Mark — Ceterluki 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 […]
Rib — Raatateq Isuwim raatatii mangirnartuk. – Seal ribs are good to gnaw on. Animal ribs were once an important source of raw material for Alutiiq craftspeople. People used these long, narrow, naturally curved pieces of bone in manufacturing tasks both large and small. Studies of ancestral villages illustrate that whale ribs were used […]
KODIAK, AK—The Alutiiq Museum is honored to present a new exhibit in its Living Culture Gallery. This exhibit shares the story of eleven students taken from Woody Island and Long Island to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1901, and the ongoing efforts to bring the remains of two girls home. […]
Alder — Uqgwik 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 […]