Ken’aayuq – Dena’ina Athabaskan Anaanarpet Ken’aayuq. – Our aunt is a Dena’ina Athabaskan. The Dena’ina are one of eleven Athabaskan Indian groups in Alaska. Their homeland includes the shores of Cook Inlet, interior regions of the Kenai Peninsula and the northern Alaska Peninsula, and the Matanuska and Susitna river valleys. The term Dena’ina means “the […]
Etquq – Urine Cuumi tan’urat etquat aturtaakait. – They used to use boys’ urine before. Across Alaska, Native people used human urine for processing hides. In Alutiiq communities, urine was collected in wooden tubs stationed outside people’s houses. Hides were soaked in these tubs, where the ammonia acted as soap, breaking down fatty deposits clinging […]
Agyaruaq – Starfish / Star-shaped Agyaruat irurtuut. – Starfish have many legs. Sea stars, commonly known as starfish, are abundant, colorful residents of Kodiak’s waters. There are numerous species, which can be found in almost any environment–from rocky shores to mudflats, and from tidal pools to deep marine waters. Sea stars are echinoderms–spiny skinned creatures […]
Cailnguq – Tundra Kal’ut awatiini cailnguq. – Around Karluk is tundra. Across the northern hemisphere, tundra environments occur above treeline and below year-round snowpack. Although tundra is commonly associated with mountain slopes, it also occurs all the way to sea level. For example, extensive, low-lying areas of the southern Kodiak Archipelago contain moist tundra, a […]