Interpretation of Kooshtakaa for Alaska Monsters.  Posted to the internet by CrypidHunter25

Kooshtakaa Of Sitka, Alaska

On January 23, 2018, Alaska was hit with an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the scale. It was felt throughout most of southern Alaska and into British Columbia. A tsunami warning was also issued and evacuations were ordered, sending those along the shore inland to higher ground.

The first major aftershock occurred twenty minutes after the earthquake; the strongest at 5.5,while most measured 4-5. During the next two days over 50 aftershocks were recorded; more than 1000 occurred up through March. Luckily, the water level did not rise as much as first feared and the tsunami warning was dismissed.

If all this wasn't disturbing enough, the residents of the village of Sitka experienced a series of "unknown hairy hominoid sightings".

An investigation of the sightings was possible due to an researcher being a member of the Tlingit. The Native families were willing to speak with him on what they saw and the researcher protected their identities. Three families reported that during the tsunami warning for Sitka, they saw "Bigfoot-like creatures heading up the hills to higher grounds." Multiple tracks were seen.

To tell these stories, the names of the witnesses have been changed as they have no desire for publicity or to be bothered by others over what they saw. Also there are different names used for the "hairy hominoids" that are found throughout Alaska. The term "Bigfoot" is known by the Native peoples but they use different terms of their own in describing the being. Some of the Tlingit call these beings Kooshtakaa (meaning "Other Man"). Some will tell you that there is a difference between Bigfoot and Kooshtakaa. [There are also variations in the spelling of Kooshtakaa : Kooshdakhaa, Kushtaka, among others.]

Although the Kooshtakaa are an accepted part of the Tlingit world, it is not a topic openly discussed within their circles, much less shared with any "outsiders." The topic is treated with respect, sometimes fear. They are known to work xexwaa (magic) in legends.

Back to the morning of January 23. Cell phones alerts were being received, although the speaker system had yet to be activated. Families were packing up into cars and heading for higher ground, while others set off on foot. Bears which should have been hibernating and deer were also headed for higher ground.

Eric was outside of Sitka when he got the alert on his cell phone. He and his girlfriend started back for town in their car. They were headed around a bend in the road when Eric's car died. The two sat for a moment or two trying to restart the car. Popping  the hood, Eric got out to check what might be wrong and fix it.

A deer dashed across the road and a moment later a humanoid figure came following it, right in front of them only a few feet away. It stood approximately 8 foot tall. Said Eric: "That was no bear. I know it definitely wasn't a human. That was a kooshtakaa. He paused briefly in front of our car. He looked right at us. I was more fascinated than I was scared at the moment. You could see his hair covered body."

He continued his description : "His arms seemed a little disproportionate compared to a human. They seemed longer. It just looks different from our arms. His biceps/triceps were definitely bigger than any human I've ever seen. I stood there by my car door. He paused and looked at me straight in the eyes. He look like he was about ready to come towards me but then he took off continuing across the road and into the woods. My God, that smell about him was awful. I've never smelled anything like that."

He and his girlfriend sat in the car for awhile, not knowing what else to do. Then they heard the sirens signaling the tsunami alert. Knowing that they had little time, he desperately tried to start the car. The engine easily turned over. It wasn't until later he realized that the problems with the car engine seemed to disappear after the kooshtakaa left the area.

When Eric was asked to take the researcher to where the sighting occurred, the subject was abruptly changed. While talking to Diane, Eric's girlfriend, she was able to confirm his story. She added something Eric did not know.

"I urged Eric to get back in the car. I could hear branches being pushed through. I then heard what sounded like somebody hitting the side of a tree with a baseball bat or something."

While both of them were together with the researcher, he asked again if they would be willing to take him to the location.  They all sat in silence for a few minutes. Eric and Diane exchanged a few looks. Finally they agreed to take him there. After proper preparation, they went to the area where the encounter took place.

The melting snow had erased the footprints from that day, although fresher animals prints were visible. Eric pointed out where the kooshtakaa had passed through. Broken branches were visible. Eric cried out in Tlingit : "We respect each other! Yes! We respect each other!" Facing the area where the being had gone up the hill, again spoken in Tlingit : "Yes! That is the way it is! We respect each other! So it is not forgotten! We respect each other!"

After Eric demonstrated the stride of the kooshtakaa (having to hop to reach where each foot touched), they returned to the car and drove back to town.

The second sighting was by the John family. As soon as the researcher entered the home to discuss the kooshtakaa, the mother left the room. She would not return for the duration of the interview.

Although the tsunami warning siren was going off, the family decided that their home was high enough that they had no need to go to even higher ground. As they were notifying friends and family via Facebook that they were safe, the power went out. Michael noticed that the streetlamps were still lit so he went out to see what was happening, while his wife went to find candles. The children were all still asleep. Michael opened the door to go out and was startled by the unexpected.

"There he was. He was so huge! He started coming towards the house. I fell backwards on my butt. I yelled at him to get away. I didn't know what else to do. He was right by the shed. I don't think he could come in the door without ducking down." Michael estimated the being as about 8 to 8 1/2 feet tall.

His mother came to the door and after looking out, she began speaking loudly in Tlingit. [ As he did not speak the language he could not tell the researcher what she was saying. And as the mother never returned while he was there, he could not ask her either.] His mother closed the door and returned to her chair and her solitaire game.

The power came back on and Michael started to go to the door. "Just leave it," his mother said. He could hear in the distance the sound like rocks being thrown in their direction. "I told you to leave it alone. Close the door and sit down," she instructed.

The melting snow and puddles of slush eliminated the chances of finding any tracks.

There was a another family who had an encounter during the tsunami alert.  However, the researcher was unable to get them to talk to him. By bringing up and naming the kooshtakaa so abruptly with the last family, they refused to talk to him about their experience.

Trail cam photo of a Kooshtakaa -- posted by CrypidHunter25

[Please Note: Sadly Nancy passed away at the first of January, 2022. We will continue to honor her and her research by sharing her work. RIP Nancy. -Thomas]

Nancy

This Post By TCC Team Member Nancy Marietta. Nancy has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal and cryptids. Nancy is also a published author and her book, The Price of war, has been met with great reviews.

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