KUNGYUK—CRESTED AUKLET KUNGYUT AMLERTAALLRIIT KANGIYAMI.—THERE USED TO ALWAYS BE A LOT OF CRESTED AUKLETS IN THE BAY. The crested auklet (Aethia cristatella), known by some as the sea quail, is a member of the alcid family, a group that includes auks, puffins, and murres. About two million of these sea birds live in Alaska, in […]
Carliaq, Piipeq—Baby Katie carliangkutartuq.—Katie is going to have a baby. Among the Alutiiq people, babies are signs of luck. In traditional society, women gave birth with the help of a healer, who functioned both as a midwife and a community doctor. Pregnant women began visiting the midwife when they were three to five months pregnant. […]
Cukingq’rtuq—Barbed Iqsak cukingq’rtuq.—The fishhook has a barb. Alutiiq hunters carved barbs into a variety of weapons. This included harpoon heads, arrow heads, leister prongs, and fish hooks made of strong, shock absorbing bone, as well as sharp-edged lance heads ground from slate. These barbs were carefully designed to grip an animal’s flesh. Barb size and […]
esson 2142 Wamluni, Salirluni—Play Wamqutartut.—They are going to play. Education in Alutiiq communities focused on training children the essential skills of adult life. Young people learned these skills by listening to stories and legends, helping their Elders, and imitating adult activities with toys. Archaeological sites in the Kodiak Archipelago have produced many miniature items—tiny duplicates […]