Whistler Duck / Scoter — Kukumyaa’aq Kukmyaa’at meqniitut.—Whistler ducks are hard to pluck. The whistler duck or black duck is the local name for the black scoter (Melanitta nigra americana). These large, sea ducks are known for taking a running start to become airborne. Males have black plumage and a distinctive rounded, orange knob on the […]
Dream — Qawangurtuaq, Qawanguq Qawangurtuataartut. – They always dream. For Alutiiq people, dreaming is a magical state, one that draws people closer to the spirit world. Encounters between people and spirits often take place in dreams or as a person awakes from sleep. Shamans, people who interact closely with spirits, their apprentices through dreams, and […]
Thunder — Kalliq Kallikan alingnartaartut. – When it is thundering it is scary. Thunder is the loud, booming noise created by the rapid expansion and contraction of air heated by a lightning strike. As electricity, in the form of lightning, travels through the air, it opens a channel. When the electricity dissipates, the channel collapses, […]
High Bush Cranberry, Sourberry, Kalina Berry— Amarsaq (N), Amaryaq (S) Amaryat quuhnartaartut. (S) – High bush cranberries are (always) sour. The high bush cranberry (Viburnum edule), known locally as the bog berry or sour berry, is a large flowering shrub that grows in Kodiak’s thickets and clearings, often in shady spots. This plant, found widely […]