KAWISQAQ – RED GIINAN KAWIRTUQ. – YOUR FACE IS RED. In prehistoric times, Alutiiq people manufactured red pigment from naturally occurring ochre, a locally available iron oxide. Historic sources suggest that this soft mineral was ground to a powder and then mixed with seal oil and blood to produce paint. Several thousand years ago, ochre […]
AR’UQ, ARWAQ – WHALE AR’UT AMLERTUT. – THERE ARE MANY WHALES. Six species of baleen whales feed in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Each spring, grey, humpback, minke, fin, right, and blue whales swim by on their way to the Bering Sea, although many remain in the Kodiak area. For Alutiiq communities, […]
Image: Cynthia Pflughoeft found this tapeworm at Eielson Air Force Base. Photo by Cynthia Pflughoeft A few times each week, someone carries something dead or alive through the doors of the University of Alaska Museum of the North, hoping an expert can identify it. A couple weeks ago, a woman arrived with a small jar […]
ILAI’ARNGASQAQ – CHIPPED ONE YAAMAQ ILAI’ARNGAUQ. – THE ROCK IS CHIPPED. Flint knapping, or stone chipping, is the process of transforming a piece of stone into a useful tool. This technology relies on fine grained and glassy stone, material a knapper can break in desired ways. Knappers typically use a hard rock to knock flakes […]