Ceterluki – To mark (them) Kapsuutait cetertaallkait. – They used to mark their spears. The Alutiiq verb ceterluni can mean either to mark or to scratch. Today, some of the Alutiiq words for pencil, pen, and even signature are related to this term. In the past, however, ceterluki probably referred to making ownership marks. Across the north, coastal peoples identified […]
AIMQAQ – PORTAGE KANGIYAMEK PORTAGE BAY-MEN AIMQARTAALLRIIT. – THEY USED TO PORTAGE FROM KAGUYAK TO PORTAGE BAY. Traveling overland can be difficult on Kodiak. Thick brush, swampy lowlands, and steep slopes can make walking slow and frustrating. Fittingly, the Alutiiq verb for portage, aimqaq, literally means ‘vegetation broken off here and there’. However, there are […]
MANGAQ – PORPOISE AIWIAKAUT PARAGAUTAKUN MANGAT TAITAAARTUT, WAAMENGUARLUTENG. – WHEN YOU ARE GOING BY BOAT, PORPOISES COME AND KIND OF PLAY. Two varieties of porpoise frequent Kodiak’s coastal waters: the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and the Dahl porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli). These swift, muscular animals are members of the cetacean family, a group of marine mammals […]
With a $49,301 Tribal Heritage Grant from the National Park Service, the Alutiiq Museum will study the history of Native settlement on Sitkinak Island. The grant, awarded to Koniag, Inc., will support a comprehensive archaeological survey of Sitkinak’s state lands. Research will focus on the coast of the island to locate and document ancestral villages. […]