Call Down the Stars (61 page)

KIIN
(Aleut) Who. (The
k
is a guttural English
k.
The
ii
carries a long
e
sound. The Aleut
n
is quite nasal.)

K’OS
(Ahtna Athabascan) Cloud. (The Ahtna
k
has no English equivalent. It is similar to the Aleut
x
and is pronounced in the back of the throat with a very harsh, guttural sound. The apostrophe denotes a glottal stop. The
o
carries a short sound similar to the
o
in the English word
for.
The Ahtna
s
is pronounced like an English
sh.)

KUY’AA
(Ahtna Athabascan) A highly respected woman, female chief. (The Ahtna
k
has no English equivalent. It is similar to the Aleut
x
and is pronounced in the back of the throat with a very harsh, guttural sound. The
u
sounds similar to the
oo
in the English word
book.
The
y
is a voiced frontal velar fricative similar to the
y
in the English word
yes.
The apostrophe denotes a glottal stop. The
aa
sounds like the
aw
in the English word
paw.
Accent the last syllable.)

LIGIGE’
(Ahtna Athabascan) The soapberry or dogberry,
Shepherdia canadensis.
(See Pharmacognosia.) (The
l
is voiceless and has no corresponding sound in English. The tip of the tongue is held on the palate just behind the front teeth and breath released so as to push air off both sides of the tongue. The
i
has a short
i
sound like in the English word
sit.
The single
g
corresponds most closely to the English
k
and is pronounced in the back of the throat. The final
e
is pronounced like the
e
in
set.
The apostrophe denotes a glottal stop. Accent the final syllable.)

NAE’
(Ahtna Athabascan) Yes. (The Ahtna
n
sounds like an English
n.
The
ae
acts like a diphthong and takes on the
a
sound in the English word
fad.
The apostrophe represents a glottal stop.)

NUHU’AHN
(Koyukon Athabascan) The word refers to a creature of legend somewhat like the Windigo of the Cree people, but less violent. The Aleut refer to this creature—generally considered to be a man—as an “outside man,” someone who no longer lives within a village, but for some reason has been forcibly exiled. Literally,
nuhu’ahn
means “It sneaks around.” (The
n
’s sound like the English
n.
The
u
’s carry the sound of the
oo
in the English word
cook.
The
h
’s are similar to the
h
in the English word
help.
The apostrophe denotes a glottal stop. The
a
sounds like the English vowel
u
in the word
but.)

QUMALIX
(Aleut) To be light, bright, shiny. (The initial
q
is like a harsh English
k.
The vowels are short. The Aleut
m
is pronounced like an English
m;
the Aleut
l
is a voiced dental lateral. The
x
is a voiceless velar fricative.)

QUNG
(Aleut) Hump, humpback. (The initial
q
is like a harsh English
k.
The
u
is short, and the digraph
ng
is a nasal, pronounced much like the
ng
in the English word
gong.)

SAMIQ
(Ancient Aleut) Stone dagger or knife. (The Aleut
s
is like the English
sh,
the vowels are short, and the Aleut
m
is pronounced like the English
m.
The final
q
takes on a harsh English
k
sound.)

SAX
(Aleut) A long, hoodless parka made of feathered birdskins. (The s is pronounced like the English
sh;
the
a
is short. The
x
is a voiceless velar fricative.)

SHUGANAN
(Ancient word of uncertain origin) Exact meaning unsure, refers to an ancient people. (Pronounced
shoe-ga-nen,
accent on the second syllable.)

SOK
(Ahtna Athabascan) Raven call. (The Ahtna
s
is almost like the English
sh.
The Ahtna
o
is like the
o
in the English word
for.
The
k
is a guttural English
k.)

TAADZI
(Ahtna Athabascan) Large deadfall trap. (The initial
t
is much like an English
t
. The
aa
sounds like the
aw
in the English word
paw.
The
z
is pronounced like
zh
or the
s
in the English word
treasure.
The
i
sounds like the
i
in the English word
sit.
Accent the first syllable.)

TIGANGIYAANEN
(Ahtna Athabascan) Warrior, great warrior. (The initial
t
is much like an English
t.
The
i
’s sound like the
i
in the English word
sit.
The single
g
’s correspond most closely to the English
k
and are pronounced in the back of the throat. The Ahtna
a
is like the
u
in the English word
mutt.
The
n
’s sound like English
n
’s. The
y
is a voiced frontal velar fricative similar to the
y
in the English word
yes.
The
aa
sounds like the
aw
in the English word
paw.
The Ahtna
e
is pronounced like the
e
in the English word
set.
Accent the penultimate syllable.)

TSAANI
(Ahtna Athabascan) Grizzly bear,
Ursus arctos.
(The
ts
takes a sound similar to the
ts
in
sets.
The
aa
carries an
aw
sound. The
n
is pronounced like the English
n,
and the
i
has a short sound like the
i
in the English word
sit.
The first syllable is accented.)

ULAX,
pl.
ULAS
or
ULAM
(Aleut) A semi-subterranean dwelling raftered with driftwood and covered with thatching and sod. (Pronounced
oo-lax,
with the accent on the first syllable. The
a
carries a short vowel sound, and the final
x
is a voiceless velar fricative.)

UUTUK
(Aleut) Sea urchin. (The
uu
takes on a long
u
sound. The Aleut
t
is much like a blunted English
t
—almost a
d
sound. The
k
is a voiced fricative.)

