All’itaq; Alitaq – Alitak All’itami et’ukut. – We are at Alitak. In the early nineteenth century, Russian traders established a community at the entrance to Olga Creek in southern Olga Bay, known as Alitak. Built on a terrace above the creek’s lagoon, the settlement was a fish processing station, where Alutiiqs worked to preserve salmon […]
Uriisaq – Angelica Uriisat tak’ut. – The angelica are tall. Angelica (Agelica lucida) is a large, leafy herb with a stout fleshy stem and small, greenish-white flowers that form a large head. This aromatic plant, which grows in Kodiak’s coastal meadows, on beaches, and along streambanks, is prized for its healing qualities. However, be careful […]
Kalliq – ThunderKallikan alingnartaartut. – When it is thundering it is scary. Thunder is the loud, booming noise created by the rapid expansion and contraction of air heated by a lightning strike. As electricity, in the form of lightening, travels through the air, it opens a channel. When the electricity dissipates, the channel collapses, creating […]
Akagwik – CloudberryAkagwingq’rtuten-qaa? – Do you have cloudberries? The cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), also known as the lowbush salmonberry, is an herbaceous plant that grows in Kodiak’s meadows and bogs. These plants produce juicy, pale-orange berries that look like plump raspberries. Cloudberries are some of the first plants to fruit in the Kodiak region. They can […]