Corpse Whale

Loose Inuit Glossary

95 Loose Inuit Glossary aablak: the depression between the shoulder blades aanaga: my mother–grandmother aapaga: my father–grandfather aapiyaba: brother aarnaruie suliuqpa: savannah sparrow afipchabaa: resurrects him agaayuvifmufniaqtufa: I’m on my way to church agaviksiuvika tatqiq: moon for beginning whaling and finding ptarmigan anatkuq: a shaman; person endowed with the power to do much good or bad aqavirvik tatqiq: August moon when birds molt atiguluq: dress Birnirk: prehistoric Inuit civilization of north coast Alaska 500–900 ad Ibeivik: June birth time; moon when animals give birth igutchaq: bumblebee imieauraq: prowler and shaman inua: animals with nonhuman existence but have no immortal soul inuk: person inukshuk: scarecrow inyukuksaivik tatqiq: July moon when the bird raise their young isibru: a whalebone wolf slayer izrasugruk tatqiq: February; coldest moon; literally ice moon time kabloona: Inuktitut old term for white man; new term qallunaag Kaktovik: town in central north slope Kalaallit Nunat: Greenland kamiks: my boots kusruqaqtubvik: literally moon of a higher sun kuukpik: river off the Colville river, upriver from Nuiqsat 96 Masu: underground potato or bulblike plant mukluk: any boot of ugruk soles (not an Inupiaq word) mukluk/maktak: the edible skin of whales about an inch thick directly under the harder outer tarplike skin covering nipiruq: sunset Nippivik tatqiq: November moon of the setting sun; frozen path to the moon Nuliavik tatqiq: moon when caribou rut Nunamiut: Alaska’s inland Eskimos Okpikrauq: owl river in north slope; my family names river Okvik: old Bering Sea people 150 bce–700 ad Okvik Madonna: in central Asian arts and arctic regions, a sculpture statuette Paniqsiqsiqsiivik: March moon hanging seals; bleaching caribou skin Pigniq: shooting station Ptuquqsiibayuk: stag beetle Qarrtisiluni: sitting together in darkness waiting for something to burst Qupixbubrauq: edible ice worm Qurraquaraq: killdeer Qusrimmak: wild rhubarb Quunquq: north slope river Samna: also known as Serpent Sedna; it means the one down there, not visible Sauniq: bones Senunetuk: a whalebone wolf hunter Sikuibvik: thaw sila: the breath soul in the wind; also known as Silap inua or Silla to mana or ether, the primary component of everything that exists, method or locomotion for any movement or change. Sila is believed to control everything that goes on in one’s life. sinnaktuq/sinnatkquq: dream Siqieiq: sun siqiniq: sun siqinrilaq tatqiq: December siqinyasaq tatqiq/January: season begins with the moon of the coming sun suvluravik tatqiq: May moon when rivers flow tatqibiksuq: moon shines tatqiq: moon 97 tatqiq kusrugaqtubvik: coldest moon; ice moon time; moon of a higher sun tingivik tatqiq: September moon tinniks: bearberries Tonrat: a watchmaker tulugaq: raven tupik: coastal tipi made of hides tuungaq: devil ugruk: bearded seal Ukiak: winter Ukiaksaug: fall Ukiaksrauq: early fall Ukpeagvik: Barrow (town) Ukpik: owl Ulu: woman’s knife Umiliak: whale hunting captain (in this case my older brother Eddie Rexford) Upinagaq: summer Upinagasrak: spring Uqaluktuat: Barrow, Alaska Uqaqtaa: god, prophet, apostle, literally: god’s speaker Utkiavik: a place for hunting owls Utqiagvik: Point Barrow ...