QUYANAA – THANK YOU QUYANAA TAILUCI. – THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. Quyanaa is the Alutiiq word for thank you. People offer this common expression of gratitude throughout the Alutiiq nation. “Quyanaa,” you might say to your host at the end of a visit, or to a friend who gives you some smoked salmon. To […]
PIKIYUTAQ – GIFT PIKIYUTAT AMLERTAARTUT UQGWIM ACAANI. – THERE’S ALWAYS A LOT OF PRESENTS UNDER THE [CHRISTMAS] TREE. In traditional Alutiiq society, gifts were given to show respect, form alliances, and display leadership. Guests arrived in Alutiiq communities with gifts of food and were given refreshments to carry home. Gifts were also used to […]
MAASKAAT, GIINARUAT, GIINAQUQ – MASKS MAAS’KAAQ ATURU. – USE THE MASK. Masking is an ancient Alutiiq tradition. For centuries, Native artists carved images of powerful ancestors, animal spirits, and mythological beings into wood and bark. Masks were made in many sizes. Palm-sized miniatures may have been used to teach children traditional stories or carried by […]
KUKUMYARLUNI – WHISTLING PAAPUMA NIUTAAKIIKUT, “KUKUUMYARKUNACI, IIYAQ TAICIQNILUKU.” – MY GRANDMOTHER TOLD US, “DON’T WHISTLE; YOU ARE CALLING FOR THE DEVIL.” Whistling is a fun, light-hearted activity in contemporary Alutiiq communities. Children make whistles from willow branches, hunters call animals with whistles carved from green alder, and comically masked carolers travel from house to house […]