Author: Esther Lindley ('24)
Photographer: Lulu Shi ('25)
Photo Courtesy of Matthew Squiers & Navajo Times
Everyone at BAIS has heard the stories. And if they haven’t, they're waiting to. The first day students join Mr. Squiers' class, if you listen in, you’ll inevitably hear a “Mr. Squiers, can we have a skinwalker story?” Often Mr. Squiers will laugh it off, and jokingly promise to tell one later after everyone finishes their three-part essay test. But for many, even though they want to hear the stories, skinwalkers can still be terrifying. However, the point of skinwalker stories is not to terrorize people’s dreams, rather they’re meant to be a lesson in faith. In an interview with BAIS secondary teacher, Mr. Squiers, BAIS Times reporters, Esther Lindley (‘24) and Chen Lu Shi (‘25), delved into the spiritual significance of these infamous beings.
First, what are skinwalkers? In many Native American cultures, skinwalkers are people who turned to witchcraft and thereby gained dark, mystical powers. Most notably, skinwalkers possess the ability to take on the form of certain animals, which usually hold some significance to their identity. They are generally found in the areas surrounding the Navajo Nation, in the southwest USA.
In his interview with The Times, Mr. Squiers went in-depth on the consequences of taking evil forces like skinwalkers too seriously, too lightly or simply ignoring them in general. To demonstrate his point, he told several stories from the lives of those who lived on reservations, their encounters with skinwalkers, and how those experiences showcase the importance of relationship with God.
The first story Mr. Squiers told The Times was about a missionary who had been working with the Navajo.
“The Navajo brought in a boy [to this well-respected missionary] that couldn’t be healed by the medicine man. The kid had nearly been kidnapped by a skinwalker while gathering firewood, but, thankfully, the family managed to pull him into their Hogan (which is the traditional housing structure of the Navajo people). But the boy wouldn’t talk: he couldn’t talk about the experience or anything else at all. He had already visited the medicine man, but nothing was helping him. As a result, the missionary prayed over him so the boy could communicate again, which is interesting to see because of the specific way God’s power was working. The next day, the family took the missionary out to their house and showed him their old, cast iron clawfoot tub. They lifted the tub, and underneath it, there were these large bear prints. The missionary later showed me pictures of [the bear prints], and because he was a guy like me: a missionary that knows God and wouldn't lie about things like this, I believed him.”
The second skinwalker story is about three Navajo kids: Darrell, Gary, and Sharon.
“The kids had asked Mrs. Squiers and me to go on a hike behind the mission with them, which we agreed to. While we were hiking though, Mrs. Squiers caught her hair on a branch covered in sap and wanted me to just cut off that piece of hair. So, I did what she said and cut off the hair that was stuck.”
“After I successfully freed Mrs. Squiers, we simply planned to leave the hair behind. However, the children immediately became concerned and warned us that skinwalkers were known to use human hair to curse people.” Mr. Squiers elaborated, stating, “This wasn’t [the kids] just messing with us; there was legitimate fear in their eyes and fear for us that something could happen.”
The final story Mr. Squiers shared with The Times also involves Darrell, Gary, and Sharon.
“Darrell, Gary, and Sharon were on a trip to a nearby town when their brakes went out. They checked underneath the hood and found what they thought were human bones. It could have been cows or prairie dogs, but it freaked them out. Their discovery could have been completely unrelated to skinwalkers, but they were certain the bones were signs they were under attack. Unfortunately, this type of fear isn’t a one-time occurrence, rather it’s a constant fear that influences how they interact with people around them. These children who believed in skinwalkers lived in suspicion because they constantly felt under attack. They believed everyday animals could be skinwalkers in hiding, waiting to kidnap them, so they were never fully at peace.” Mr. Squiers further comments on this type of overwhelming fear with, “It’s interesting to see the contrast between a Christian who has hope and the power of God that’s within them, compared to someone that feels like they’re at the mercy of these evil forces.”
While chilling stories like these may seem like a fun way to pass the time in Mr. Squiers’ class, treating skinwalkers lightly can lead to negative spiritual consequences. Mr. Squiers illustrates this by saying, “not treating skinwalkers seriously enough can cause people to explore evil more than they should, out of ignorance or curiosity. Oftentimes, people will become scared and rely on themselves in frightening situations but you are really dealing with forces that you don’t fully understand and may not necessarily be able to control, and the best thing you can do is have faith in God to protect you.”
When asked about the reason for his sharing of skinwalker stories in class, Mr. Squiers replied saying, “From a Christian perspective, you need to have the armor of God, you need to be ready for those things. If you think it’s a joke you might ignore it or worse, possibly invite evil in by dabbling with it for fun. In essence, skinwalkers are simply beings under demonic influence that Christians shouldn’t fear, but be aware of.” Besides, understanding the dangers of the underlying sins behind skinwalkers such as deceit and violence can prove useful in life beyond your time at BAIS.
“It’s not about sensationalizing [skinwalkers],” Mr. Squiers noted, “it’s about showing there is a spiritual reality out there.”
In conclusion, an interest in dark spiritual activity can have two effects: it can draw people away from God out of fear and curiosity, or bring people closer to God through trust in Him. Mr. Squiers, when asked for any final advice he could give to students about facing possible evil in their lives, said, “without the accompanying belief of Jesus Christ and power of those things it can be a very terrifying world.” But, “God has given us the power and tools to defeat Satan.”
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