Kacagsuuteq – CombCuumillallret aturtaakait kacagsuutet cucunarta’iluteng. – Ancestors used to always use combs to make themselves beautiful. Combs have been a part of the human tool kit for at least 5,000 years. These familiar toothed devises come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials, and they have a number of functions. Around the world, […]
Iqmik – Snuff; Chewing Tobacco; SnooseTobacco, paulamek, cayumek ilaluku, taumi mililuku, tawaten iqmilitaallriit. – Add tobacco, ashes, and tea, then grind it. We used to make snuff like that. By 1840, trade goods from Asia and Europe were reaching Alaska in large quantities, supplied by merchants in Siberian ports and Hudson’s Bay Company outposts in […]
Aa’icagaq – Little Cute OneElltuwaqa aa’icagamek ap’rtaaqa. – I call my granddaughter “little cute one.” The Alutiiq word aa’icagaq is a common term of endearment that means “little cute one”—similar to “sweetie” or “cutie pie” in English. People use this word when speaking to or describing children. You might say, “Come here aa’icagaq” to your […]
Qapuk – BubbleArhnam qapuwait pugtartaartut. – Sea otter’s bubbles always float up. In the Alutiiq language, the term qapuk has several meanings. It can be used to describe froth, foam, or scum–like a film of algae that forms over a pond, or the layer of scum the rises to the top of a pot when […]