Christmas — ARausistuaq (N), Rausistuaq (N), ARusistuaq (S) Guangkuta ARusistuartaartukut January-mi. – We always celebrate Christmas in January. Many of Kodiak’s Alutiiq families celebrate Christmas twice each year: American Christmas on December 25 and Russian Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Although both events commemorate the birth of Christ, they are quite different. American Christmas features […]
Gun-Nutek Taatillka nutengq’rtaallia. – My late father always had a gun. The Alutiiq word for gun, nutek, comes from the verb nutegluku, “to shoot it.” The first firearms Alutiiq people encountered were flintlock muskets imported by Russian traders. Stephen Glotov, who wintered in Alitak Bay in 1763, used musket fire to scare Alutiiq warriors attacking his ship. […]
Meteor — Pamyulek Akgua’aq pamyulegmek tangellrianga. – The other night I saw a meteor. A meteor is a piece of space rock that burns as it falls through the Earth’s atmosphere, creating a bright streak in the night sky. The Alutiiq term for a meteor—pamyulek—comes from the word pamyuq for tail or handle; something that extends out […]
KODIAK—A digital place names map is the newest addition to the Alutiiq Museum’s website. This interactive tool allows visitors to explore over three hundred Alutiiq/Sugpiaq terms for Kodiak’s geographic features, landmarks, and communities. The map is based on research conducted by Dehrich Chya, the museum’s director of language and living culture. It was produced with […]