Maqaq – DiceKita, Maqarlinuk. – Come on! Let’s (two of us) play dice. Dice games are very common across North America. Native societies from New England to the Pacific Northwest enjoy tossing small objects in games of chance. Russian traders recorded an Alutiiq dice game they called stopka, where players tossed a small figurine carved […]
Iingalarsuutek – Snow GogglesIingalarsuutegken aturkek. – Use your snow goggles. Although snow can provides a helpful surface for traveling, transporting goods, and tracking animals, it also presents challenges. One of these is snow blindness. The bright reflection of the sun’s ultra violet rays off the snow’s white surface can damage a traveler’s eyes. Known as […]
CaRniilalirluku – Hinge, to makeARapamek aturluteng caRniilalitaarlliit. – They used to use rubber boots to make hinges. Building Alutiiq words is a bit like a math equation. Alutiiq is an agglutinative language, which means that words are formed by adding word parts together. Alutiiq grammar is complex, but it is very standardized. Once you know […]
Laatanaq – IncenseAgayuwigmi laatanamek aturtaartut. – They use incense at the church. Incense is an integral part of Russian Orthodox Church services. Attend worship in a Kodiak church and you will see the priest swinging an ornate metal censer. As he venerates the four sides of the altar, smoke wafts from the censer, filling the […]