Barren Islands-Alutiiq Word of the Week-June 16
Qukami Qik’rtat—Barren Islands Qukami Qik’rtat carwartuu’utaartut.—The Barren Islands have strong rip tides. The Barren Islands are a mountainous cluster of islands at the far northern end of the Kodiak…
Insect-Alutiiq Word of the Week-June 9th
Kinguk—Insect Kingut ilait kumsugnartaartut.—Some insects are ugly. Mosquitoes, black flies, white socks, no-see-ums, and other biting insects are an inescapable part of summer in the Gulf of Alaska. Hatched…
Woman-Alutiiq Word of the Week-June 2nd
Arnaq—Woman Arnat peknartutaartut.—Women work hard. Women had important economic, social, and spiritual roles in classical Alutiiq society. In addition to collecting plant foods, they processed fish for storage, tanned hides,…
Dog-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 26
Aikuq (N), Piugta (S)—Dog April mal’ugnek piugtengq’rtuq.—April has two dogs. Archaeological sites in Alaska illustrate that dogs (Canis familiaris) have been a part of Native communities for at least two…
Can-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 19th
Paan’kaaq—Can Iqallut lliitaaqait paan’kaanun.—They used to put fish in cans. Kodiak relies heavily on labor to process locally caught fish for delivery to the world‘s market. Alutiiq people have been…
Eggs-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 12th
Manit-Eggs Manigsurciqukut.We’re going to look for eggs. Bird eggs are a favorite spring food in Alutiiq communities. Each year many thousands of seabirds nest along the rocky shores of the…
Crested Auklet-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 5th
KUNGYUK—CRESTED AUKLET KUNGYUT AMLERTAALLRIIT KANGIYAMI.—THERE USED TO ALWAYS BE A LOT OF CRESTED AUKLETS IN THE BAY. The crested auklet (Aethia cristatella), known by some as the sea quail, is…
Baby-Alutiiq Word of the Week-April 28
Carliaq, Piipeq—Baby Katie carliangkutartuq.—Katie is going to have a baby. Among the Alutiiq people, babies are signs of luck. In traditional society, women gave birth with the help of a…
Barbed-Alutiiq Word of the Week-April 21st
Cukingq’rtuq—Barbed Iqsak cukingq’rtuq.—The fishhook has a barb. Alutiiq hunters carved barbs into a variety of weapons. This included harpoon heads, arrow heads, leister prongs, and fish hooks made of strong,…
