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Legendary Native American Figures: Bush Indian

Name: Bush Indians
Tribal affiliation: Ahtna
Native Names: Ts'eł'eni, Kol'eni
Pronunciation: similar to ts-elth-eh-nee
Also known as: Spies
Type: Antagonists, monsters, bigfeet

 Bush Indians are hairy wild men of the tundra in Ahtna and other Alaskan Athabaskan folklore. Bush Indians are very aggressive and often feature as bogeymen in stories told to children, sometimes kidnapping or even eating unwary kids.

Bush Indian Stories

Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends

In the Shadows of Mountains:
    Collection of legends from the Copper River Ahtna tribe.
Our Voices: Native Stories of Alaska and the Yukon:
    Collection of legends and oral history from the Athabaskan tribes.

Additional Resources

 Ahtna language
 Alaska Native culture
 Subarctic Native people
 Athabaskan Indians



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