The Kushtakas (Tlingit: Ko’oshdaa ka’a, or “land-otter man”) are dreadful hybrid-beings of the spiritual world that possess the physical qualities of otters and men. Tales of Kushtakas come from the indigenous cultures of southeastern Alaska, especially the Tlingit, the Tsimshian, and the Haida. While today these stories are often told to amuse and entertain, especially to non–indigenous audiences, they remain crucial for understanding the elements of the indigenous worldview and belief systems.
Accounts of the Kushtakas arise from creation stories, which place the origins of the Tlingit, the Tsimshian, and the Haida in worlds beyond the human one. They express, in symbolic form, the spiritual and physical connection of people to the land of their ancestors. Their cryptic quality—some interpret Kushtaka stories as accounts of people’s encounters with the world of the dead—make these tales a truly mysterious part of the cultural knowledge that influences the sense of identity of indigenous communities today. Among some Tlingit, talk of Kushtakas had been a taboo in the past.
Kushtaka stories have come to English readers already transformed. Traditionally remaining within the communities of their creators as a part of indigenous oral lore, these tales have been shaped and shared through storytelling, songs, dances, weaving, carving, and painting. The first nonindigenous accounts of Kushtakas appear in the works of ethnographers in Alaska, mostly Russian and American (Alaska remained a part of Russia until it was sold to the United States in 1867). The 1909 work of John Swanton, who not only preserved the full texts, but also included phonetic transcriptions of the names of spiritual beings, remains one of the best early records of Tlingit legends. As parts of contemporary literature, Kushtaka tales are generally common versions of different legends that originated in different clans and groups within clans, presenting the English reader with simplified versions of the indigenous understanding of Kushtakas and their mission in the human world.
Kushtakas are supernatural beings that are half-human, half-otter. The unfortunate victims of Land Otters, these humans are transformed: their human bodies and faces are covered by fur; their upper lips are caught under their noses and resemble the mouth of an otter; and their arms grow out of their chests, rather than shoulders. Powerful tails help them fish and move heavy trees. The Kushtakas’ role in the world of humans is also dual in nature, both terrifying and benevolent. They kidnap children and frighten women, bring famine and disease, and cause storms and avalanches. At the same time, they save those lost at sea or in the woods (by bringing them to their land) and occasionally help their human relatives. Ordinarily invisible, they reveal themselves as shadows often in the guise of lost or dead family members. At times they can only be heard.
Kushtakas gained their power from a mission given to Land Otters by the powerful Raven, the main hero of the Tlingit creation stories. At the time of creation, Raven, a good friend of the Land Otter, bestowed on him the gift of duality. Otters, Raven envisioned, could live on water and on land, and possess powers of illusion and disguise. In return, the Otters would save the men who drowned as a way of preserving their souls (or spirits), which is a form and vehicle of Tlingit reincarnation. The Otters’ mission is a truly significant one, given that Tlingit viewed drowning as the most horrible form of death. If a dead person’s body is not found and properly buried (or cremated), his or her spirit will not return to the Tlingit spiritual universe and therefore will be unable to come back later animating a different living body, usually that of a relative.
At times though, Kushtakas would lure drowned people to their houses, taking advantage of their loneliness and longing for loved ones. The victims would become Kushtakas by eating their food or by marrying one of them. Often the relative of a drowned man would cast some food into the water, hoping that it would reach the lost one, giving him some support, while the community was searching for his lost body. Despite these efforts, humans are generally defenseless against Kushtakas’ powers. Human blood can make Kushtakas’ shapes dissolve, and urine can erase the effects of their trickery. Metal keeps them away. Only shamans can fight Kushtakas, since they have power to find and save a lost human spirit.
One of the popular Kushtaka stories is the legend of venerated Kaka’, the first person to confront them and win. Lost at sea, Kaka’ was abducted by Kushtakas and taken to their land where he remained for a long time. Resistance, supported by his faith that human strength could overcome the Kushtakas and the help of his friends and community, brought Kaka’ back. The victory of Kaka’ over the Kushtakas made him the most powerful shaman in his community.
Another story gives an account of a woman, captured and turned into a Kushtaka, who helped her brother’s family and village during times of hunger. This Tlingit story revolves around the common indigenous belief that dead relatives continue to help and support their families. Appearing to her brother in a Kushtaka form, the sister gained his trust by giving him food and sending her children to help him fish. The families got to know each other during this time of fishing. Yet when the man went back to search for his sister after the hunger times had passed, he only found otter holes where her home had been.
Another story teaches the importance of respecting and following community traditions by giving a dreadful account of a fight between a Tlingit village and a village of the Land Otter People. It begins with the clan teens going fishing and behaving disrespectfully to a salmon and a frog. After burning them alive in the fire the teens made fun of their deaths. On their way home, the sea swallowed the cruel, ill-disciplined teens, leaving their fate in the hands of the Land Otter People, who rescued them and brought them to their dens. The villagers tried to get the boys back by smoking the Land Otter village and causing many Land Otter People to die. The four captured boys also perished. The villagers then tried to make peace with the Land Otter People, offering them a potluck. The Land Otter People refused. Holding the village responsible for the death and disrespect of the frog and the salmon, they took the lives of four other teenage boys and demanded the life of the village shaman as revenge. The story concludes with the shaman being sacrificed and peace being restored between the villagers and the Land Otter People.
The Kushtaka stories remain mysterious tales of southeastern Alaska. In many ways, they symbolize human ability to master the worlds of the sea and the land. They are also accounts of people’s struggle to understand the play of the universe and the place of human life in it. As such, these stories reach beyond their indigenous legacy and are universal in their theme and meanings.
Ulia Popova
See also Apotamkin; Shamans; Tizheruk
Further Reading
Beck, Mary Giraudo. 1991. Shamans and Kushtakas: North Coast Tales of the Supernatural. Portland, OR: Alaska Northwest Books.
EsteroX. 2013. “The Fearsome Alaskan Tlingit Kushtaka: If It’s not One Thing, it’s an Otter.” EsteroX website. January 9. http://esoterx.com/2013/01/09/the-fearsome-alaskan-tlingit-kushtaka-if-its-not-one-thing-its-an-otter/. Accessed November 4, 2015.
Pelton, Mary, and Jaquelle DiGennaro. 1992. Images of a People: Tlingit Myths and Legends. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Smelcer, John E., ed. 1993. A Cycle of Myths: Native Legends from Southeast Alaska. Anchorage: Salmon Run Press.
Swanton, John R. 1909. Tlingit Myth and Texts. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.