Earring — Kulunguaq Kulunguaqa kataigiiyaqa. – I dropped my earring. Earrings are one of the many items of personal adornment that Alutiiq people once used to express social identity. Like labrets, nose pins, necklaces, belts, and decorated clothing, earrings were worn by men and women and incorporated valuable materials to illustrate the wearer’s status. […]
Pipe — TRuup’kaaq, Pa’ipaaq 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 […]
Pumice — Mangil’un, Qapuk Allrani iwaiyaqa qapuk qutmi, kesiin miktaartuq. – Sometimes I find pumice on the beach, but it is always small. Pumice is a type of volcanic glass. This gritty, light-colored igneous rock forms during volcanic eruptions, as water mixes with molten lava. The water turns to steam and creates a lightweight, frothy […]
Cod — Amutaq Amutarsuqutartuq. – They are going to get some cod. Pacific cod or grey cod (Gadus marcocephalus) is an abundant, bottom-dwelling, round fish found widely in the Gulf of Alaska. These fast-growing, schooling fish are highly mobile. Cod winter in deep waters along the upper slope of the continental shelf, where they spawn. […]