KANGRUIQ – VIEKODA BAY KANGRUIQ TAKUQ. – VIEKODA BAY IS LONG. Viekoda Bay is a long, narrow fjord on the western coast of Kodiak Island. This body of water stretches about 29 km southeast from Shelikof Strait into the steep terrain of Kodiak’s interior. Here, mountains rise up to 2,800 feet above sea level behind […]
TAUGNA – THAT ONE TAUGNA ILUWARTUQ. – THAT PERSON IS COMING INTO THE BAY. Personal pronouns are the short words like ‘you’ or ‘he’ that replace a name in a sentence. These useful words stand in for people and help us to speak and write efficiently. Instead of having to use a person’s name each […]
TUKNILUNI – STRONG (TO BE) SUUGET TUKNIGTAALLRIIT CUUMI. – PEOPLE WERE STRONG BEFORE. Hauling water, pulling in a net, and splitting and carrying wood are common tasks in Alutiiq communities and activities that require physical strength. For both men and women, being strong is vital to daily life. Alutiiq legends remind people of this important […]
SAQEMKAQ – FLEA SAQEMKAQ QETGAUWARTUQ. – THE FLEA IS JUMPING AROUND. In Alutiiq, the word saqemkaq means flea. People refer to the biting vermin found on both household pets and wild animals with this term. However, saqemkaq can also describe the lice found on birds, particularly ducks and eagles. This word comes from the root […]