TUKNILUNI – STRONG (TO BE) SUUGET TUKNIGTAALLRIIT CUUMI. – PEOPLE WERE STRONG BEFORE. Hauling water, pulling in a net, and splitting and carrying wood are common tasks in Alutiiq communities and activities that require physical strength. For both men and women, being strong is vital to daily life. Alutiiq legends remind people of this important […]
SAQEMKAQ – FLEA SAQEMKAQ QETGAUWARTUQ. – THE FLEA IS JUMPING AROUND. In Alutiiq, the word saqemkaq means flea. People refer to the biting vermin found on both household pets and wild animals with this term. However, saqemkaq can also describe the lice found on birds, particularly ducks and eagles. This word comes from the root […]
NAURWIICIQ – NORWEGIAN NAURWIICIT QIK’RTAMEN TAITAALLRIIT IQALLUGSURLUTENG. – NORWEGIANS USED TO COME TO KODIAK ISLAND AND FISH. In the 1870s, Scandinavian men began to settle in the Alutiiq world. Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes came to coastal Alaska to participate in the salmon fishing industry. Their numbers increased in the early twentieth century, drawn by other […]
TENGLUNI – FLY (VERB) UKSUQ TAIKAN SAQUL’AAT TENGTAARTUT AGLUTENG. – WHEN WINTER COMES, THE DUCKS FLY AWAY. Birds are special creatures in the Alutiiq world. They can fly the skies, walk the land, and swim the seas. Because of their unique ability to traverse the many layers of the universe, birds are messengers. They facilitate […]