being so close-mouthed about the Skinwalker makes it difficult to learn about this creature.

Bigfoot, The Alabama White Thang, Mothman, and The Jersey Devil, to name a few cryptids already haunt the land. All we need is the Skinwalker to be on the loose in the desert.

The Haunted Southwest desert is rich in superstition. Its myth and lore provides a plethora of spooky tales. Many Arizonians may have seen the Skinwalker but didn’t recognize it.

Think about it. Arizona has stories, and tales of cryptids reported all the time. There isn’t enough information to know what a Skinwalker looks like, with the Navajo afraid to talk about them.

Imagine if you will, driving down the dark and desolate Arizona road. There is sudden tapping on your window, and you turn your head to look. There is a creature running beside your car, keeping even with you as you speed down the highway at 60 miles an hour.

One I know is that I’m not stopping, and neither should you.