Initaq – Fish Rack Iqallut iniki initamen. – Hang the fish on the fish rack. Fish racks are an essential feature of Alutiiq communities. Although salmon, halibut and cod are abundant in Kodiak waters, each is seasonally available. Salmon return to islands waters in great numbers in summer and fall, and ocean fish move closer […]
Swaaciit; Kulusut – TlingitsSwaaciit imasinam akiani et’ut. – Tlingits are across the big ocean. The Tlingit Indians of southeast Alaska are the Alutiiq people’s eastern neighbors. Their homeland extends from Yakutat Bay at the entrance to the Alaska Panhandle to northern coastal British Columbia. Like the traditional Alutiiq societies, Tlingit communities were once large and […]
Aataq – Lupine Aatat suit’kait cucunartut. – Lupine flowers are beautiful. Lupine (Lupinus nootkatensis) is a common, brightly flowering plant than can grow up to three feet tall. It has a long, stout stem that supports a dense cluster of blue, pink, or occasionally white flowers. It grows clusters of six to eight silky leaves […]
Sua’aq – FingerQulnek sua’angq’rtua. – I have ten fingers. The Alutiiq word sua’aq refers generally to a finger. Like English speakers, however, Alutiiq speakers have unique words for individual fingers. For example, Alutiiqs call the middle finger akulimaq, from the word for in-between. The second, or index finger is tekeq. Alutiiqs have a joke about […]