TRuup’kaaq, Pa’ipaaq – Pipe Ata tRuup’kaaq. – Let’s see the pipe. Although tobacco was popular in the historic era, smoking tobacco was not. Historic sources indicate that Alutiiq people preferred to create snuff by adding tobacco to a mixture of wood ash, black tea, and dried crushed nettle leaves. This produced iqmik, a substance held in […]
Elder — Cuqlliq Cuqllit amlen’irtut maani awa’i. – There are not many Elders around anymore. The world’s cultures respond to aging in very different ways. Some societies believe that the aged have less to contribute than the young, considering the elderly a social burden. But in Alutiiq society, older people hold a distinguished, highly respected […]
Crested Auklet — Kungyuk Kungyut amlertaallriit kangiyami. – There used to always be a lot of crested auklets in the bay. The crested auklet (Aethia cristatella), known by some as the sea quail, is a member of the alcid family, a group that includes auks, puffins, and murres. About two million of these sea birds […]
Fur Seal — Aatak, Isuwiq Aatat quiliutaartut. – Fur seals are (always) fat. Each November, northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) leave their summer home in the Pribilof Islands, swimming south to winter in the warmer waters off California. Until they return the following summer, these animals rarely touch land. Most fur seals live between ten […]