Copper — Kanuyaq Kasaakat kanuyamek tait’llriit. – The Russians brought copper. Copper is one of the few metals that Alutiiq people used prehistorically. Artists ground copper oxide, a mineral available on southeastern Kodiak Island, to make pigment. However, they obtained copper suitable for tool manufacture in trade with the Alaska mainland, particularly the Kenai Peninsula […]
Naked — Matarngaluni Atkuinateng, nukallpiat agnguartaallriit, matarngaluteng. – Taking off their clothes, men used to always dance naked. Clothing is an ancient and uniquely human invention. No other species makes and wears clothes. Anthropologists believe that clothing evolved for both practical and social purposes, to protect the human body from weather and to share messages. […]
Pluck — Meqciluku Saqul’aaq meqciraa. – She is plucking the duck. The Alutiiq verb meqciluku is commonly used to describe plucking the feathers from a bird. However, it can also mean to pull out hair or fur. This is the verb you would use to describe pulling caribou hair from a hide to use in embroidery or […]
Sitkalidak Island — Salliitaq, Saliitaq Agyunitua Saliitamen ernerpak. – I do not want to go to Sitkalidak Island today. Sitkalidak is the third largest island in the Kodiak region. Twenty-three miles long, this rugged, mountainous landform lies off the eastern coast of Kodiak Island. Sitkalidak covers 116 square miles with peaks up to 2200 feet tall and […]