As winter settles in across Alaska, the landscape shifts from vibrant reds and golds of autumn to a more subtle light: pastel pinks of a sun low on the horizon and moonlit blue on the snow. Wildlife and people adjust to the change and prepare to move through the longer nights with different activities. This can be a time of story, travel, and celebrations, and also of challenge, endurance, and adaptation.
Alaska鈥檚 national wildlife refuges are the of many Indigenous peoples, stewards of these lands, waters, and wildlife since time immemorial. Alaska Native languages connect in deep and meaningful ways with the local environment, expanding our understanding of these wild places in their seasonal cycles.
At this changing edge of winter, we share just a few words and phrases from different language groups located on Alaska refuges. We honor the traditions, cultures, and languages that deepen connections with these places, and celebrate the turning points, fellowship, and beauty of the season!
Koyukuk Refuge鈥娾€斺€奒oyukon Athabascan
鈥淓dzoo hoolaanh!鈥� we exclaim; 鈥渋t鈥檚 cold!鈥� This is the time of year when we haven鈥檛 adjusted to the winter weather, yet we welcome it. Ice on lakes and rivers thickens in the cold, making winter travel safer for humans and wildlife. Snow fills the hollows between sedge tussocks, opening up winter overland trails and providing an insulative blanket that protects marten, voles, shrews and grouse.
In Denaakk鈥檈 (Koyukon Athabascan) this is 鈥�ts鈥檈yeets鈥檈n h蕢gh kk鈥檃atl鈥檕t鈥�, the first half of winter. Literally this means the time 鈥渇rom the canoe to solstice鈥濃€娾€斺€奲etween the freeze-up of waterways and the shortest day of the year. It is a time of change, but also wondrous beauty as the landscape takes on the muted colors of winter.
Izembek and Alaska Maritime Refuges鈥娾€斺€奤nangax虃
Unangam Tunuu is the language of the Unangax虃 people, whose traditional lands include the southwestern area of the Alaska Peninsula, the Pribilof Islands, and the Aleutian Archipelago.
Chngatux虃, the Unangax虃 word for sea otter (singular), live in the cold marine waters around many areas of coastal Alaska, including the nearshore of Alaska Maritime and Izembek refuges.
The in the Aleutian Islands contributed this fun and fascinating language fact: 肠丑苍驳补迟耻虫虃 comes from the root word 鈥�chngax虃鈥� meaning 鈥榝ur鈥� and the suffix -迟耻虫虃, indicating an abundance. So chngatux虃 translated literally into English would be close to 鈥渇urry one.鈥�
Sea otters lack the blubber that keep most marine mammals warm in the frigid North Pacific Ocean. Instead, they have incredibly dense fur that traps air and insulates their body like a puffy jacket.
Kodiak Refuge鈥娾€斺€夾lutiiq Sugpiaq
In English and western cultures, we ask someone: 鈥渉ow old are you?鈥� In Alutiiq Sugpiaq, there is no word for year so the question is a little different: Qaugcinek uksungq鈥� rcit, or 鈥渉ow many winters do you have?鈥�
In the Alutiiq Sugpiaq culture, winter is a time for social activities and celebrations. Families spend most of the year away at a fish camp or hunting. In the Winter months, many returns to a central village to visit, celebrate, and share the fish, berries, and game harvested over the past year.
Kanuti Refuge鈥娾€斺€奒oyukon Athabascan
鈥淒蕢htseedle鈥�, d蕢htseetl鈥� means 鈥渟now on trees鈥� in Koyukon Athabascan, and specifically, the kind of snow that provides moisture, which can aid survival out on the land. As snow returns to Kanuti Refuge and Interior Alaska, it鈥檚 that time of year again鈥o start enjoying the outdoors in winter!
Selawik Refuge鈥娾€斺€奍帽upiaq
In both the Coastal/Kotzebue Sound and upper Kobuk dialects of the I帽upiaq language, November is known as 鈥�Nippivik,鈥� or sunset time. This is the month during which daylight declines rapidly and winter truly sets in. Although days grow short in this region which straddles the Arctic Circle, pastel sunset hues reflecting off the snow and ice provide enough illumination for ice fishing and other seasonal outdoor activities to continue.
Arctic Refuge鈥娾€斺€奊wich鈥檌n
November is the Month of the Sheep鈥娾€斺€�Divii Zhrii. In the early days, the hunters make preparation to travel to Nitsii Ddhaa (the Big Mountain) near Red Sheep Creek to hunt Dall sheep. They travel with a boat and then hike Nitsii Ddhaa. When hunters harvest a sheep, they butcher and clean it, and then bring it back to the village to share with everybody.
There are many sheep stories told throughout the generations: Dall sheep are considered very sacred, and the stomach and guts are a delicacy for the elders.
Tetlin Refuge鈥娾€斺€奤pper Tanana
In the Upper Tanana Athabascan language, the word for this month is Debee saa. This is the sheep rut moon with a bright moon shining above the Mentasta and Nutzotin mountains and down upon the Upper Tanana. The time of year when the moon shines bright on clear winter nights鈥� the type of night where you can navigate with the illumination of the moon.
Yukon Delta Refuge鈥娾€斺€奩up鈥檌k
鈥淯颈惫颈办鈥� is a Yup鈥檌k word for the month of December. Meaning the turning point, or literally said, 鈥渁 place to turn.鈥� Uivik for the month of December means the longest nights of the winter season are nearing the turning point with promises of gradual lengthening of days as the season begins to change with the coming of spring.
Alaska Maritime Refuge鈥娾€斺€奣lingit
Alaska Maritime refuge spans thousands of islands across the state, including St. Lazaria Island near Sitka in SE Alaska, an important nesting place for almost half a million seabirds.
Bob Sam, a Tlingit storyteller and culture bearer from Sitka, shares: 鈥淜eet Gushi Heen refers toa killer whale fin going through water.鈥� The fin creates waves that wash ashore, and the waves are considered a supernatural event that bring good luck.
Kenai Refuge鈥娾€斺€奃ena鈥檌na
Daggeyi means friendly or with good cheer, pronounced da-guy-yee, in the Outer Inlet dialect of the Dena鈥檌na language.
Daggeyi also represents fellowship, one of the of the , Kahtnuht鈥檃na Dena鈥檌na, who have lived on the Kenai Peninsula for thousands of years.
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Explore this story map for more about Alaska鈥檚 refuges and Indigenous homelands and language groups:
Contributions from: Amy Peterson, Dehrich Schmidt-Chya, Joanne Bryant, Travis David, Christopher Tulik, Bob Sam, Kenaitze Youth Interns, Atka Tribal Council, Karin Bodony, Kristin Reakoff, and Brittany Sweeney. Layout and compilation by Erin Strand and Lisa Hupp.
