Mayuwartaq – Steelhead Trout Kal’umiuwat mayurwartarsurtaartut. – Karluk people always fish for steelhead trout. There are two varieties of trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in southern Alaska—rainbow trout and steelhead trout. These closely related fish use Alaska’s waters differently. Rainbow trout spend their entire life in freshwater. In contrast, steelhead trout are anadromous. Young steelhead leave […]
KILUTAQ – KILIUDA BAY SUUGET KILUTAMEN IQALLUGSURTAARTUT. – PEOPLE ALWAYS GO TO KILIUDA BAY TO FISH. Kiliuda is a large bay on the eastern shore of Kodiak Island with a dramatic coastline. Kiliuda stretches about 25 km into the mountainous spine of Kodiak Island and the lands around its shore are steep. The head of […]
MEQCILUKU – PLUCK 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 […]
LLAM IINGALAA – EYE OF THE UNIVERSE KALLALET LLAM IINGALAAKUN AGTAALLRIIT.– SHAMANS USED TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF THE UNIVERSE. In Alutiiq cosmology, the heavens have five distinct regions. Think of these regions as a set of layers, one on top of the next. Here, the highest layer is the purest and the furthest […]