Native nations
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Native nations
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This is our index of Ahtna folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have organized our Native American tales section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Ahtna tribe, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Gwich'in and Tanaina are very similar.
Raven (Saghani Ggaay in the Ahtna language):
Raven is the culture hero of the Ahtna and other Alaskan Athabaskan tribes.
He is a revered and benevolent transformer god who helps the people and shapes their world for them,
but at the same time, he is also a trickster character and many Ahtna Indian stories about Raven have to do with
his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble. The Ahtna name sounds similar to sah-gah-nee guy.
Bush Indians (Ts'eł'eni or Kol'eni):
Wild men of the tundra. They are aggressive and are said to wage war against the Athabaskan people.
Bush Indians often feature as bogeymen in Athna stories told to children, sometimes
kidnapping or even eating unwary kids. Pronounced similar to ts-elth-eh-nee.
The Wood Man (Nuhu'anh):
A hairy bigfoot-like wild man of the forest who moves silently and rarely reveals himself to humans.
Frequently he steals things or causes other minor mischief, and in some stories
has been said to capture Ahtna children.
Gguux (also spelled Gux, Ġu∙x, Gook, or other ways):
Underwater monster that lurked in lakes and ate people. Its name is pronounced similar to gookh (the "x" sounds like the raspy "ch" of German "ach.")
Cet'aeni (or Cet'aenn):
Legendary humanoid creatures with tails who lived in trees and caves, enemies of humans. Their name, which
means "tailed ones," is pronounced tset-ann-ee. Today they are sometimes also referred to as the Monkey People.
Ahtna Legends and Lore:Raven's Athabaskan Tales:Native Alaskan Stories:Atna' Yanida'a: Ahtna Stories 
In the Shadows of Mountains:Tatl'Ahwt'Aenn Nenn: The Headwaters People's Country:What We Leave Behind: Ahtna Elders Reflect on History: Our Voices: Native Stories of Alaska and the Yukon:
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