Qayarpak – Two-hatched kayak Qaniq aturtaakait qayarpat. – They used to always use two-hatched kayak. From the Arctic Ocean to Prince William Sound, Native people crafted swift, seaworthy boats from wood and animal skins. Each culture had a distinct style of qayaq with unique qualities designed for their environment. Alutiiq qayat were long and slender, […]
Qaugtat – Barnacles Qaugtat ilait allrani angtaartut. – Some barnacles are sometimes large. Barnacles are one of the oldest living species on earth and a familiar resident of Alaska’s shores. These filter-feeding crustaceans typically live in shallow waters and will grow on just about anything–rocks, shellfish, docks, boats, marine debris, and even sea mammals. Whales […]
Ugnerkaq – Spring 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 Alutiiqs, spring is a time of waiting as the subsistence cycle […]
Skuunaq (schooner); Raa’uciq (sailboat) – Ship Skuunaq tang’rk’gka. – I saw the ship. Sailing ships were a common sight in Kodiak waters in the historic era. Russian traders traveled to Alaska aboard wooden vessels that carried men, provisions, weapons, and smaller boats for coastal exploration. The Alutiiq word for ship, skuunaq, comes from the word […]