J.K. Rowling Is Releasing An American Wizardry Series — And It’s P*ssing Off Native Americans


Potterheads are getting a much-welcome gift from the mastermind behind the Harry Potter chronicles. Over a three-day period in mid-March, author J.K. Rowling will publish a set of four short stories to the official Harry Potter website, Pottermore.

The four-piece series unveils a previously-unknown population in Rowling’s wizarding world: North American magic. The stories discuss the early years of North American magical communities.

Some, however, are calling Rowling out over claims that she is culturally appropriating some elements of Native American culture. The first story, entitled “Seventeenth Century and Beyond” examines the Navajo legend of the Skinwalker. In Navajo legend, Skinwalkers is considered evil entities. Skinwalkers have the magical ability to take the physical form of animals.

In short, Rowling’s story claims that Skinwalkers were simply mythological — they were an entity created by the community to demonize actual wizards.

The author was almost immediately criticized for her use of Skinwalkers in the series. A number of Native American scholars, academics, and activists made public their concerns that Rowling is appropriating Native American religious and cultural beliefs in a cheap attempt to sell a story.

One of the primary complaints comes from Dr. Adrienne Keene, who argues that Rowling’s claim that Skinwalkers are simply “rumor” doesn’t accurately reflect the Navajo legend. For instance, many Navajo communities truly believe in the existence of Skinwalkers.

Dr. Keene writes on Twitter that:

“Skinwalker stories have context, roots, and reality… You can’t just claim and take a living tradition of a marginalized people. That’s straight up colonialism/appropriation.”

As of now, Rowling and her team have yet to respond to the critiques.