Alaska Terms
Language of the North

Alaska terms are good to know if you are talking to an Alaskan! He might say a few things that you wouldn't understand. Or at least, you might not be too familiar with some of his language.



To help you out, I've listed a few of the most common terms used by Alaskans and some that are specific to the Alaskan Native culture. And I'll give you a close approximation of how you pronounce them in parentheses, next to the word, if it's necessary.

Alaska terms that come from the Native and Eskimo languages are used in an English language version. Though some of them are probably pronounced exactly like the original native version.

Alaska terms of ESKIMOS and ALASKAN NATIVES:

Agutak - Eskimo ice cream. Originally made with whale oil whipped up with snow or with a bit of water, and wild berries added. It could also have small pieces of fish or caribou meat added. Oils or fats from seal, walrus, reindeer, caribou or moose could also be used in place of whale oil.

Biliken or Billiken - Always considered to be an Eskimo good luck charm, it seems that it was copied from a statue shown to Eskimos in the early 1900s. It's a funny little fat man with a pointed head. Often carved from walrus teeth or other walrus ivory. (It's evidently not even an Eskimo term.)

Mukluk - Eskimo footwear made from any of the animal skins that they harvest, with the fur turned to the inside. Some of the most beautiful mukluks and parkas are made from seal skin. Originates from the Eskimo term, makliak or muklok, meaning large seal.

Muktuk - Pieces of whale skin, with or without whale blubber attached, usually taken from the bowhead whale. It is cut in sections, frozen and eaten raw as a meal, by Eskimos. Now that you know what this Alaska term means, if an Eskimo offers you some muktuk, at least you can decide IF you want to try it!

Ulu (pronunciation - ooloo) - An implement made of a single, half-circle blade with a handle attached to the straight side. The shape can vary considerably, but the circular edge is always the sharpened cutting blade. It is used by Alaskan Native women for many purposes, but mainly for skinning animals and cleaning hides, to prepare them for tanning.

Other General ALASKA TERMS:

A few other terms are used by many Alaskans or refer to things specific to Alaska. They are not usually used or heard elsewhere in the United States or other parts of the world.

Bottom drops out, or Bottom falls out - This descriptive Alaska term refers to the dirt road and ground conditions in the spring, when there is mud all over the place from melting snows. When it has thawed enough, you can get some very soft ground that turns into extremely deep mud. If you try to drive over an area like that, you are likely to think that the "bottom dropped out". You can sink rather deep. But if you do, try one of the tried and true methods to get unstuck.

Chechaco, chechako or cheechako (pronunciation - cheechako) - All three spellings are evidently correct. If you happen to meet a long-time Alaskan resident, and you didn't know much about how to survive in Alaska, he would most likely call you a "chechaco". It means tenderfoot or newcomer. Also, he would call himself a "sourdough". Originates from the Chinook Indian words , t'shi (new) and chakho (come).

Lower 48 - When Alaska became the 49th State, residents thereafter referred to the other states as "the lower 48". Even though Hawaii was added a few years later, the term has stuck.

Malemute - An Alaskan dog that was bred in the Arctic to pull heavy loads. They were a good substitute for a horse and, pound for pound, can actually pull more than a horse. They are not racers but have great strength and endurance.

Outhouse - This is the common Alaska term for the little wooden building out behind the main house, also known as a latrine, bathroom, lavatory or toilet. It is usually made with either one or two seat-holes. There is no running water or sinks in them. And MOST of them have doors on them with a latch! You wouldn't want to be in one with a strong wind blowing and no latch.

Sourdough - An old joke says that a "sourdough" is someone who is "sour" on the country but doesn't have enough "dough" to get out. But the actual definition of it is, someone who has lived there long enough to know what to do and not do, in order to survive. Sourdoughs referred to many of the old-time trappers, hunters and gold miners who managed to live successfully off the land.

George Miller was a sourdough who lived nearby when I was 8 years old. He had been around long enough to homestead on property that became part of Elmendorf Air Force Base at Anchorage. But he'd moved to Spenard, which was considered a separate town at the time, but is now a suburb of Anchorage. We lived a short distance away over a hill and through the woods.

Even though he'd sold his homestead to the government and had plenty of money to live on, he put his money in the bank and continued to live mostly like he always had. He owned a fishing boat, a jeep and a little house. The house had rough wood floors worn down and thoroughly embedded with dirt and oil from daily living. He did sweep the floor and I think he even washed his dishes unlike some other "sourdoughs" we met.

One of his pleasures was to drive down the old Campbell Station Road and wave at every child he passed, shouting, "Hi Jack", Jim, Bill or Joe or if it was a girl, "Hi Susie" or Patty, Jill, Linda or whatever name he happened to think of. He didn't have any idea who they were! He was just a friendly sort of fellow and wanted to be friends with anyone that came along.

He often sat in front of his house mending his fish nets, so my sister and I would watch and pester him with questions. He never got tired of us. Occasionally, he bought bright colored balls, bubbles, jump ropes, paddle balls or bubble gum and gave them to us and other children. We absolutely loved getting these little presents as we didn't normally have such things. Mom was always just able to make ends meet buying groceries and keeping us in clothes.

He also pulled tricks occasionally. There was one that Mom never forgot. She asked him for a cigarette one day when she didn't have money to buy them. While waiting, she had her hand out and turned her head, looking at something else. Suddenly she felt a wet, sticky glob in her hand. Jerking her hand away, she saw a large chunk of saliva-covered chewing tobacco fall to the floor! He picked it up and stuck it back in his mouth, laughing. I think it was a hint to Mom to quit smoking.

As you can tell, dirt or germs were not a concern of these old-timers and he lived well into his 80s. He is a perfect example of this Alaska term, "Sourdough".

Squaw Candy - Smoked salmon that has been soaked in sugar as well as salt brine before smoking. Though it is made by Alaskan Natives, I doubt that they sweetened it before they came in contact with the white civilization. Regular smoked salmon is not sweetened. It probably wasn't even soaked in brine before Russians came here in the 1700's. I've seen Natives hang salmon over a campfire, in huts of animal hides on stick frames, to cure in the smoke. They used Alder or Birch wood for smoking. The stuff made this way is quite dry, leathery and tasty, when it's done. It isn't anything like the watery, packaged smoked salmon you buy in stores.

Termination Dust - The first snowfalls that show up on the tops of mountains. You can tell summer is going to be over shortly. In Anchorage, we've always watched the snow as it gradually gets lower and lower on the Chugach Mountain range. You can predict fairly closely when the snow will arrive in town by how quickly it comes down the mountainside.

That's all the Alaska terms I can think of at the moment. But if I do come up with more, I will add them. Now that you have a bit of Alaskan language under your belt, let's take a look at a few other Alaska travel tips....

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