Kasaakaq – Russian Cuumi Kasaakat Sun’ami amlerta’umallriit. – Before in Kodiak there were (reportedly) a lot of Russians. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) The Russian era in Alaska began in the early eighteenth century, when explorers and traders sailed east from Siberia in search of new lands and resources. In addition to a […]
Pisurta – Hunter Taugna suk pisurta. – This person is a hunter. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) The Alutiiq word pisurta translates literally as “one who hunts.” Hunting has always been essential to life on Kodiak, a way to procure not only food but many of the raw materials of daily living: animal […]
Suu’aq; Suyaraq – Shuyak Island Anchorage-mek tai’akamta plane-gun Suu’aq tang’rtaarpet. – When we come from Anchorage by plane we can see Shuyak Island. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) Shuyak Island, the seventh largest of the Kodiak islands, covers sixty-nine square miles at the northern end of the archipelago. Just twelve miles long and […]
Cip’ausngasqaq – Show Off; Smart Aleck Awaqutan cip’ausngauq. – Your son is a smart aleck. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) In the Alutiiq language, the word cip’ausngasqaq translates literally as a “know it all” or a “smart aleck,” and people use the term to refer to someone who thinks of himself as a […]