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Skinwalkers
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Skinwalkers

novel by Hillerman
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Quick Summary

Skinwalkers is a 1986 novel by Tony Hillerman, part of his mystery series featuring Navajo tribal officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. The novel explores the clash between traditional Navajo beliefs and modern society, set in the American Southwest.1

The story brings together the cynical Leaphorn and the younger Chee, who is training to become a Navajo shaman (hataali). Their investigations blend contemporary police methods with traditional Navajo concepts of harmony (hozro). Hillerman's novels are noted for their authenticity in depicting Navajo culture, customs, and the spiritual beliefs that characterize many Native American religions, such as animism and shamanism. These beliefs perceive the world as filled with spiritual entities and emphasize the importance of maintaining balance and harmony.12

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. Tony Hillerman
  2. Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest - Belief and aesthetic systems
  3. Navajo

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