What's In a Name?
Common Alaskan Malamute Names:
Timber, Bear, Sitka,
Nanuk, Shadow, Sasha, Tasha,
Tundra, Wolf, Dakota, Kodiak, Yukon
For everyone who writes asking me to translate
a favorite word into "Eskimo"
(and I never know the answer of course - like I would??? LOL), try this:
Interactive InupiaQ Eskimo Dictionary/Translator
University
of Alaska Fairbanks Native Language Center also has some good ideas
This site has EVERYTHING!!! Chinaroad
Lowchens of Australia
(Scroll down the page to the Eskimo
Dictionary)
Interesting article about the Arctic - This forum thread is quite long, but so worth it! Gorgeous pictures and information about how hard life is in the arctic where the Malamute is from...
Want to know more about these awesome people of the arctic....a forum
Alaskan/Inuit Words and their Meanings:
(many are from the book Arctic Odyssey)
aga - mother
alapa - it - s cold!
anatkok - shaman
anauytuk - a snow - stick
anut - harness for dog
anyu - snow used for a specific purpose
aqeutaq - incantation to drive away evil spirits
arnaq - woman
ataciara - a familiar spirit
atka - guardian spirit
iqniq - fire (the name given to bright metors)
ihun - lake trout
imnek - cliff
innuk - men (2 people)
itigiaq - weasel
kamik - eskimo boot
itsalik - deerskin tent
kesuk - water - sky
kia - who -
kataq - pot, dish
kilalurak - white whale
naneq - inuit lamp
kammuk - deerskin boot
mumik - drumstick
ikiaq (ikiq) - red spruce
ikun - knife or skin - scraper of horn or stone
ilipikuk - sealskin footwear
qilaq - sky or heaven
qopuk - ice - crack
qorviq - chamber pot
sieraq - connors (small fish)
sitamat - four (4)
tallut - caribou hunting pits
tipuk - herrings
tonraq - a tiny man, a spirit (a ghost)
tattilgat - brown crane bird
tikivik - thimble holder
tamaiijja - "there you are"
qilamitaun - Inuit bolas (Northern Alaska)
tullik - yellow billed loon
ukluk - skin of the brown bear
ulo - woman - s knife or skin scraper
unisat - cache
unedlaq - basket
unalaq - west wind
tupilek - a shaman - s familiar spirits
Tuluqaqaq - a limestone cliff
tulugaq - raven
tukturaluk - caribou (said with amazement)
tornuaq - an (evil) spirit
tomkin - home of the spirits
uvinaq - lemming nest
Walliarmiut - Inuit people to the west
nannuraluk - polar bear
nawyat - seagull
nukka - younger sister
okauyak - a shrub
qaqsrauk - loon
una - this one
ugyuk - bearded seal
uglu - seal hole in the ice
okauyak - a shrub
nannuraluk - polar bear
kannannaq - north wind
inallu - the little intestine
igalaq - window of igloo
iglopuk - large snow house
ageatulaitpoq - there
- s no bottom to his stomach
(is there a more PERFECT Malamute name - - - - )
nagojut - friendly
ileanaitut - glad
injuquaq - old man
kalnaq - long - stemmed pipe
kanut - white geese
keruguq - used to tie a dog
kannoyak - cotton grass
kulitak - heavy skin coat
kulliq - lamp
kinalik - eider duck
kilaun - drum
kilallurak - white whale
mumik - drumstick (Northern Alaska/dance)
naga - NO!
qatqain - come
qeorvik - a piece of wood
purnaq - fat (from a duck)
poallu - skin mitts
pinahut - three (3)
onipqaqtoq - tell a story (Mackenzie region)
tavrani tavra - stop stop!
