Uqtuk – Olga Bay Uqtuk ang’sinartuq. – Olga Bay is very big. Most Kodiak bays taper from a wide mouth to a narrow head. Olga Bay, at the southern end of Kodiak Island, is the opposite. Here, a narrow channel connects this large body of water with the ocean. To enter Olga Bay, boats must […]
Nanwarnaq – Lagoon Cuumi suuget nayuryartaallriit nanwarnarmen. – People used to go hunt ducks at the lagoon. The Alutiiq word for lagoon comes from the word nanwaq meaning lake. This is an apt description. Like lakes, lagoons are protected bodies of water. Most are separated from the ocean by some type of barrier—a sand bar, a reef, […]
Negtaq – Nest Mal’uk manik tang’ranka negtami. – I see the two eggs in the nest. Along the cost of Kodiak, sea birds nest in a variety of habitats. From the beach to rocky cliff faces, each species has a preferred habitat. Gulls like flat ground. Murres perch on ledges. Puffins burrow or rest in […]
Qutirluni – To beachcomb Caqimek ikugtaartukut qutiyaqamta. – Whenever we go beachcombing, we always find something. Kodiak’s windy shores provide a wealth of resources, from blue mussels and bull kelp to birds’ eggs. However, not all of the valuable items found on the beach are from the archipelago. Islanders have a long history of beachcombing, […]
ITERWIK / AWATII – RIM ASUM AWATII GAGTUQ. – THE RIM OF THE POT IS COARSE. The Alutiiq word iterwik literally means ‘it’s entrance.’ This term can describe many things, from a wind that blows into the mouth of a bay to the rim of a basket. Openings have symbolic importance in Alutiiq culture and […]
SIGTUNAQ – SITKINAK ISLAND ARWEGET SIGTUNAMEN AG’UT. – THE WHALES ARE SWIMMING TO SITKINAK ISLAND. Sitkinak is one of the Trinity Islands, a group of three large, windswept, grassy islands off the southern coast of Kodiak. Sitkinak is the largest. It stretches about 30 km east to west, forming the southern boundary of Sitkinak Strait. […]