Earring — Kulunguaq Kulunguaqa kataigiiyaqa. – I dropped my earring. Earrings are one of the many items of personal adornment that Alutiiq people once used to express social identity. Like labrets, nose pins, necklaces, belts, and decorated clothing, earrings were worn by men and women and incorporated valuable materials to illustrate the wearer’s status. […]
Pipe — TRuup’kaaq, Pa’ipaaq Ata tRuup’kaaq. – Let’s see the pipe. Although tobacco was popular in the historic era, smoking tobacco was not. Historic sources indicate that Alutiiq people preferred to create snuff by adding tobacco to a mixture of wood ash, black tea, and dried crushed nettle leaves. This produced iqmik, a substance held in […]
Cod — Amutaq Amutarsuqutartuq. – They are going to get some cod. Pacific cod or grey cod (Gadus marcocephalus) is an abundant, bottom-dwelling, round fish found widely in the Gulf of Alaska. These fast-growing, schooling fish are highly mobile. Cod winter in deep waters along the upper slope of the continental shelf, where they spawn. […]
Married couple — Tamallkuk Guangkunuk tamallkuk. – We are a married couple. Today, many people choose not to marry, or to marry later in life. In the last forty years, the average age at marriage in the United States has increased significantly due to changing gender roles, social norms, and economic factors. In classical Alutiiq […]