Unigkuaq – Legend; Fairy TaleCuumi unigkuarngutaallriit. – Before they always used to tell (legends) fairy tale stories. In the English language the word “story” is a broad term that can be used to describe many different types of tales, from fairy tales to newspaper articles. Not so in the Alutiiq language, where there are distinct […]
K’ligluku – Carve It Qupuraq k’liaqa. – I am carving the wood. Carving was once a daily act in Alutiiq communities. Native craftsmen made weapons: shafts, arrows and harpoons, split timbers to build houses and boats, and chiseled images into wood. Through woodworking, Alutiiq people produced many of the tools essential for daily life and […]
During Patrick Druckenmiller’s not-so-restful sabbatical year, he is flying to museums around the world. In Alberta a few weeks ago and London now, the University of Alaska Museum’s curator of earth science is looking at bones of dinosaurs similar to ones found in northern Alaska. The more he squints at them and chats with experts, […]
Sapurluni – Blocked Sapuraanga. – I am weathered in. (literally, “It blocked me.”) The Alutiiq verb sapuluku literally means, “to block it”: to physically obstruct something or someone. For example, you could use this word on your boat, when a very low tide kept you from traveling through a channel, or to indicate that locked […]