IPUK – SNAIL IPUT YAAMAT ACAATNI ETAARTUT. – SNAILS ARE ALWAYS UNDER THE ROCKS. Snails, particularly the periwinkle (Littorina sitkana), are common residents of Kodiak’s intertidal waters. These slow-creeping marine invertebrates are members of the gastropod family, a group that includes both snails and slugs. Periwinkles inhabit the rocky beaches of the North American Pacific […]
KRistaaq – Cross Suu’ut ilait KRistaartumataartut. – Some people wear a cross. Introduced to Kodiak by nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox clergy, the Christian cross is a symbol that appears widely in Alutiiq communities. Although kRistaaq sounds like the word Christ, it comes from the Russian word for cross, kRest, which may be related to the Latin […]
Giinaq – Face Giinan tang’raqa! – I see your face! The human face is the most frequently portrayed image on Alutiiq masks. Although many masks have animal elements–a beak shaped mouth or encircling feathers for example–very few actually show complete animal faces. A rare example is an owl mask collected from an archaeological site in […]
LLANGARLLUNI – TO GAIN AWARENESS CARLIAQA LLANGLLARNGAUQ. – MY CHILD IS AWARE. Why do toddlers like to say, “No!”? The answer lies in a baby’s growing brain. In the transitions from infant to toddler, children develop their sense of self-awareness, both physical and emotional. By about 18 months, children recognize themselves as unique individuals. At […]
Spam-eq – Spam Alutiit Spam-eq pingaktaarat. – Alutiiq people (always) like Spam. The Hormel Foods Corporation introduced Spam to American consumers in 1937. Manufactured in Austin, Minnesota, this now famous lunchmeat came packaged in twelve-ounce cans. Hormel reports that more than seven billion cans of Spam have been sold in the past sixty-five years! Alaskans […]
Ulutegwik – Television Ulutegwik ikirsgu. – Turn the television on. Television began reaching rural Alaska communities in the1970s, as communication systems evolved following World War II. Alutiiq villages began to receive radio signals in the 1960sand public television a decade later. Satellite television followed in the 1990s, and now many rural communities have Internet access. […]
Qapilaq – Blue Mussel. Qapilat piturnirtaartut. – Blue mussels are always tasty. Blue mussels (Mylitus edulis) are one of the most common intertidal invertebrates in the Kodiak Archipelago. These purple-shelled bivalves inhabit most of Kodiak’s rocky shorelines, forming dense clusters in the upper intertidal zone. Like other shellfish, blue mussels are a great source of […]
Cingtaataq – Razor Clam Cingtaatarsurlita! – Let’s gather razor clams! Pacific razor clams (Siliqua patula) can be found in sandy beaches from California to the Aleutian Islands. Alaska is home to some of the world’s largest razor clams, which can grow up to a foot long. These large, narrow bi-valves have a thin, brittle, brown […]
Kagit’ruaq – Baleen Inartat kag’it’ruamek pilitaallriit. – They used to make baskets out of baleen. What do hooves, horns, hair, claws, finger nails, feathers, scales, beaks, and baleen have in common? They are all made of keratin, fibrous protein found in living organisms. In humans, keratin makes up the outer layer of our skin and […]