Chignik — Cirniq Cirnimen aglita. – Let’s go to Chignik. The salmon-rich Chignik region of the southern Alaska Peninsula is home to three Alutiiq communities, each named for the body of water it overlooks: Chignik Bay, Chignik Lagoon, and Chignik Lake. Foot trails link these small villages, winding through a lush, rolling, treeless landscape that […]
Swan — Qugyuk Qugyut qat’rtarut. – The swans are white. The tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus), a common visitor to Kodiak’s coastal wetlands, is one of three species of swans found in Alaska and the largest Alaska bird. This all-white bird is distinguished by a teardrop-shaped splash of yellow on either side of its black bill. […]
Overflow (to) — Ullq’rlluni Caskan ullq’rtuq.—Your cup is overflowing. The Alutiiq verb ullq’rlluni, to overflow, is typically used to describe something running out of a container. You could use this word to warn that your soup is bubbling out of its pot or that water is spilling over the sides of the bathtub. Ullq’rllunican also be used […]
Weatherman — Llaatesurta Llaatsurtaallriit. – They used to be weathermen. Long before marine radios, the nightly, television weather report, weather apps and weather cams, Alutiiq people interpreted the weather by reading the wind, waves, clouds, and phase of the sun and moon. Shaman, men and women skilled at interacting with the unseen world, were weather […]