Braided Seal Gut — Qiluryaq Taugkut qiluryat ekllinartut. – Those braided seal gut look delicious. Visitors to Kodiak often ask how Alutiiq people can hunt protected species like sea otters and sea lions. In 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibited the harvesting of all marine mammals to preserve their populations. However, this law recognizes […]
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 […]