Willie Kamkoff, Kotlik, February 1994

Yuarutni tamalkuitni mermiutaq ciumek apalluq aturlaraat, yuarutem apallua. Uumikuani-llu nunamiutaq.

Tuani tangkellemni Imangami murilkepiarluki, unuaqu piqataameng kegginaquteng qalriavkallruit. Imarpigmiutaat kegginaqut cakmavet elliluki elaturramun. Nunamiutaat taugken kiani aug'umek negcuarmek capluku. Taugken yurarluteng qalriagaqluuteng. Aturluku taman' kegginaquq qalriucianek qalriavkarluku.

Malruurrlainatuut makut canguarutet. Tuunrissuutet-gguq taugaam yuarutet, cellangualriit-llu tamakut yuarutait pingasunek apallungqertut. Ilait-gguq cetamanek pingqerlartut tuunrissuutet yuarutet. Malruurpallu man'a-llu nuna.

In every song they would sing about the ocean animal in the first apalluq. The following apalluq would be about the land animal.

When I observed dancers closely in Emmonak, the day before they presented the masks, they all cried out the sounds of the animals. First they placed all the ocean animal masks in the qasgiq porch. And they put the land animals in the back of the qasgiq behind a curtain. Then they danced, making the animals' sounds.

For many songs there are two apalluqs. However, the tuunrissuutet [doctoring songs] of the shaman and the songs sung in the ellanquaryaraq [presentation of the model universe] always had three apalluqs. Some doctoring songs can have four apalluqs. But mostly two, about the ocean and about the land.

Mask Detail and Main Gallery Information

Based on the exhibit curated by Ann Fienup-Riordan