Kumlurngaq – HummingbirdKumlurngam manait nakertut. – Hummingbird eggs are lucky. Rufous hummingbirds (Latin: Selasphorus rufus) are the world’s northernmost hummers. These tiny birds are about three inches long, with a dark, straight bill, and bright orange and green plumage. Males have a shimmering splash of red or purple feathers on their throats–a swatch of color […]
Iqallungcuk – Little FishTaugna piugcinitaqa, iqallungcuk mikpakartuq! – I don’t want that (one), the fish is too small. In the Alutiiq language there is a distinction between fish of different sizes. If you want to speak of fish generally, you use the word iqalluk, but if you are referring to smaller fish like smelt, capelin, […]
Qasartuq – RawMamaayat qasartaapet. – We eat clams raw. There is a common misconception that the word Eskimo means “eaters of raw flesh.” Linguistic research, however, suggests that the word actually translates as “snowshoe netter.” Despite this mistranslation, northern peoples are known for their consumption of uncooked foods. The Chukchi and Sami peoples eat many […]
Arwiryaa’aq – Bridge Kaiwik angituq arwiryaa’akun. – The old woman is coming back via the bridge. The Alutiiq word arwiryaa’aq means crossing place or ford, and it has come to mean bridge in modern usage. This word is distinct from the term niraq – which refers to a temporary bridge, like a log used to cross […]