Overview
In Navajo (Diné) belief, a skinwalker is a harmful witch said to be able to take animal form. The Navajo term, yee naaldlooshii, is usually translated as 'by means of it, it goes on all fours'. This is a living spiritual belief, not a campfire monster, and many Diné people consider it inappropriate to discuss with outsiders at all. Because of that, this page does not describe ceremonial or sacred details. It focuses on how the word has entered modern American culture and on the most famous place that carries the name: Skinwalker Ranch in Utah's Uintah Basin.
Skinwalker Ranch is a 512-acre property near Ballard, Utah, bordering the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. It is on Ute land, not Navajo land, yet it was named after the Navajo figure. Beginning in the 1990s, owners reported animal deaths and other unusual events there. The ranch has since passed through research groups and is now the subject of a TV series.
Writers and scholars, including Cherokee academic Adrienne Keene, have criticized non-Native media for using skinwalkers as entertainment. They argue it forces Native communities to field invasive questions about beliefs they prefer to keep private. Readers interested in Diné culture are encouraged to seek out Diné voices.
Timeline
- 1934-1994Kenneth and Edith Myers own the ranch.
- 1994-1996Terry and Gwen Sherman own the ranch and later report strange events.
- 1996Deseret News publishes 'Frequent Fliers?'; Robert Bigelow buys the ranch for his research institute.
- 2005The book Hunt for the Skinwalker is published.
- c. 2007A Defense Intelligence Agency official visits; a Pentagon research program follows.
- 2016J.K. Rowling's use of Native beliefs draws criticism; the ranch is sold to Brandon Fugal's company.
- 2020The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch premieres on the History Channel.
Reported sightings
Skinwalker Ranch, near Ballard, Utah
1994-1996 On the record
Terry and Gwen Sherman, who owned the ranch for about two years, later told reporters about cattle deaths they could not explain and other unusual events. Their account appeared in the Deseret News in 1996 under the headline 'Frequent Fliers?'. It is the foundation of the ranch's reputation.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSkinwalker Ranch, Utah
1996 onward On the record
Businessman Robert Bigelow bought the ranch for about $200,000 after hearing of the cattle deaths and other reports, and his National Institute for Discovery Science studied it for years. Researchers Colm Kelleher and George Knapp later described their experiences in the 2005 book Hunt for the Skinwalker.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSkinwalker Ranch, Utah
c. 2007 On the record
Defense Intelligence Agency official James Lacatski visited the ranch. His interest is linked to a Pentagon research allocation of about $22 million. Supporters see this as a sign that officials took the site seriously.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSkinwalker Ranch, Utah
2016 to present On the record
Bigelow sold the ranch to Brandon Fugal's Adamantium Real Estate. The new owners secured it with cameras and restricted access, and the History Channel series The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch has filmed investigations with lasers, ground-penetrating radar and thermal drones since 2020.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgEvidence
Sherman family accounts Disputed
Reported cattle deaths and other unusual events in the mid-1990s.
NIDS research (1996-2016) Disputed
Years of study under Bigelow; findings published mainly in popular books.
TV investigations (2020-) Disputed
Instrument readings and anomalies presented on television.
What each side says
What witnesses and researchers report
Owners, researchers and government visitors have all described unusual experiences at Skinwalker Ranch, and investors and officials have spent large sums studying it. Supporters say that level of attention shows something there is worth investigating.
Within Diné communities, the underlying belief is part of a serious spiritual worldview, and it is not the place of outsiders to judge it.
What skeptics and scientists suggest
Writer Robert Sheaffer argues the ranch's phenomena are almost certainly illusory. He notes that the family who lived there for about sixty years before the Shermans reported nothing supernatural.
Skeptics suggest the reports grew once the property became famous and that the ranch's name, borrowed from another people's belief, says more about marketing than about evidence.
Open questions
- Why did the reports begin only in the 1990s?
- How can media cover sites like this without misusing Navajo beliefs?
Visiting
Where: Skinwalker Ranch, Uintah County, Utah.
Access: Private property with restricted access, cameras and fencing. Do not trespass.
Did you know?
- Skinwalker Ranch is next to the Ute reservation, not the Navajo Nation.
- The ranch's name comes from Navajo belief, though the Ute and Navajo are separate peoples.