AR’UQ, ARWAQ – WHALE AR’UT AMLERTUT. – THERE ARE MANY WHALES. Six species of baleen whales feed in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Each spring, grey, humpback, minke, fin, right, and blue whales swim by on their way to the Bering Sea, although many remain in the Kodiak area. For Alutiiq communities, […]
ILAI’ARNGASQAQ – CHIPPED ONE YAAMAQ ILAI’ARNGAUQ. – THE ROCK IS CHIPPED. Flint knapping, or stone chipping, is the process of transforming a piece of stone into a useful tool. This technology relies on fine grained and glassy stone, material a knapper can break in desired ways. Knappers typically use a hard rock to knock flakes […]
ARafkuq (N), IRafkuq (S) – Rope / Cord ARafkumek piliyuq. – She is making rope. In classical Alutiiq society rope and cord were essential parts of many harvesting tools. Boats, bows, harpoons, fishing rigs, and nets all required quantities of cord. People often choose sinew, or animal tendon, for making cord because of its strength and […]
KENEQ – FIRE KENEQ KUARNARPET. – WE CAN BUILD A FIRE. Large fires set in stone-lined hearths once warmed Alutiiq households. Alutiiq people lit these fires with wooden fire starters. These three-piece implements had a flat wooden platform (hearth) and a long shaft (spindle) that was rotated rapidly against the platform with a small bow. […]