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. […]
AMARTUQ, AMAQAAYAK – PINK SALMON AMARTUT ANGITUT. – THE PINK SALMON (HUMPIES) ARE COMING BACK. Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), also known as humpbacks or humpies, are the most abundant variety of Pacific salmon. In North America these three- to four-pound fish range from California’s Russian River to Canada’s McKenzie River. The Kodiak Archipelago has […]
NAILIRAQ – MARMOT ISLAND NAILIRAMEN QAYARCIQUA. – I WILL KAYAK TO MARMOT ISLAND. The hoary marmot (Marmota caligata) is the largest member of the North American squirrel family. These chubby rodents live in rocky areas throughout much of southcentral Alaska, but they have never been indigenous to the Kodiak region. So, why does the […]
KICAQ – ANCHOR KICAQ AGTUNARTUQ. – THE ANCHOR IS HEAVY. Before the availability of metal tools, Alutiiq people fashioned anchors from large cobbles. Craftsmen selected a relatively flat, rectangular rock and shaped it by chipping. A stone anchor found in Karluk is 10 inches long and weighs about six pounds. The edges of the stone […]