Carwaq – Current Carwaq tukniuq. – The current is strong. Perched on the edge of the continental shelf, the Kodiak Archipelago lies in the path of the Alaska current. Driven by wind and freshwater, this warm oceanic flow courses out of the central Pacific and circulates counterclockwise along the Gulf of Alaska’s coast. This current, […]
Unganuuk – Uganik Island Gui ataaqa Unganuuni suullria. – My father was born at Uganik Island. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken.) Uganik Island is a large, mountainous landmass on the western coast of the Kodiak Archipelago. It is the eighth largest island in the Kodiak region, covering approximately fifty-seven square miles. The […]
Nunam Kalikaa – Map Ikuk’gka kalikami. – I found it on the map. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken.) The Alutiiq word for map, nunam kalikaa, literally means “the land’s paper.” Although maps and marine charts are important to modern hunters and fishermen, they are recent navigational tools. For thousands of years, Alutiiq […]
Lapaat’kaaq – Shovel Kiagmi lapaat’kaat aturtaarait uk’uruutateng asircarluki. – In the summer they use shovels to fix up their gardens. (Click sentence to hear Alutiiq words spoken.) Digging tools were important in classical Alutiiq society, both for subsistence activities and for construction. Men and women used long, pointed pieces of whalebone to dig clams from […]