A State Urban Legend From Alaska, "The Coostika"...Corolator

Almost everywhere in the country there are Urban Legends of one kind or another, some more of a Tall Tale, than others. Other stories are backed up by serious inquiries and studies, by scholarly people, investigators and even Scientists. There are many T.V. Shows dedicated to these Legends and Mysteiesbeing aired widely in the last few years, about U.F.O.'s....Bigfoot...River Monsters...Swamp Beasts to name a few. But when I lived in Alaska, I was told about a Native Alaskan Urban Legend, by grandparents of Native Alaskan friends I attended school with. I first heard of This Legend of corse, from kids my own age, that I was going to High School with. As I became more curious about this creature that was sapposed to live in isolated portions of The Forests, my friends let me talk to older members of some of their families so I could get more details about The Legend of "The Coostika"!

I liked to hunt and fish both and Alaska was the perfect place for either one of these persuits. But the more I heard about this creature, the more I became aprehensive about being out in the forest, weither I had a rifle or not. The stories I'd been told about "The Coostika", and how it lured people to it and then these people were never seen again, well the stories were to say the least a little alarming. No that's not accurate...they were flat scarey, especially to an 18 year old young man. I believed most stories were based at least, on a little bit of facts, and I wasn't sure how much of the stories I'd been told were fact, and how much were fiction.

All I knew was that "The Coostika" was a creature about the size of a man, and very muscular and strong. It was shaped like a cross between an otter, with a wolf type head. It made crying like sounds. It sounded like a baby crying, and that would cause people to come towards the sound to investigate. Then the creature would attack, and well you can guess the rest. It lived in the deep forest, but was comfortable in water, either in a river or the ocean. So Natives were told about this growing up, and since they have such a subsistance life style, they were told never to go into the forest alone, when hunting or exploring.

Well as I said the stories I'd heard were from kids my age untill a good friend of mine, invited me over to his home to have some fresh Salmon one night. I'd never been to his house, and as I was going my father told me to be very respectfull of their home, and any custom they might have, while I was there. "They are a very proud people, and deserve your respect!", he told me. I said, "I understand, thanks Dad!" I went out to my 64 1/2 red mustang, fired it up and drove to my friends place, a few miles up the highway, south of town,

My friend lived out of town as most of the local natives did, in their own community. They had a fairly large piece ofland that overlooked the inland passage,
David met me in the driveway as I drove up, He'd seen me from the back yard where he'd been near the totem poles I'd seen. "Wow! Cool looking carvings man! Who does all of these?" I asked. "Oh thanks man! You like them?" he asked as we walked that direction. "My grandfather makes them and sells them all over!" he finished up with. "Come on, I'll introduce you, he's working on one now." he said as we moved towards a large pole carving area back behind their house.

As we approached an older man carving away on a head, heard us comming and looked up at us. "Grandfather, this is my good friend 'Rick', the one I told you that moved up from California," David said to him. I stood there smileing and Daid said to me, "Rick this is my grandfather!" he told me, with prode in his voice. I extended my hand to shake his, and as I did he said, "Welcome Rick, please call me Grandfather." I looked at David and he smiled at me while shaking his head in a yes type manner indicating that this was how his grandfather wanted to be addressed. "An honor to meet you grandfather, what beautifull totems you have here, they are incredible!" I exclaimed to him as he strongly shook my hand. "Do you know much about totems Rick?" he asked. "No grandfather, not really, I just know they are all so colorfull and huge. It must take a while to make one." I responded. He smiled at me and said, "Yes it does take some time, and each part means something, let me explain." he answered.

He led me arround to several poles and told me what each head was called, what they stood for, or what they ment. He said he's been doing totems since he was a young man. He also told me his totems were all over the state in different parks and such. He explained why they were painted certain colors, and explained some of the legends about the different heads on the totems. It was agreat learning experiance. David spoke up and said he needed to take me into the house so he could introduce me to the family. Grandfather nodded and David led me into the house, where he went to introducing me to his large family. His mother,father, two sisters and a grandmother and an uncle. All of them were very nice, and welcomming. Afterwards we went back to where grandfather was still working on his totem. On the way back out I asked David if Grandfather would tell me about "The Coostika".

I was a little surprised by his reaction to my request. He seemed aprehensive, but he explained why. "This is considered a very evil spirit by my tribe, and when it is talked about, a prayer must be said to cleanse the area, and protect us from the creature." "Let me talk to grandfather alone for a moment first and see if he will speak about this to you, O.K...."O....K." I responded to him. I didn't really understand his aprehensiveness about the subject, but respected his wishes.

We stood a ways apart as he talked to his granfather about what I wanted to qquestion him about and after a few moments he motioned for me to come over. As I walked up, I realized the continence on the old mans face had totally changed from when I'd first talked with him. He was looking real serious as he spoke. "Let us walk back over by the drive to talk Rick,and we walked away from the carving area.

The thing you are curious about is very serious among my people, he explained. "There are many spirits in this world, most unseen, some good and some evil. The spirit of this creature is the most evil of all the demons in the world. It has been arround since the world was new, and it has eaten many spirits of my people and others as well. We generally don't speak of it openly, and if we do we have to bless the area it was discussed in." "That is why we moved away from my work area, the spirits on these poles are good spirits, and it would not be right to speak of this creature while in their presence." I didn't fully understand but I knew that grandfather totally believed everything he was saying to me, and he was dead serious with his gentle warning to me.

"You know what this creature is called, so I won't even utter its name outloud," he started. The creature is one of what we call in my tribe, The Ancient Ones. They hate man because the great creator loved man. So to get back at the creator, they are sworn to catch and devour the souls of any man woaman, or child that they can trick into comming close to them. If they catch you, then your spirit is lost to them for all time." "They trick us by making the sound of a crying child, or someone who sounds as if they are hurt. Then when a carring person goes to help...well then they are consumed and lost for all time, never to be seen again."

Well he had just successfully scared the curiosity right out of me, by this time, but he wasn't completely done yet!

"They look like a muscular river animal, an otter, or maybe a fur seal, about the size of a man, but they are also a shape-shifter and can assume the shape of many things that are unasumeing to us." "They are a great trixter, with an unending appatite for souls." "So this is why we are taught never to go out alone into the forest to hunt or when we go out trying to harvest fish for our families." They are cowards and will not attack anyone who is accompanied by another." "That's about all we know about them Rick!" he finished. "Now stand close and hold hands, while I ask the great spirit to protect all of us from this creature."

We stepped closer to each other, grabbed at each others hands, and grandfather said a prayer outloud. "Great Spirit, I ask that you Bless and watch over us all here now. That you pour out your protective presence onto us and keep us safe from the harm of this evil spirit we have spoken about today." "We thank you for your gifts and for the spirit you have given each one of us, be with us always while in this place untill we rejoin with you at our apointed time." He stopped and looked up and clapped his hands three times, David followed, and I also clapped three times.

The dinner was great and I learned a lot about some of the native customs they shared with me. I'd learned alot about totems and their meanings, and I'd met a great person, who liked everyone to call him Grandfather, even if you weren't related to him.

So that's the Urban Legend about "The Coostika". A ancient creature that native peoples in Alaska believe steals te souls of the innocent. I'm not sure if that is the way it is spelled or not, I did it phoenetically. Hope you all enjoyed the story...Corolator.

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