Tree — Uqgwik (deciduous), Napaq (spruce) Sun’ami maani napat amlertut, angsinarluteng cali. Kal’uni, Larsen Bay-mi napaitaartukut. – Here in Kodiak we have a lot of spruce trees and tall ones, but in Karluk and Larsen Bay we don’t have any. The Kodiak Archipelago lies at the ecological boundary of the windswept coastal tundra and the […]
Beak — Cug’eq Kum’agyam cugaa ipegtaartuq. – An eagle’s beak is always sharp. Elders recall that every Alutiiq hunter had at least two helping animal spirits, one for land hunting and one for sea hunting. These spirits provided luck and assistance and were frequently birds. The frequent use of bird imagery in Alutiiq art symbolizes […]
Weather, Sky, Outdoors, Universe, World — Lla Lla Asirtuq. – The weather is good. The world’s cultures have a great variety of beliefs about the sky. Tlingit people see the sky as an upside-down bowl with a hard surface. Their sky has layers that provide a home for the souls of those who died from […]
Kasnaam Ernera – Independence Day Ernerpak Kasnaam ernera. – Today is Independence Day. People often think of summer as a time when communities disperse, as people move to fish camps or travel. But where resources are abundant and predictable, communities often gather in the summer. Long, warm days offer opportunities to harvest foods and to […]