Urayuli, or "Hairy Men," as translated from most native

Yupik language The Yupik languages () are a family of languages spoken by the Yupik peoples of western and south-central Alaska and Chukotka. The Yupik languages differ enough from one another that they are not mutually intelligible, although speakers of one ...

s, are a

Cryptid Cryptids are animals or other beings whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science. Cryptozoology, the study of cryptids, is a pseudoscience claiming that such beings may exist somewhere in the wild; it has been widely cri ...

race (similar to

Bigfoot Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...

or a

Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported t ...

) of creatures that live in the woodland areas of southwestern

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. Stories of the Urayuli describe them as standing 10 feet tall with long shaggy fur and luminescent eyes. They are said to emit a high-pitched cry, resembling that of a

loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British English, British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family (biolog ...

. Their long, lanky arms have been described as reaching down to their ankles. Rumored to live in the forests near the area of

Lake Iliamna Iliamna Lake or Lake Iliamna ( ; ; ) is a lake in southwest Alaska, at the north end of the Alaska Peninsula, between Kvichak Bay and Cook Inlet, about west of Seldovia, Alaska. It shares a name with the Iliamna River, which flows into it, and ...

, the Urayuli are said to be peaceful creatures, unlike the

Kushtaka Kóoshdaa káa or Kushtaka ( lit. "land otter man") are mythical shape-shifting creatures found in the folklore of the Tlingit peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Description They are similar to the 'Watsa of the Tsimshian ...

of Southeastern Alaska. It is said the Urayuli are transformed children who become lost in the woods at night. It is possible that this tale was started to keep children indoors at night.

References

Legendary creatures of the indigenous peoples of North America Forest spirits {{NorthAm-myth-stub