Qepel’ut – Maggots Qepel’ugaa iqalluk. – The fish is getting “maggoty.” Flies are part of summer in Alaska, and where there are flies, there are maggots. Biologists break the life cycle of the fly (Diptera) into four stages. The life of a fly begins when a female lays an egg. Within 24 hours the egg […]
Ayaquq – Harpoon Ayaqut egtaakait arwanun cuumi. – They used to throw a harpoon at a whale before. For thousands of years Alutiiq people used harpoons to hunt sea mammals in Kodiak’s rich marine waters. Harpoon points were carved from bone and fitted into a wooden shaft equipped with an air-filled float. Alutiiq people used […]
KaanaRiim laaf’kaa’a – Cannery Store KaanaRiim laugkaa’a patumataartuq uksumi. – The cannery store is always closed in the winter time. Alutiiq families living in rural communities supplement their catches of fish and game with groceries purchased from privately run community stores or shipped by air from big chain supermarkets in Kodiak. In the past, however, […]
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Alutiiq Word of the Week, the Museum’s lessons on all things Alutiiq. From aakanaq (old fish) to yataaq (poison), the word of the week pairs an Alutiiq word and sentence with a short lesson on Alutiiq traditions. Since its debut on July 6, 1998, the museum has […]