LLAM IINGALAA – EYE OF THE UNIVERSE KALLALET LLAM IINGALAAKUN AGTAALLRIIT.– SHAMANS USED TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF THE UNIVERSE. In Alutiiq cosmology, the heavens have five distinct regions. Think of these regions as a set of layers, one on top of the next. Here, the highest layer is the purest and the furthest […]
Naken – Where (from) Naken taimaluten? – Where do you come from? The ways people introduce themselves varies across cultures. The traditions in which people are raised influence how they greet each other and express their identities. For example, if you are in Beijing or Boston, shaking hands is a friendly, polite way to meet. […]
KALLA’UN/KALLA’UTAQ – RATTLE KALLA’ALEGET AGNGUAQAMENG KALLA’UTAT ATURTAAKAIT. – SHAMANS USE THE RATTLES WHEN THEY DANCE. The puffin beak rattle is one of two types of Alutiiq rattles. This instrument is made from a set of two to five nested, wooden hoops. Pictures of ancestral rattles show that artists lashed or pegged these hoops to a […]
CAIK – COMMON WORMWOOD OR SILVERLEAF CAAYULILUA CAIGMEK. – I AM MAKING SILVERLEAF TEA. Common wormwood (Artemisia tilesii Ledeb.), known around Kodiak as silverleaf, is a member of the sunflower family. This perennial herb grows across northern North American in open environments. Silverleaf is a tall herb, with stems up to three feet long and […]