What are the Kushtaka? There are incredible stories of the sinister Kushtaka or "land otter man" as it is known by the Tlingit's all throughout Southeastern Alaska. Whether these stories are the stuff of legend and myth remains to be seen. However a legend that endures over time, endures for a reason, leaving us with the question. Is the legend and myth of the Kushtaka something that really exists? Is it based on actual events or the byproduct of a vivid imagination of a people unable to explain the unexplainable? The purpose of this book is to explore this amazing mystery, to see if we can unlock the door to the Kushtaka and discover the truth. Joseph Campbell said myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life, that a myth helps you to put your mind in touch with the experience of being alive. In this case, in order to experience being alive, we might have to experience being scared to death. The Kushtaka are mystical shape shifting creatures with supernatural powers. They are masters at waging psychological warfare with the ability to twist time and space creating anomalies that defy the laws of physics. It is said they possess telepathic abilities. Their ability to move freely from one place to another in an instant is legendary. Appearing as someone the victim knows is commonplace in the stories of the encounters with the Kushtaka. From deceased relatives, to being a friend, to appearing as a ghostly creature, there are no limits to what and who the Kushtaka can transform into. Encounters have told of the unsuspecting victim having their worst nightmares brought to life, as if the Kushtaka were able to draw on the fears of their intended targets. In the worst of reports, the Kushtaka will possess the person and as a malevolent trickster, bring harm to them and those around them, tormenting them to the point of driving them insane to the point of death. The Kushtaka seem to have a special hatred for those who do not take them seriously and laugh at the Kushtaka as if it they are a joke. For those folks who fall into this category and venture in the land of the Kushtaka will soon find that the Kushtaka has an agenda for them. The Kushtaka are considered evil and treated with a level of trepidation among the Tlingit. It is believed that the Kushtaka deprived their victims of everlasting life thus not allowing for the victims soul to be reincarnated. These creatures appear to the victims as in the form of relatives or friends to confuse