QAYAQ – KAYAK QAYAQ MIKTUQ. – THE KAYAK IS SMALL. The Alutiiq kayak is a wood-framed boat covered with sea lion skins. Carved from driftwood, craftsmen once built each lightweight frame to fit the specific proportions of its owner. In the past, single-holed and double-holed boats were the most common, although Alutiiq craftsmen developed […]
KUMITGAQ – BEACH FLEA / JUMPING JACK TAQUKARAT KUMITGARTURTAARTUT. – BEARS ALWAYS EAT JUMPING JACKS. Beach fleas are a common resident of Kodiak’s coast, from the intertidal zone to the ocean depths. There are many varieties of these tiny crustacea adapted to different environments. Some like brackish water and live in lagoons. Others prefer […]
NUNA A’ULALUNI – EARTHQUAKE NUNA AULAKAN ALINGNARTUQ. – IT IS SCARY WHEN THE LAND SHAKES. The Kodiak Archipelago lies at the juncture of two major tectonic plates, enormous pieces of the earth’s crust that are continually colliding. Here rock formed on the ocean floor is scraped off the Pacific plate as it slides beneath […]
QUNGUQ – GRAVE AATAMA QUNGUA NUNIAMI ET’UQ. – MY FATHER’S GRAVE IS IN OLD HARBOR. Death in classical Alutiiq society was a forty-day process of passing into the spirit world. When a person died, their body was washed by relatives and wrapped in skins. These were often old boat covers, or for wealthy individuals, […]