Suu’aq; Suyaraq – Shuyak Island Anchorage-mek tai’akamta plane-gun Suu’aq tang’rtaarpet. – When we come from Anchorage by plane we can see Shuyak Island. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) Shuyak Island, the seventh largest of the Kodiak islands, covers sixty-nine square miles at the northern end of the archipelago. Just twelve miles long and […]
Cip’ausngasqaq – Show Off; Smart Aleck Awaqutan cip’ausngauq. – Your son is a smart aleck. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) In the Alutiiq language, the word cip’ausngasqaq translates literally as a “know it all” or a “smart aleck,” and people use the term to refer to someone who thinks of himself as a […]
Cainiik – Kettle Cainiik kallaqsiituq. – The kettle didn’t boil yet. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq wrods spoken) Drinking tea, a favorite pastime in Alutiiq households, has ancient roots. Alutiiqs have long steeped medicinal plants in hot water to create healing infusions. In the nineteenth century, Alutiiqs began drinking black tea obtained in trade from […]
Pat’snarluni – Cold Uksumi pat’snartaartuq. – It is always cold in the winter. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken) The Kodiak Archipelago lies in a maritime environment. Despite the region’s northern latitude, encircling ocean waters and prevailing weather keep air temperatures mild by Alaska standards. At sea level, Kodiak’s temperatures typically range from 40° […]