Half Dried Fish — Kac’amaasaq Kac’amaasanek awa’i pilitaan’itut. – They don’t make half dried fish anymore. Fish are a dietary staple in Alutiiq communities, a food that can be harvested in abundance in summer and fall and preserved to eat through the rest of the year. Just as there are many ways to catch fish, […]
The Barbara Smith Pathfinder Award was awarded to Patrick Saltonstall, a curator of archaeology at the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak for 28 years. The award is given to an individual for indexing or preparing guides to Alaska historical material and is named after Barbara Smith, an historian, archivist and exhibit curator who prepared invaluable research […]
Sand — Qaugyaq Asut qaugyanek canamataallriit. – They used to make pots out of sand. Sand is a fine, granular material that forms as rocks break down into small particles. This slow process, caused by erosion and weathering, can take thousands of years. The color of sand deposits reflects the stone from which they originate. […]
Hunter — Pisurta Taugna suk pisurta. – This person is a hunter. The Alutiiq word pisurta translates literally as “one who hunts.” Hunting has always been essential to life on Kodiak, a way to procure not only food but many of the raw materials of daily living: animal skins for clothing and boat coverings, gut for waterproof […]