Aloha, Tide Riders, and welcome to the first episode of our brand new saga on Native American Nightmares.

From the deserts of the Southwest to the icy rivers of Alaska to the powwow grounds of the Midwest, shapeshifter legends ripple through Native American folklore—stories that are as old as the land itself. In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on three of the most infamous figures: the terrifying Skinwalker, said to be a dark witch who can wear the skins of animals; the mischievous and deadly Kusthaka, the otter-like trickster who mimics voices to lure the lost; and the Deer Woman, a spirit of beauty and danger who appears at the edge of dances and backroads, her hooves giving her away only at the last moment.

We’ll explore the deep history and cultural meaning behind each legend, drawing from traditional accounts passed down through the generations. Then, we’ll bring things into the modern day with spine-tingling sightings: patrol officers chasing inhuman figures across desert highways, campers stalked by red-eyed otter-creatures, and dancers who swear they met the Deer Woman herself among the crowd. These aren’t just old campfire stories—they’re encounters happening here and now.

Of course, no Strange Tides episode would be complete without wandering into the deep end of theory. In the Tinfoil Teepee, we’ll break down possible explanations ranging from the grounded (misidentified animals, cultural memory, stress-induced visions) to the truly out-there (cryptid evolution, spirit guardians, interdimensional beings, or even Jacques Vallée’s “parallel reality” idea from Passport to Magonia). Could Skinwalkers, Kusthaka, and Deer Woman all be masks of the same underlying phenomenon, shifting forms based on culture and belief? Or are they each their own mystery, tied to the places they haunt?

Buckle up—it’s a journey through folklore, firsthand accounts, and high strangeness that’ll leave you questioning just how thin the line is between myth and reality.

Links:

https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/skinwalkers-wendigos-and-witchery-way

https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/skinwalker.htm

https://www.quora.com/What-are-skinwalkers-and-why-are-they-so-feared-in-Native-American-folklore

https://www.reddit.com/r/NativeAmerican/comments/166s8au/the_very_messed_up_origins_of_skinwalkers_native/

https://www.oahu.narpm.org/browse/mL4995/6021044/Hunt%2520For%2520The%2520Skinwalker.pdf

https://www.frnwh.com/2024/07/the-enigmatic-kushtaka-of-alaskan-folklore/

https://americanurbanlegends.com/the-kushtaka/

https://www.lemon8-app.com/%40nexusarts7/7459039481857966634?region=us

https://brickthology.com/tag/native-american/

https://theindianleader.com/2019/11/18/stories-of-the-supernatural/

https://www.paradise-lot.com/holy-mythology-batman/2020/4/17/deer-woman

https://folklore.usc.edu/the-lakota-deer-woman/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ReservationDogs/comments/173wdk5/encounters_of_the_deer_ladykind/