FROM THE ALUTIIQ MUSEUM

Amlesqanek uksunek piamci:  We wish you many years.

Season's Greetings!   Winter is a time of gatherings. During long winter
nights, Alutiiq people would gather around blazing fires in the comfort
of their sod houses.  They would make tools, clothes, masks, dolls,
parkas, hunting hats and amulets.  A village chief would invite you to a
winter festival where ties between villages were sealed by gift giving
and generous feasting with ornate feast bowls and masks.  Everyone would
wear their best headdresses and cormorant parkas while giving thanks for
a bountiful summer with dances and speeches honoring animal spirits and
ancestors.  You would then reciprocate the favor by hosting a winter
ceremony for your neighbors.

If you're in town, stop in the Alutiiq Museum located at 215 Mission
Road in Kodiak, Alaska.  Bring friends and relatives this holiday season
to see the Winter Arts exhibit.  This display features masks and skin
sewing projects, activities traditionally practiced in the winter, from
students around the island.  If you're looking for a truly unique gift,
come visit the museum store.  We will be open on Christmas Eve until
4:00pm and are happy to giftwrap your purchases.

The staff and board of the Alutiiq Museum wishes you joy and peace as
you gather with your family and friends this winter.  Amlesqanek Uksunek
Piamci!  "We wish you many years."
--
Christine R. Marasigan, Programs Manager
Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository
215 Mission Road, Suite 101
Kodiak, Alaska 99615
voice:  (907) 486-7004 ext. 7
fax:  (907) 486-7048
email:  [log in to unmask]