A new generation of Alutiiq speakers fight language loss in Kodiak

Alaska Public Media & KTOO | By Valerie Lake,

Published September 30, 2022 at 9:36 PM AKDT

A group of preschoolers sits in a circle singing Alutiiq songs. — A group of preschoolers sings Itsy Bitsy Spider in Alutiiq at the Alutiingcut Childcare Center in Kodiak, Alaska on September 15, 2022. (Valerie Kern, Alaska Public Media).

Half of the people whose first language is Kodiak Alutiiq have died over the last few years. The Sun'aq tribe estimates that fewer than 20 remain. It is a heavy blow to the endangered language. But that’s not stopping new speakers from learning Alutiiq and passing along a distinct culture and worldview to the next generations. From Kodiak, Claire Stremple and Valerie Kern bring us this story.

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Valerie Lake

Originally from the Central Coast of California, Valerie joined Alaska Public Media in July 2017. She creates original video content for the station's TV and digital platforms while also overseeing the Production Department. Before moving to Alaska, Valerie worked as an ENG Editor at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina. She also served in the U.S. Air Force as a TV and Radio Broadcast Journalist where she traveled around Europe, Africa, The Baltics, Australia, and the Southern United States reporting on military events, exercises, and missions. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, backcountry skiing, backpacking, yoga, and traveling.

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Valerie Kern

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Claire Stremple

Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on Facebook and X.

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