CUKIILAT – CRYSTALS IKUK’GKA CUKIILAQ. – I FOUND A CRYSTAL. Quartz is one of the most common materials on earth. Made of silicon dioxide (SiO2), this hard mineral occurs in a wide variety of forms and colors and is a major constituent of many igneous and sedimentary rocks. One form of quartz is the […]
Laagat – Lily Roots Laagat qatertaartut. – Lily roots are white. The chocolate lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis) is a delicate flowering plant with lance-shaped leaves and clusters of dark purple or brown bell-shaped flowers. It is widely distributed throughout the coastal meadows of the North Pacific, ranging from the western United States to Japan. This […]
TUIY’UQ – TUGIDAK ISLAND TUIY’UQ NALLQIGTUQ. – TUGIDAK ISLAND IS FLAT. Tudigak Island lies at the southern end of the Kodiak region in the Trinity Island group. This, low oval landform is 18 miles long. It has a large, protected lagoon at its northern end, and rises to just 160 feet above sea level. […]
KUGYAQ – NET KUGYASIQ ATURTAAQA. – I USE THE NET. Alutiiq people captured salmon with a variety of traditional tools. Streams were dammed with logs or stone weirs and the fish trapped behind them speared with special fish harpoons. Larger quantities of salmon, and perhaps herring and Dolly Varden, were captured with nets woven from nettle […]