KUM’AGYAK – EAGLE KUM’AGYAK UQGUWMI MISNGAUQ. – AN EAGLE IS PERCHED IN THE TREE. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are a common sight in Kodiak’s coastal environments. These large, territorial raptors eat a variety of fish, small mammals, and birds and may occur in great concentrations when feeding on migratory species like herring or salmon. […]
ANGUAQ – PADDLE ANGUAQ TAISGU. – GIVE ME THE PADDLE. Alutiiq hunters propelled their skin-covered kayaks through coastal waters with narrow wooden paddles. Unlike the double-bladed paddles of neighboring peoples, these paddles had a long, spear-shaped, single blade and a short T-shaped handle, much like a modern canoe paddle. Craftsmen carved these paddles from hard […]
CUAWAK – BLUEBERRY CUAWAT PITURNIRTAARTUT. – THE BLUEBERRIES ARE ALWAYS DELICIOUS. The Kodiak Archipelago is home to two species of blueberries, the early blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium), also known the blue huckleberry, and the alpine blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum). The early blueberry is a spreading shrub that grows in moist forests and bogs at lower elevations. […]
SAGIQ – HALIBUT UNA SAGIQ ANG’UQ. – THIS HALIBUT IS BIG. The continental shelf waters surrounding Kodiak contain large concentrations of marine fish. Halibut, cod, pollock, and other species breed and winter in these productive, deep waters. As winter storms dissipate and the weather warms, bottom fish move into shallower coastal waters to feed. […]