Saqul’aat – Ducks Saqul’aarsurciqukut. – We are going to go duck hunting. More than fifty-two species of loons, grebes, swans, geese, and ducks winter along the gulf coast of Alaska. Waterfowl begin arriving in September, flocking to protected bays and estuaries to feed on shellfish, vegetation, and insects. About two hundred thousand birds winter in […]
With a $18,589 grant from the Alaska Community Foundation’s Alaska Native Social Justice Fund, the Alutiiq Museum is launching the Alutiiq Arts Advocacy project. This one-year effort will assist Native artists with marketing their work to encourage artistic practice and support economic development. Gallery Coordinator Marlise Lee will oversee the daily work of the project […]
KENEQ – FIRE KENEQ KUARNARPET. – WE CAN BUILD A FIRE. Large fires set in stone-lined hearths once warmed Alutiiq households. Alutiiq people lit these fires with wooden fire starters. These three-piece implements had a flat wooden platform (hearth) and a long shaft (spindle) that was rotated rapidly against the platform with a small bow. […]
Uluq – Tongue Ulun an’sgu! – Stick out your tongue! One difficult step in mastering the Alutiiq language is learning to use distinct sounds. The Alutiiq alphabet is phonetic, meaning each letter has its own sound. While some of these sounds are similar to those found in English, others are unique. For example, the ‘n’ […]