UYGIIX
(Aleut) Old woman. (The single
u
takes a short vowel sound. The
y
sounds much like an English
y.
The
g
is a voiced velar fricative, more guttural than the English
g.
The
ii
carries a long
i
sound. The
x
is properly written as a careted
x,
and is a voiceless uvular fricative.)

YAA
(Ahtna Athabascan) Sky. (The
y
is a voiced frontal velar fricative similar to the
y
in the English word
yes.
The
aa
sounds like the
aw
in the English word
paw.)

YEHL
(Tlingit) Raven. (A similar pronunciation to the English word
yell.)

YIKAAS
(Ahtna Athabascan) Light. (The
i
is pronounced like the
i
in the English word
sit.
The Ahtna
k
has no English equivalent. It is similar to the Aleut
x
and is pronounced in the back of the throat with a very harsh, guttural sound. The
aa
sounds like the
aw
in the English word
paw.
The Ahtna
s
is pronounced like an English
sh.)

The words in the glossary are defined and listed according to their use in
Call Down the Stars.
Most spellings, pronunciations, and words in the Aleut language are used as per their standardization in the
Aleut Dictionary, Unangam Tunudgusii,
compiled by Knut Bergsland. Spellings, pronunciations, and words in the Ahtna Athabascan language are used as per their standardization in the
Ahtna Athabascan Dictionary,
compiled and edited by James Kari. Both dictionaries are published by the Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

P
LANTS LISTED IN THIS
Pharmacognosia are
not
cited in recommendation for use, but only as a supplement to the novel. Many poisonous plants resemble helpful plants, and even some of the most benign can be harmful if used in excess. The wisest way to harvest and prepare wild vegetation for medicine, food, or dye is in the company of an expert. Plants are listed in alphabetical order according to the names used in
Call Down the Stars.

ACONITE
(Monkshood),
Aconitum delphinifolium:
Growing up to three feet in height, this purple-blossomed plant has deeply serrated, elongated palmate leaves. The flowers grow at the end of the stem and are purple (occasionally white). The top petal has a hoodlike shape. Caution: All parts of this plant are extremely poisonous and kill by paralyzing the central nervous system. The Aleut people used to dip the tips of their whale harpoons in a decoction of aconite.

ALDER
Alnus crispa:
A small tree with grayish bark. Medium green leaves have toothed edges, rounded bases, and pointed tips. Flower clusters resemble miniature pinecones. The cambium or inner layer of bark is dried (fresh bark will irritate the stomach) and used to make tea said to reduce high fever. It is also used as an astringent and a gargle for sore throats. The bark renders a brown dye. Caution: Leaves are said to be very poisonous.

BANEBERRY
Actaea rubra:
The baneberry is a vigorous plant that grows in southeastern and coastal Alaska north to the Yukon River area. It attains heights of up to four feet, though two to three feet is normal. Leaves are elongate, dentate, and compound; delicate white flowers grow in balllike clusters at the tips of the stems. Berries are red or white with a characteristic black dot. Caution: All portions of the baneberry are poisonous and ingestion will cause pain and bloody diarrhea. Death may result due to paralysis of the respiratory system and/or cardiac arrest. Do not even touch these plants with bare hands!

BITTER ROOT
(chocolate lily, Kamchatka lily or Kamchatka fritillary, wild rice, rice root),
Fritillaria camschatcensis:
An erect stem bears a dark brown flower with six lanceolate petals. Leaves grow in whorls of six on the upper part of the stem. The flower’s odor is quite unpleasant. The bulbs form edible ricelike corms and should be harvested in late summer. Eaten raw, they are quite bitter, but when boiled and mixed with oil they are very palatable.

BLUEBELLS
(chiming bells, lungwort),
Mertensia paniculata:
Two to three-foot plants sport hairy, elongated ovate leaves that grow opposite one another on the stem. Small groups of delicate, purplish, belllike flowers cluster at the ends of short, drooping stems. Flowers and leaves are said to be good added to teas. Leaves are better picked before the plants flower. The plant has been said to relieve asthma and other types of lung congestion.

BONESET
(purple boneset),
Eupatorium purpureum:
A tall (five to six feet) perennial, its clustered purple flower heads appear in September. Coarse leaves grow in groups of three or five. The root, crushed in a water solution, is said to be a diuretic and tonic as well as a relaxant.

CARIBOU LEAVES
(wormwood, silverleaf),
Artemisia tilessii:
This perennial plant attains a height of two to three feet on a single stem. The hairy, lobed leaves are silver underneath and a darker green on top. A spike of small clustered flowers grows at the top of the stem in late summer. Fresh leaves are used to make a tea that is said to purify the blood and stop internal bleeding, and to wash cuts and sore eyes. The leaves are heated and layered over arthritic joints to ease pain. Caution: Caribou leaves may be toxic in large doses.

CIXUDANGIX
(seagull flower, narcissus-flowered anemone),
Anemone narcissi-flora:
A hairy-stemmed plant that grows up to two feet in height. The flower clusters have five rounded white petals. The hairy, palmate leaves are deeply serrated and grow just below the flower clusters and also at the base of the stem. The Aleut people boiled the roots to extract the juices and used the resulting serum to stop hemorrhage. Caution:
Anemone
are considered poisonous.

CLOUDBERRY
(salmonberry),
Rubus chamaemorus:
Not to be confused with the larger shrub-like salmonberry,
Rubus spectabilis,
this small plants grows to about six inches in height and bears a single white flower. The salmon-colored berry looks like a raspberry and is edible, but not as flavorful as a raspberry. Berries are high in vitamin C. The green leaves are serrated and have five main lobes. The juice from the berries is said to be a remedy for hives.