Isuwim Carlia’a; Qaigya’aq – Baby SealIsuwim carlia’a ineqsunartuq. – The seal’s baby is cute. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are year-round residents of Kodiak’s nearshore waters. Biologists consider them sedentary because they tend to stay in one area throughout their lives, visiting the same spots to feed, rest, breed, and pup. Like sea lions, harbor seals […]
IGU’URLUKU – BUYKAARAMEK IGU’ULLIANGA. – I BOUGHT A CAR. Before the development of a western cash economy, Kodiak’s Alutiiq people obtained many of the foods and materials they needed through trade. In good weather, men traveled by skin boat to communities to share their surplus goods and barter for items. Trade with the Alaska mainland […]
Erneq – DayErneret taklliyut. – The days are getting long. Spring in the Kodiak Archipelago brings lengthening days and warmer temperatures. As the sun reaches farther above the horizon, warming ocean waters stimulate plankton blooms that attract fish, birds, and sea mammals back to coastal environments. This yearly increase in daylight was once greatly anticipated […]
Amaq – AmberAmat ineqsunartut. – Amber is pretty. Amber is the fossilized resin of ancient trees, particularly pine trees. This hard, yellowish-brown substance forms when a tree’s gummy oils oxidize. Contact with air solidifies the resin, creating hard lumps. Across the globe, people prize amber for its warm lustrous color as well as the prehistoric […]