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)
Alaskan/Inuit Words
& 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
Languages
courtesy of the Alaska Native Language Center (more resources) |
||
Aleut hello - aang good-bye - ukudigada thank you qagˆ - 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 e-mail and I'll be happy to add them. Here are a couple of books that may help, though I doubt they have many Inuit names. 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.
