Daddy Long Legs-Alutiiq Word of the Week-June 25th
Sukunuuk – Daddy Long Legs Sukunuut guangkuta mik’tangraata aliktaapet! – We are always scared of daddy longlegs, even when they’re…
Walrus-Alutiiq Word of the Week-June 18th
Winarpak – Walrus Wiinarpat guut’gpagtuut. – Walrus have big teeth. Winarpk, the Alutiiq word for the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus…
Chignik-Alutiiq Word of the Week-June 3rd
Cirniq – Chignik Cirnimen aglita. – Let’s go to Chignik. The salmon-rich Chignik region of the southern Alaska Peninsula is…
Horsetail-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 28th
Paumnaruaq; Naparuaqutaq – Horsetail Naparuaqutanek ikuutuq. – She found some horsetails. Horsetail (Equisetum spp.) is a small green herb that…
Two-Hatched Kayak-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 21st
Qayarpak – Two-hatched kayak Qaniq aturtaakait qayarpat. – They used to always use two-hatched kayak. From the Arctic Ocean to…
Barnacle-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 14th
Qaugtat – Barnacles Qaugtat ilait allrani angtaartut. – Some barnacles are sometimes large. Barnacles are one of the oldest living…
Spring-Alutiiq Word of the Week-May 7th
Ugnerkaq – Spring Ugnerkartuq awa’i. – Spring is here. Spring is an unpredictable season in the Kodiak Archipelago. Some years,…
Ship/Schooner-Alutiiq Word of the Week-April 30
Skuunaq (schooner); Raa’uciq (sailboat) – Ship Skuunaq tang’rk’gka. – I saw the ship. Sailing ships were a common sight in…
Snail-Alutiiq Word of the Week-April 23rd
IPUK – SNAIL IPUT YAAMAT ACAATNI ETAARTUT. – SNAILS ARE ALWAYS UNDER THE ROCKS. Snails, particularly the periwinkle (Littorina sitkana),…
Cross-Alutiiq Word of the Week-April 16th
KRistaaq – Cross Suu’ut ilait KRistaartumataartut. – Some people wear a cross. Introduced to Kodiak by nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox clergy,…