The Otter People

The Otter people

By: Zephan O

Thomas Bay Alaska. http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/

The so called Otter People have a presence in the mythology of the Tlingit people of Alaska. They call them Kushtaka which means “land-otter-men.” In many Tlingit legends, Kushtaka are supernatural creatures that can shapeshift.  The strange creatures are called “land-otter-men” because they often possess the ability to take the form of a human and an otter. Legend has it that Kushtaka will sometimes harm and other times help people. Although these creatures may seem fictional, some strange happenings in southeast Alaska at Thomas Bay suggest there may be more to these legends than one might think.

Thomas Bay location in South Central Alaska

In his book The Strangest Story Ever Told Harry D. Colp recounts some strange happenings that occurred in Thomas bay. The story begins in 1900 when miners from the lower 48 travel to Alaska in search of gold. A miner by the name of Charlie hears news of gold from a Tlingit man, so he packs up, leaves the other miners who accompanied him, and makes a journey via his canoe over to Thomas bay. Charlie goes ashore and investigates the area. He is atop a hill when he sees terrifying creatures running up the hill toward him. Charlie described them as “devilish.” He said they looked like neither a man nor a monkey but a mixture of both. They were covered in long coarse hair expect were scabs and sores replaced it. As Charlie was running for his life the creatures got so close he could feel their hot stinky breath on his back. Charlie emphasized that the creatures smelled unbearably awful. They let out horrible yells as they chased him. Some even got so close that Charlie could feel their long claw-like fingers on his back. Charlie reached his Canoe, left the area as fast as he could, and returned looking as if he had been through hell. Charlie said, “You no doubt think I’m lying or crazy. All I can say is… [n]ever let me hear the name of Thomas Bay again.”

Colp also mentions a trapper who loses his dog in the hills around Thomas Bay in 1925. The trapper went looking for his lost dog and found tracks that looked like a mix between a bear and a human. He set up traps to catch the creature who made the tracks only to later find them sprung, unsprung, or destroyed. The trapper set off to investigate and was never heard from again.

There are very few theories as to what the Otter people might be. In my page titled “The Alaskan Bigfoot” I stated that there is strong evidence to support the existence of large bipedal primates in Alaska. If this is the case then it is possible that the creatures Charlie encountered were Sasquatch that were infected by an awful disease. Terrible diseases can change an animal's behaviour and their appearance. This would explain why the creatures were so ugly, smelly, and terrifying. As of now there is little evidence from which to draw conclusions about what the Otter People might be so an investigation of Thomas Bay might be necessary.      

Bibliography

Colp, Harry D. "The Strangest Story Ever Told..." The Strangest Story Ever Told... Bigfoot Encounters, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.http://www.bigfootencounters.com/stories/harrycolp.htm

DIHLE, BJORN. "The Second Strangest Story Ever Told." Juneau Empire. Juneau Empire, 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.http://juneauempire.com/outdoors/2015-08-12

"Thomas Bay." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bay