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Summer Internship

Uncover the past at the Amak Site as a member of our 2012 field crew.  Our summer intern will work along museum archaeologists to excavate and document finds at an ancient campsite.  This opportunity is open to a student at the  high school of college level.  No previous experience is necessary, just an interest in Kodiak history and Native heritage.  One student will be selected.

When: Mid July - Mid August - for a total of 160 hours, for $10 an hour.

Where: At the Amak Site in Womens Bay - a short drive from Kodiak, and in the Alutiiq Museum's laboratory.

What: Digging, screening, bucket carrying, note taking, mapping, and artifact cleaning.

Apply: Applications are due to the Alutiiq Museum by May 31st at 5:00 PM.  Please send your application to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 907-486-7004.

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION


Photo:  Christy Roe, 2011 Community Archaeology Intern, holds a slate lance she found.
 

What is the origin of the word Kodiak? How do you bend wood to make a bowl?  Why did Alutiiq children once hide their toys in winter? The answers can be found in the Alutiiq Word of the Week, the museum's lessons on all things Alutiiq.  Produced since 1998, the program provides a weekly window into the Alutiiq world, connecting the public with information on Native heritage and reawakening the sounds of the Alutiiq language.
 
With an $8,483 grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum, the museum will now publish a book of these lessons.  Developed by Amy Steffian and April Laktonen Counceller, the publication will present the program's complete set of cultural lessons, 471 in all, in alphabetical order from Accordion to Yeast!  It will also include a brief history of the Alutiiq language, 50 historic photos from the museum’s archives, and a detailed index.  Alisha Drabek will design the publication, which is planned for release in September of 2012.

“Many people helped us develop the weekly lessons,” said Language Program Manager April Laktonen Counceller.  “Elder Alutiiq speakers, tradition bearers, families, cooks, scientists, anthropologists, historians, and museum professionals have all shared their knowledge.  The lessons represent a unique and valuable archive of community knowledge. We are so pleased to preserve their knowledge in this book.”
The publication received substantial support from the Kodiak Island Borough School District, whose Alaska Native Education grant paid for editing.  “The schools district urged us to pursue this project,” said Counceller, “and provided key funding to advance the work.”

Writing in the Alutiiq language is difficult and few people know how.  The Alutiiq alphabet – or orthography – is relatively new and many of the people who speak Alutiiq are just learning to use it.  Alutiiq is traditionally a spoken language, but in the modern world, many people want to write in Alutiiq.  Putting pen to paper in Kodiak’s Native language will now get a little easier, thanks to a $40,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.  With this recently awarded funding, the Alutiiq Museum will produce a guide to writing in Kodiak Alutiiq.

“This project will help us to document the Alutiiq writing system,” said the museum’s Language Program Manager April Laktonen Counceller.  “We have a group of developing speakers who have reached an intermediate level of fluency.  They are ready to work on writing and to develop learning tools for others, but the ways of writing in our language are not well known.  There have been changes since work on the Alutiiq alphabet began in the 1970s. We need a stable orthography – a set of writing standards that we can use as a community to systematize the way we put Alutiiq words on paper.”

The project follows a similar effort by the Alutiiq people of Prince William Sound.  “The Alutiiq Museum was hired to help Chugachmiut with a writing system booklet over the past couple of years,” explained Counceller.  “The Alutiiq dialect spoken in Prince William Sound is different that that spoken on Kodiak, although both dialects are part of the same language.  It makes sense to develop a similar booklet for Kodiak Alutiiq, one that closely aligns the writing systems for these two related ways of speaking in Alutiiq.”

The booklet will be produced by Counceller with help from linguist Jeff Leer and Kodiak’s fluent Alutiiq speakers.  Work on the project is underway, and publication is expected in the spring of 2013.  Copies will be distributed free of charge to language learners, libraries, tribal organizations, schools, scholars, and the public.  The museum also plans to create a downloadable version of the booklet to share on its website.

Photo: Alisha Drabek consults with Elder Phyllis Peterson about the words for an Alutiiq song.

I almost always use Alutiiq greetings in my emails and letters.  I think it shows people the pride I have for my heritage and my desire to preserve our language.  There are also many circumstances, where Native language phrases can be an asset.  They can help you make a good impression when applying for a scholarship, corresponding with a potential employer, or working with an Elder.  To help you incorporate Alutiiq greetings into your correspondence, here are a few commonly used terms to try.

·       Cama’i (Hello) – This word is used by Yup’ik and Inupiaq speakers, and is relatively well-known throughout Alaska.
·       Quyanaa (Thank You) – This word is used by Yup’ik and Inupiaq speakers, but may have a different spelling.
·       Quyanaasinaq (Thank You Very Much) – Don’t overuse this one, just as you shouldn’t in English!
·       Asirtuten-qaa? (How Are You?) – This literally means “You are good-Yes/No?”
·       Tang’rciqamken (I’ll see you later) – Can be used as a sign-off in place of “Sincerely.” It is the closest term to “Goodbye” that we have in Alutiiq.
·       Niu’uqurciqamken (I’ll talk to you later) – Use this word to sign-off in place of words like “Sincerely.” This one is good if you don’t  expect to see the person anytime soon.

When you use these terms, think carefully about their context.  Some words may require translation, depending on your recipient.  Many people wont know the meaning of Asirtuten-qaa? (How Are You?), but words like Cama’i (Hello) may need no explanation.  This is especially true if your message supports the words meaning.  For instance, most people could figure out the meaning of “Quyanaa for helping me with my term paper!”  So the next time you are writing a letter, try adding an Alutiiq greeting.  Just remember to show respect for our language by spelling the words correctly.    Niu’uqurciqamken camiku (I’ll talk to you soon).