Skinwalkers

Skinwalkers

                In many different cultures around the world the idea of a shape shifter appears. For many of those it is a source of fear. These are creatures like the werewolf turning from man to beast or the vampire who can turn into bat and sometimes a wolf. While these creatures are meant to be scary they people still talk about them and joke about them. This is not the case with the Skinwalkers in Native American mythology. Just knowing about them and fearing them gives them power.

                Yee Naaldlooshii or Naagloshii are practitioners of The Witching Way or ’ánt’įįhnii. Their brand of magic is considered to be a truly evil thing breaking cultural taboos to attain power. Naagloshii have the power to transform at will into any creature they choose to suit their needs. One version of the legend states that they transform into perfect versions of the creatures except for the eyes. While another version states that they become a twisted caricature of what it should be. In order to transform into something the Skinwalker needs to have collected a pelt from the creature. The majority of legends focus on the transformation into various types of predators. Due to this the Navajo abstain the use of most predator pelts in most of their ceremonies. Another key power of the Skinwalker is the ability to take on the shape of a person. Not as in their own form, but to actually take the body of another. In order to do this they meet the eyes of the person and mentally push their soul out and then inhabit the empty shell.

                On top of its ability to transform from one creature to the next it is also sorcerer or evil medicine man of great power. While medicine men used their powers to heal and use nature as a tool, the Skinwalker is the antithesis. They place curses on people, and perform a perverted sing that acts as an anti-heal. They can make or mimic the sound of anything in existence. They use this power to lead people off by themselves before they attack them, often using the sound of a crying baby to lure women out into the open. They also have no qualms about attacking groups. They will burst into a house and attack all those inside. They will use charms such as bone beads, that they will launch at people to be secretly lodged under the skin. These charms will cause fear to well up in the recipient. Skinwalkers feed not only on the physical flesh of those they attack but on the fear of all. So anyone anywhere who is afraid of a Skinwalker is feeding it and giving it strength. That is part of the true terror that they instill. That and the fact that openly speaking about it may bring its attention upon you.

                Because of these fears the are spoken about only seldomly by those who believe and only in whispers during full day light. Few other creatures throughout history have instilled this kind of fear. Most things are feared but dismissed by many as flights of fancy, while the western tribes that believe this are in deadly earnest. Because of how much fear they cause in those who do believe, I wonder how they feel about these Witches appearing on Television and books. Now more people in the world know about their existence. But does it grant power to the Skinwalker the way it does when people truly fear it?

Huckleberry Finn

I read the article: Upcoming NewSouth ‘Huck Finn’ Replaces N-Word

This article is about Twain scholar Alan Gribben with publishing company New-South Books  publishing a different version of Huckleberry Finn. In this version, the n-word that is said so often in the original is replaced with the word ‘slave.’ The article gets into the reasoning as to why Gribben deemed this a good idea, but the main point is for appropriateness for teaching younger kids.

According to the article, Gribben is a teacher and whenever he would read the book out loud, he would replace the n-word with ‘slave’ instead. He became aware of how uncomfortable people can feel about it when Gribben moved south. His daughter became friends with an African-American girl. Apparently “she loathed the book, could barely read it” (Schultz). Gribben was also told by teachers that they wanted to teach Huck Finn, but felt they couldn’t do it anymore. “In the new classroom, it’s really not acceptable” (Schultz).

The article ends with a quote from one of the cofounders of NewSouth, Suzanne La Rosa.

“I almost don’t want to acknowledge this, but it feels like he’s saving the books. His willingness to take this chance—I was very touched.”

Nice grammar, La Rosa.

Here is the article link if anyone is interested: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c71813e3-00e9-4a0e-9889-540824cc83dc%40sessionmgr12&vid=4&hid=28

Schultz, Marc. “Upcoming Newsouth ‘Huck Finn Eliminates the ‘N’ Word.” Publishers Weekly 258.1 (2011): 6. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

After reading this, I suppose I got a better idea of the current state of opinions of teaching Huckleberry Finn. Because the book was taught at my school, I haven’t thought too much into people not teaching it. I’ve always seen it as being more of an eye-opener for America’s past. The fact of that overrides the excessive usage of the n-word. My teachers wouldn’t bleep it out for using ‘slave’ instead either. We’re reading a book, we’re not trying to insult the people reading it now. One just has to remember to read it in context with the times.

