Alphabet — Aapit, Aapitniiq Nutaan Alutiit aapit liitapet. – Now we are learning the Alutiiq alphabet. An alphabet is a system of characters used to represent the sounds in a language. By seeing a character, a reader can reproduce a sound without hearing it. In essence, alphabets store sounds. There are different kinds of alphabets. […]
Spring — Ugnerkaq Ugnerkartuq awa’i. – Spring is here. Spring is an unpredictable season in the Kodiak Archipelago. Some years, calm weather ushers in longer days and milder temperatures, but in others, winter storms pound the coast, and snow falls well into April. For Alutiiq people, spring is a time of waiting as the subsistence […]
Urine — Etquq Cuumi tan’urat etquat aturtaakait. – They used to use boys’ urine before. Across Alaska, Native people used human urine for processing hides. In Alutiiq communities, urine was collected in wooden tubs stationed outside people’s houses. Hides were soaked in these tubs, where the ammonia acted as soap, breaking down fatty deposits clinging […]
Anchor — Kicaq Kicaq agtunartuq. – The anchor is heavy. Before the availability of metal tools, Alutiiq people fashioned anchors from large cobbles. Craftsmen selected a relatively flat, rectangular rock and shaped it by chipping. A stone anchor found in Karluk is 10 inches long and weighs about six pounds. The edges of the stone were […]