Alutiiq Word of the Week

Alutiiq Word of the Week

Lessons in Language and Culture

Weekly lessons on all things Alutiiq! Explore Alutiiq vocabulary and a wealth of cultural information.

Featuring the wisdom of Elders Nick Alokli, Florence Pestrikoff, Sophie Shepherd, and Victor Peterson. Hosted by Dehrich Chya, April Laktonen Counceller, Marya Halvorsen, and Michael Bach.

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This Week’s Lesson

Snare
Photo: Two types of wooden snare pins, Karluk One site, Koniag, Inc. Collection. AM193.
Word & Sentence
Snare — Negaq
Mikllumni papaama neganek pilitaakiinga, amitatugnek pisiurluta. – When I was small my dad made me snares so we could catch weasels.


Fall and early winter are the best times to hunt Kodiak’s furbearers when their coats grow full and plush in response to cold weather. Although trapping was introduced in the historic era, Alutiiq people have long used snares to capture fox, land otter, ermine, and even bears and...

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Word of the Week Archive
Word of the week voices and advisors
From left, April Counceller, Florence Pestrikof, Sophie Shepherd, and Nick Alokli, word of the week voices and advisors, sign copies of the Alutiiq Word of the Week book, 2012.
From A to Y (accordion to yeast!), there are 679 lessons in our searchable Word of the Week archive. Learn about the Alutiiq world, practice word pronunciation, and share lessons with family and friends. Type a topic in the search box to start exploring. Developed with a grant to Koniag from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
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Recording the Podcast
Dehrich Chya records a podcast at the Alutiiq Museum.
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You can also listen to the Word of the Week on KMXT Public Radio, tune into the weekly podcast on Spotify and other platforms, read lessons in the Friday edition of the Kodiak Daily Mirror, and find a new lesson each Sunday on the Alutiiq Museum’s social media.

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