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]