MAQIWIK – STEAM BATH MAQIWIK UQNAARLLIA. – THE BANYA WAS HOT. Alutiiq sod houses had a small side chamber designed specifically for steam bathing. This room had a low ceiling and a narrow, covered doorway that trapped steam. People carried hot rocks into the steam bath with special wooden tongs and piled them into a […]
KELUGKAQ – THREAD KELUGKANEK ATURTAARTUKUT MINGQU’AKAMTA. – WE ALWAYS USE THREAD WHEN WE SEW. Alutiiq seamstresses manufactured thread from the tendons of whales, porpoises, and seals. Thin strands of sinew were separated with the fingernails from sea mammal tendons and the resulting thread wrapped around a wooden spool. This sturdy sewing material was used to […]
AQLLAQ – WIND YAATIINI, AKGUA’AQ, ERNERPAK CALI AQLLANGENGUARTUQ. – THE LAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN WINDY. Wind is a persistent environmental feature of Alaska’s gulf coast. Steep mountains funnel sudden gusts down coastal valleys, and winter storms bring blustery weather that generates high seas and cold temperatures. For Kodiak residents, the wind is both a […]
KAWISQAQ – RED GIINAN KAWIRTUQ. – YOUR FACE IS RED. In prehistoric times, Alutiiq people manufactured red pigment from naturally occurring ochre, a locally available iron oxide. Historic sources suggest that this soft mineral was ground to a powder and then mixed with seal oil and blood to produce paint. Several thousand years ago, ochre […]