Stuuluq – Table Stuulumi nertaartukut. – We eat at the table. Western-style furnishings are fairly recent additions to Alutiiq houses. In prehistoric times, Alutiiq builders fitted their homes with earthen benches. Woven mats and bear hides covered these benches, providing dry, comfortable places to sit and sleep. Household rafters, and pits and boxes built into […]
Qatesqaq (N); Qat’sqaq (S) – White Qaniq qatertuq. (N); Qaniq qat’rtuq. (S) – The snow is white. Societies around the world recognize and name colors in distinct ways. Among Alutiiqs, there are just four basic color terms: red, white, black, and green. Alutiiq people recognized a broader range of colors, but most were described in […]
Pinguaq – Bead Makut pinguat cucunartut. – These beads are beautiful. In classical Alutiiq society, wealthy people displayed their social position through elaborate personal ornamentation. In addition to jewelry, members of the Alutiiq elite wore tattoos and ornate garments to symbolize prestige. Before the availability of European goods, clothing and jewelry were embellished with a […]
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 […]