Cat — Kuskaq Kuskat qungutuartut.—Cats are pets. The lynx (Lynx canadensis) is the only species of wild cat found in Alaska and it is not indigenous to the Kodiak region. In the Alutiiq world, lynxes are found in the wooded environments of the northern Alaska Peninsula, Kenai Peninsula, and Prince William Sound. They subsist on […]
String, Twine — IRafkuruaq, IRafkungcuk, WiRufkuruaq IRafkuruanek initalitallriit. – They used string to make clothesline. String games like cats cradle are a popular pastime around the globe. From Australia to Asia, Africa, North America, and the high Arctic, people have long used a simple loop of string and their fingers to make designs. The function […]
Cousin — Iluwaq Amlesqanek iluwangq’rtua. – I have many cousins. The term cousin can be applied to a confusing array of relatives. In American society, a cousin is any child of an aunt or an uncle. However, cultures around the world differentiate between types of cousins, especially parallel and cross cousins. Parallel cousins are the […]
Milk — Muluk’uuq (N), Muruk’uuq (S) KuRuuwamek muluk’uungtaartutkut. – We get milk from a cow. Milk is a relatively recent addition to the Alutiiq diet, a fact illustrated by the Russian derivation of the Alutiiq words for milk. Although midwives brewed a tea from pineapple weed to stimulate the production of a new mother’s milk, […]