The article points out that the book has been banned from many schools. People want to teach it, but they say it’s inappropriate for our classrooms today. Gribben also says that race is important in Huck Finn, but it’s important how it is expressed in the 21^st century (Schultz). This is why he wanted to rewrite the book with ‘slave’ used instead, for it is “something less hurtful, less controversial” and is an alternative to “insisting students read a text that was so incredibly hurtful” (Schultz).

However, I feel that a different approach should be taken than just banning Huck Finn. I feel that the book should be saved for high school and intentionally not for younger ages (middle school and lower) simply because their minds are less likely to be greatly affected by the book.

One of the big parts of the book is the understanding of the context, the time and place in which these things were being said. When the n-word is written in there, it doesn't mean what it does today. This is one of the more mature parts of reading the book. And because the n-word doesn’t mean what it does today, using it as it was in the book helps show the culture of the time. Without it, I feel like Huck Finn would lose part of why it is such a classic. It is supposed to depict the era, and it’s not totally accurate if you change one of the ‘key’ words throughout the entirety of the book.

If you’re worried about the kids feeling bad when reading Huck Finn, just remind them that this is the past. The book isn’t trying to insult you or anyone you know. It is more trying to show how things used to be.

 I also feel that replacing the n-word is pushing aside something that would be better to not push aside. People still struggle with racism and if it’s more hushed up, then it’s acknowledging the problem less. If anything, we should acknowledge the problem more! This is how people get more comfortable with expressing the issues that surround such things. 

Old Shuck, The Hell Hound

The Demon Hound

Many of our generation have read the Harry Potter series and are familiar with such characters as Sirius Black. Sirius turns into a large shaggy black dog. This is part of a fairly common myth in Britain, the only thing that needs to be added is eyes that are on fire or glow. With that you have Old Shuck, the ghost dog. The description is used many times over the years, take for example The Hound of Baskerville. Other names it goes by include; Grim, Padfoot (used in Harry Potter), Skeff, Shriker and Wish Hound.

                There are several different legends surrounding this ghostly canine or rather outcomes since it has been sighted many times throughout the ages. This massive dog ranges in size from that of just a large dog to the size of a small horse. With alternatively red or green glowing saucer eyes beast is sometimes considered a hell hound. Sometimes he doesn’t even appear so you only know he is there by his hot breath. He haunts many different places ranging from dense forests and crossroads, to churches and graveyards. The area in particular within Britain that he is said to exist in is region known as East Anglia. While some few regard this terrifying creature as something that protects others view it as a stark omen of your doom.

                Originally Shuck was regarded as an omen of death. If you heard the beat howl you were advised to cover your eyes and hide. If you actually saw it then you or someone dear to you would die by the end of the year. One early sighting said that he ran the length of a church yard at incredible speed and in passing wrung the necks of two kneeling parishioners before fading again into nothing. While this encounter was truly violent some people regard Shuck as a guardian for travelers who would warn away wrong does.

                The oldest written description of old shuck is from 1805 but other verbal tales could point back even further than this, as far back as the late 1500s potentially. While many regard this demon dog with horror it’s rare that he actually attacks the person who sees him and then usually it’s in response to the viewer doing something. The most common action for Shuck to take is to do nothing but walk along and be seen, though on some occasions he does interact positively with the viewer. The cases that include Shuck interacting with the viewer are mostly from the 1800’s cases that are newer even current have him behaving extremely passively.

                Whether Shuck good or evil is debatable. I think it would be more appropriate to say that he simply is and it depends from situation to situation how he will behave. If he is a marker of death it may be a warning rather than a sentence. Something to tell you to get your affairs in order. I personally love the idea of a giant flame eyed dog guarding over me while I travel. Whatever Shucks  actions and motives may be this is one myth that has persisted for a long time and will probably continue for many years to come.

Source: http://www.hiddenea.com/shuckland/introduction.htm