Anatoly Solodiakov characterizes the Kutkynniaku figure

“You could say that Kutkynniaku, who is called Kutch among the Itelmen, is for us Koryaks the supreme being who created the earth, with its trees, plants, reindeer lichen and reindeer, seals and rivers, in other words everything that goes with it. If you look at other peoples, they also have their faith, their Christian faith, but their God seems to me to be more serious than ours. Kutkynniaku, on the other hand, is cheerful and funny, sometimes a little mischievous or even deceitful, so despite his raven form he is very much like a human in many ways, and he can even dance. So, I try to make sure that Kutkynniaku radiates joy of life in my images, as our people also have a tendency towards cheerfulness.”

Recorded by Erich Kasten. Palana, 2002