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Skinwalkers (novel)
Encyclopedia
Skinwalkers a mystery novel, is the seventh book by author Tony Hillerman
.
find few motives or clues except for small pieces of bone found in the bodies and in the shotgun shells used in the attempt on Chee. This leads them to conclude that the assailants and victims were involved with Navajo
witchcraft
, whose practitioners are called Skin-walker
s. Leaphorn, a secular Navajo, rejects witchcraft as hateful superstition that has no place in Navajo mythology, but Chee, a practicing yataalii or medicine man
, does not dismiss it so easily. Solving the cases requires them to find a balance between Navajo folklore and Western inductive reasoning, and to risk their lives to track down a killer before he gets to them first.
and Officer Jim Chee
, are members of the Navajo Tribal Police.
Leaphorn is a revered senior officer with exceptional analytical intelligence and little tolerance for superstition, which he attempts to balance with the Navajo traditions that are intertwined with his work and personal life. A secular-minded graduate of Arizona State University, he stayed on the reservation to please his wife, Emma, a college-educated, though deeply traditional Navajo woman. As Leaphorn struggles to unravel the central mystery of the story, he must also cope with Emma's apparent development of Alzheimer's disease, and her resistance to treatment by Western doctors.
Chee is a young, idealistic, recently graduated (University of New Mexico) policeman who is rooted in Navajo religion, lives in a shabby trailer, and practices as a yataalii, or medicine man. He is in love with Mary Landon, a white woman from Wisconsin who used to teach on the reservation, but the long-distance relationship isn't working out: he doesn't want to leave the reservation, and she can't adapt to Chee's poverty and tribal identity.
Among the other characters are Dr. Yellowhorse, a doctor who opened a clinic that practices both traditional and Western medicine; Janet Pete, an elegant and sharp-minded attorney who is half Navajo, half white; and FBI agents Kennedy and Streib, who juggle responsibilities with Leaphorn and Chee.
, airing on PBS's series Mystery!
. The film starred Adam Beach
as Jim Chee and Wes Studi
as Joe Leaphorn. It was the first of Mystery!s American based stories.
Tony Hillerman
Tony Hillerman was an award-winning American author of detective novels and non-fiction works best known for his Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels...
.
Plot summary
When an unknown assailant tries to kill Officer Jim Chee by firing a shotgun into his trailer, and three other people are found murdered in different locations around the Navajo reservation, Chee and Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal PoliceNavajo Tribal Police
The Navajo Nation Police is the law enforcement agency on the Navajo Nation in the Southwestern United States. It is under the Navajo Division of Public Safety. It is headed by a Chief of Police, six Police Captains and eight Police Lieutenants...
find few motives or clues except for small pieces of bone found in the bodies and in the shotgun shells used in the attempt on Chee. This leads them to conclude that the assailants and victims were involved with Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, whose practitioners are called Skin-walker
Skin-walker
Skin-walker and Skinwalker may refer to:* Skin-walker, a human/animal shape-shifter from Native American legend.-Books and comics:* Skinwalkers , a 1986 mystery novel by Tony Hillerman....
s. Leaphorn, a secular Navajo, rejects witchcraft as hateful superstition that has no place in Navajo mythology, but Chee, a practicing yataalii or medicine man
Medicine man
"Medicine man" or "Medicine woman" are English terms used to describe traditional healers and spiritual leaders among Native American and other indigenous or aboriginal peoples...
, does not dismiss it so easily. Solving the cases requires them to find a balance between Navajo folklore and Western inductive reasoning, and to risk their lives to track down a killer before he gets to them first.
Characters
Hillerman created a range of characters who represent a variety of contemporary Navajos, from the modern ones educated in the white world and adapting to its ways, to the deeply traditional, non-English speaking ones. The book's primary characters, Lieutenant Joe LeaphornJoe Leaphorn
Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is a fictional character created by American mystery writer Tony Hillerman, one of two officers of the Navajo Tribal Police that feature in a number of novels. The other officer is Jim Chee.- Profile :...
and Officer Jim Chee
Jim Chee
Jim Chee is one of two Navajo Tribal Police detectives in a series of mystery novels by Tony Hillerman. Unlike his superior Joe Leaphorn, the "Legendary Lieutenant", Chee wants to be a staunch believer in traditional Navajo culture; indeed, he is studying to be a traditional healer at the same...
, are members of the Navajo Tribal Police.
Leaphorn is a revered senior officer with exceptional analytical intelligence and little tolerance for superstition, which he attempts to balance with the Navajo traditions that are intertwined with his work and personal life. A secular-minded graduate of Arizona State University, he stayed on the reservation to please his wife, Emma, a college-educated, though deeply traditional Navajo woman. As Leaphorn struggles to unravel the central mystery of the story, he must also cope with Emma's apparent development of Alzheimer's disease, and her resistance to treatment by Western doctors.
Chee is a young, idealistic, recently graduated (University of New Mexico) policeman who is rooted in Navajo religion, lives in a shabby trailer, and practices as a yataalii, or medicine man. He is in love with Mary Landon, a white woman from Wisconsin who used to teach on the reservation, but the long-distance relationship isn't working out: he doesn't want to leave the reservation, and she can't adapt to Chee's poverty and tribal identity.
Among the other characters are Dr. Yellowhorse, a doctor who opened a clinic that practices both traditional and Western medicine; Janet Pete, an elegant and sharp-minded attorney who is half Navajo, half white; and FBI agents Kennedy and Streib, who juggle responsibilities with Leaphorn and Chee.
Film, TV, or theatrical adaptations
The novel was adapted for television in the 2002 film SkinwalkersSkinwalkers (2002 film)
Skinwalkers is a 2002 mystery television film based on the novel by Tony Hillerman, one of a series of mysteries set against contemporary Navajo life in the Southwest. It starred Adam Beach as Jim Chee and Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn...
, airing on PBS's series Mystery!
Mystery!
Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...
. The film starred Adam Beach
Adam Beach
Adam Ruebin Beach is a Canadian Saulteaux actor.He is best known for his roles as Tommy on Walker, Texas Ranger, Kickin' Wing in Joe Dirt, Marine Private First Class Ira Hayes in Flags of Our Fathers, Private Ben Yazzie in Windtalkers, Dr...
as Jim Chee and Wes Studi
Wes Studi
Wesley "Wes" Studi is a Cherokee actor, who has earned notability for his portrayal of Native Americans in film. He has appeared in well-received Academy Award-winning films, such as Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves, Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans, the award-winning Geronimo: An...
as Joe Leaphorn. It was the first of Mystery!s American based stories.