Sod — Nikiiq Engluq nikiimek patumauq. – The house is covered with sod. The lush grasses of Alaska’s coastal meadows produce more than just weaving material for Native people. The thick tangles of roots, which cling to deep underlying layers of soil, were traditionally cut into blocks and used in house construction. Piles of sod […]
Clean (to be) — Perinani; Eprinani Nateq eprituq.—The floor is clean. The Alutiiq word for clean comes from the root word pere– which means to be filthy! Add a negative post base and you get perinani, to not be filthy. This verb means to be clean. It is not used for the act of cleaning, but rather […]
Rose Hip — Qelempaq April-rem qelempaq caayuq pingaktaaraa. – April likes the rose hip tea. The Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) is a spindly shrub that grows in open areas throughout coastal Alaska. It is commonly found along streams and shorelines and in meadows, thickets, and open forests. These prickly bushes flower with pink blossoms each […]
Cockle, Clam — Qahmaquq, Mamaayaq Qahmaquryugtua. – I want some cockles. Kodiak’s shores are encrusted with a wealth of intertidal organisms. Clams, cockles, whelks, mussels, sea urchins, chitons, limpets, and periwinkles are all available in quantities. Alutiiq people harvested these resources throughout the year, but they were particularly important in the late winter and early […]