Weatherman — Llaatesurta Llaatsurtaallriit. – They used to be weathermen. Long before marine radios, the nightly, television weather report, weather apps and weather cams, Alutiiq people interpreted the weather by reading the wind, waves, clouds, and phase of the sun and moon. Shaman, men and women skilled at interacting with the unseen world, were weather […]
Long-Tailed Duck — Aaraliq Aaralit amlertut ikani.—There are a lot of long-tailed ducks over there. The long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) is a small, diving, sea duck. This species breeds in lakes and ponds across the high arctic, and then migrates south to winter in the waters along the north Pacific and north Atlantic coasts. The long-tailed […]
Real People-Sugpiat Guangkuta “Sugpianek” ap’rtaakiikut cuumi, nutaan ap’rtaaraakut Alutiit. – They used to call us Sugpiaq before, but now we are called Alutiiq people. Who are Kodiak’s Native people? This is a common question. Russian fur traders called them the Aleut, a word derived from a Siberian Native language that means coastal dweller. The Russian’s […]
Morning-Unuaq Unuami ilait suuget kuufiarturtaartut.—Some people always drink coffee in the morning. The Alutiiq word unuaq means morning, but on Kodiak many speakers use it to specify early morning. Elders recall that one of the first important chores each morning was to start the household fire. Katya, an Elder from Karluk, describes her mother instructing her to […]