umiak - large skin - covered boat
umiaktorvik - river
tiquana - adopted son
tiguaq - an adopted child
Words for ice and snow from Labradoran Inuit
ice - sikko
bare ice - tingenek
snow (in general) - aput
snow (like salt) - pukak
soft deep snow - mauja
snowdrift - tipvigut
soft snow - massak
watery snow - mangokpok
snow filled with water - massalerauvok
soft snow - akkilokipok
Words for snow and ice from West Greenlandic inuit
sea ice - siku
pack - ice/large expanses of ice in motion - sikursuit
compacted drift ice/ice field (plural) = sikut iqimaniri
new ice - sikuliaq/sikurlaaq
solid ice cover = nutaaq
thin ice - sikuaq
rotten (melting) ice floe sikurluk
iceberg - iluliaq
part of iceberg below waterline - ilulisap itsirnga
piece of fresh-water ice - nilak
lumps of ice stranded on the beach - issinnirit
glacier (also ice forming on objects) sirmiq
Inland Ice - sirmirsuaq
snow blown in (e.g. doorway) - sullarniq
rime/hoar-frost - qaqurnak/kanirniq/kaniq
frost (on inner surface of e.g. window) - iluq
icy mist - pujurak/pujuq kanirnartuq
hail - nataqqurnat
avalanche - aput sisurtuq
slush (on ground) - aput masannartuq
snow in air/falling - qaniit
snowflake - qanik
snowflakes - nittaallat
air thick with snow - nittaalaq
flurries - nittaalaq nalliuttiqattaartuq
hard grains of snow - nittaalaaqqat
feathery clumps of falling snow - qanipalaat
new fallen snow - apirlaat
snow crust - pukak
snowy weather - qannirsuq/nittaatsuq
snowstorm - pirsuq/pirsirsursuaq
large ice floe - iluitsuq
snowdrift - apusiniq
ice floe - puttaaq
hummocked ice - maniillat
pressure ridges in pack ice - ingunirit
drifting lump of ice - kassuq
dirty lump of glacier-calved ice = anarluk
ice-foot left adhering to shore - qaannuq
icicle - kusugaq
opening in sea ice - imarnirsaq/ammaniq
open water amidst ice - imaviaq
navigable fissure in sea ice - quppaq
rotten snow/slush on sea - qinuq
wet snow falling - imalik
rotten ice with streams forming - aakkarniq
snow patch on mountain, etc. - aputitaq
wet snow on top of ice - putsinniq/puvvinniq
smooth stretch of ice - manirak
stretch of snow-free ice - quasaliaq
lump of old ice frozen into new ice - tuaq
new ice formed in crack in old ice - nutarniq
bits of floating - naggutit
hard snow - mangiggal/mangikaajaaq
small ice floe (not large enough to stand on) - masaaraq
ice swelling over partially frozen river, etc. from water seeping up to the surface - siirsinniq
piled-up ice-floes frozen together - tiggunnirit
mountain peak sticking up through inland ice - nunataq
calved ice from end of glacier - uukkarnit
edge of the sea ice - sinaaq
Common Expressions in Alaska Native Languagescourtesy of the Alaska Native Language Center (more resources) |
||
Aleut hello - aang good-bye - ukudigada thank you qag - aasakung Happy Holiday - Kamgan Ukudigaa |
Siberian Yupik how are you? - natesiin? good-bye (I'll see you) - esghaghlleqamken thank you - igamsiqanaghhalek welcome (thank you all for coming) - quyanaghhalek tagilusi Merry Christmas - Quyanaghhalek Kuusmemi |
|
Central
Yup'ik |
Inupiaq thank you - quyanaq welcome - qaimarutin hello, how are you? - qanuq itpich? |
|
(In Inupiaq,
the vowels [a, i, u] are pronounced in the same way as the same vowels
in Spanish or Italian; r is similar to English r; ; is similar to French
or German r; is the ng sound; ñ is pronounced ny as in Spanish.
Double letters are pronounced long [held longer] and single letters are
short.) |
||
Alutiiq hello - cama'i thank you - quyanaa Happy Holidays - Spr`´aasnikam |
Haida
|
Eyak
|
Tlingit hello (how are you?) - wa.é ák.wé? thank you - gunalchéesh Merry Christmas - Xristos Khuwdziti |
Tsimshian thank you - way dankoo |
Gwich'in Athabascan |
Hän Athabascan
|
Ahtna Athabascan thank you - tsin'aen Merry Christmas - C'ehwggelnen Dzaen my friend - slatsiin |
Deg Hit'an Athabascan |
Koyukon Athabascan hello - dzaanh nezoonh thank you - baasee' welcome - enaa neenyo good luck friend - gganaa' |
Tanana Athabascan |
Tanaina Athabascan thank you - chin'an my friend - shida |
If anyone has any others please drop me an and I'll be happy to add them. Please don't write and ask me how to say something in Inuit - I would have no clue. Your best chance is to contact a University with Indian Studies somewhere in northern Canada or Alaska.

