With a $42,000 grant from the US Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak and the Alutiiq Museum are collaborating on a study of ancestral Alutiiq rock art. The project, which started in January, is helping museum archaeologists study areas with known or suspected petroglyphs. Petroglyphs, or rock carvings, are a traditional form […]
KRIISAQ (N), UGNA’AQ (S) – VOLE / MOUSE KAUGYA’AT UGNA’ANEK NERTAARTUT. – FOXES EAT VOLES. The northern vole (Microtus oeconomus), also known as the tundra vole or root vole, is one of Kodiak’s original residents. This small rodent feeds primarily on the bark and roots of plants, particularly sedges and cotton grass. In search of […]
KAKANGAQ – DISC GAME KAKANGAT WAMQUTAQTAAKAI LARRY MATFAY-M. – LARRY MATFAY USED TO PLAY DISC GAMES. In the Alutiiq gambling game kakangaq, players throw disks at a small wooden target placed on a sealskin ten or twelve feet away. The object is to cover the target with a disk. This game can be played by […]
WAA’UT PITURNIRTAARTUT MIKELNGUT. – THE SMALL FLOUNDERS ARE TASTY. The starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) is an abundant, bottom-dwelling fish found in Kodiak’s shallow ocean waters, brackish estuaries, and even intertidal areas of rivers. Like halibut, flounder have both eyes on one side of their head. The eye side of the flounder is typically brown or […]
Qiteq – Rain Sun’ami qitengtaartuq. – It rains all the time in Kodiak. From September to April, a winter storm crosses the Gulf of Alaska about every five days, bringing intense rain, high winds, and heavy seas. Surrounded by ocean and encircled by Alaska’s high coastal mountains, Kodiak is continually exposed to the full force of […]
Piturni’isuutet – Spices Neq’rkat piturni’isuutet ilaluki. – Add the spices to the food. Fresh and dried herbs are a staple of many recipes. From the peppery zing of parsley to the earthy taste of ground cumin, herbs provide flavor, texture, and color to dishes. Alutiiq chefs spice their cooking with a variety of Kodiak’s wild […]
The Alutiiq Museum’s gallery has reopened to the public. We invite you to view exhibits and shop in our store, knowing that we follow strict safety measures to keep our patrons safe. Our current hours are Noon to 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Please wear a mask. Contact Djuna Davidson with questions, 844-425-8844, x20.
Qawangurtuaq – Dream Qawangurtuataartut. –They always dream. For Alutiiq people, dreaming is a magical state, one that draws people closer to the spirit world. Encounters between people and spirits often take place in dreams or as a person awakes from sleep. Shamans, people who interact closely with spirits, their apprentices through dreams, and dreams are thought […]
QALUTAQ – DIPPER, LADLE, BAILER MAQIWIGMI QALUTAT ATURTAAPET. – WE USE DIPPERS IN THE BANYA. Enter an Alutiiq steam bath and you will find an assortment of tools for bathing. Adjacent to a wood-burning stove fashioned from a fifty-five-gallon oil drum are large metal tubs for storing, heating, and mixing water; tongs for loading the stove […]