UQGWIK – ALDER UQGWIT KUA’AKAMENG CILLKATAARTUT. – WHEN ALDERS BURN, THEY MAKE A CRACKLING SOUND. Sitka alder (Alnus crispa) is a large shrub that grows up to twenty feet tall. Found commonly across the Kodiak Archipelago, this plant thrives in a wide range of environments, from mountain slopes to coastal meadows and the banks of […]
Iqalluarpak – Herring Iqalluarpat amlertut kiagpak. – Herring are plentiful this summer. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) are small marine fish that inhabit the near shore and continental shelf waters of the Gulf of Alaska. They spawn in at least thirty-five bays around Kodiak, with concentrations in Marmot Bay, Chiniak Bay, Sitkalidak Strait, and the fjords of […]
ATEQ – NAME GUI ATQA SOPHIE. – MY NAME IS SOPHIE. In classical Alutiiq society, children were often named for a beloved and recently deceased relative. Before birth, a child’s father would choose two such names, one for a boy and one for a girl. The child was not thought to resemble its namesake or […]
Amikuq (n), Utguiq (S) – Octopus Utguit yaamat acaatni etaartut. – Octopus are always (located) under rocks. Kodiak’s rocky shores are home to a variety of octopi. These shy creatures live in deep intertidal and shallow subtidal environments and are commonly found beneath rocks. Octopus can weigh over forty pounds. They capture fish, shellfish, and crab, which […]