KODIAK, Alaska—The Alutiiq Museum has added a contemporary atkuk—parka to its collections. Made by Alutiiq Elder and artist Susan Malutin, the garment is inspired by the traditional black, red, and white snow-falling parka worn in the Kodiak region. The museum commissioned the parka to fill a significant gap in its collections. Executive Director April Laktonen Counceller […]
High Bush Cranberry, Sourberry, Kalina Berry— Amarsaq (N), Amaryaq (S) Amaryat quuhnartaartut. (S) – High bush cranberries are (always) sour. The high bush cranberry (Viburnum edule), known locally as the bog berry or sour berry, is a large flowering shrub that grows in Kodiak’s thickets and clearings, often in shady spots. This plant, found widely […]
Glove — Ariteq Aritenka tamartaanka. – I lose my gloves all the time. Gloves and mittens are essential pieces of clothing in northern environments. Like warm fur parkas and insulated sod houses, they are one of the cultural adaptations that protect people from frostbite and hypothermia. Yet references to Alutiiq gloves, and examples of such […]
Cross — KRistaaq Introduced to Kodiak by nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox clergy, the Christian cross is a symbol that appears widely in Alutiiq communities. Although kRistaaq sounds like the word Christ, it comes from the Russian word for cross, kRest, which may be related to the Latin word ‘crux.’ It is not derived from KRistuusaq, the Alutiiq word for […]