Examining & explaining
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Painted designs
2001
Examining & explaining
Virginia Minock: Ipuun [ladle]. They’re still being used nowadays but not as fancy.
Neva Rivers: Makut manigpak.
(These are so smooth.)
John Phillip, Sr.: Angassanek wangkuta pilaqait wangkut nunamteni.
(In our village we call them angassaq [ladle].)
Neva Rivers: Tauna-gguq arulamiruksuarlua-ll’. Imkut flat-alrianeng pilget arulamirutmeng piaqaat. Imna-llu ipuuksuaraq. Soup-aliiluki pitukeput. Soup-alilriameng piaqata pilutuluki.
(That is a small arulamirun [ladle]. Those ones that are flat are called arulamirun.
That one is called an ipuuksuaraq [small ladle]. We use them for soup. When they made soup of some they used them.)
Joan Hamilton: Ladle. And then there’s one that’s flatter for—
Neva Rivers: Stirring.
John Phillip, Sr.: Yaassiigenqellriit taukut arulamirutneng.
(The arulamirutet [ladles] are more square-shaped.)
Neva Rivers: Yaassigenqeggluki ilait takluteng.
(They are more square-shaped and some are long.)
John Phillip, Sr.: Ii-i, takurluteng.
(Yes, they are longer.)
Joan Hamilton: And what you call them also depends on the length.
John Phillip, Sr.: Ii-i, iliini amllermeng ilungqerpegnateng.
(Yes, sometimes they don’t have a deep curve.)
Painted designs
Suzi Jones: And are they always painted a little bit with the red?
Neva Rivers: Everything has to painted, not to leave it like this [plain]. They have to paint them all the time with the red and black.
Joan Hamilton: Ciin?
(Why?)
Neva Rivers: Design-arluki kenekluki pituit.
(They care about them so they design them.)
Joan Hamilton: Because they treasure them and value them.
Neva Rivers: We all have red clay. This [red coloring] is from the clay, what they made it from. They make sure they put oil on it, so it [color] will stay longer.
Virginia Minock: And it won’t crack.
Neva Rivers: And it doesn’t wash off. It will be reddish all the time. They never leave it like this, pale all the way. And they have to put fancy [designs] in here [bowl], just to make it look pretty, for decoration. Un’ maa-i quletmun qaralingqerrluni (there are decorations going upwards (on handle)].
Virginia Minock: Nallunailkutaqaat?
(Does it show that it’s theirs?)
Neva Rivers: Qaraliuciqait. Qaralilituut makuneng to make it look pretty.
(It would be their design. They put these kinds of designs to make it look pretty.)
Neva Rivers: Atuunrilengraata piugtacimegcetun.
(They put any kind of decorations even they don’t have a succinct meaning.)
John Phillip, Sr.: Pinrilengraata qaralililarait piullermegneng iliit.
(Some just put any kind of decoration that they want.)
Joan Hamilton: Sometimes the decoration is just for aesthetics, personal preference, not necessarily with a story.
Neva Rivers: You just make a design. Not to leave it [the meaning] clear all the time.
Virginia Minock: Una-qaa unatnguaruuq qanerluni? Nauga qanemcilalriit teglegyukuvet unateten qanengciqut.
(Is this [design inside ladle] a fake hand with a mouth? They would say that if you keep stealing mouths will appear on your hands.)
John Phillip, Sr.:Ii-i, pillilria-wa. Qanemcitangqertuq. Tua-r’ tang taungulrua wani-wa. Qanruaruluni.
(Yes, maybe it is that. There are stories. Seems like it would be that right here. It has a pretend mouth.)
Virginia Minock: Yes. If you steal food, if you’re hiding and eating, your hands will get a mouth, and you wouldn’t be able to eat because your hands will eat it by the time you take it. I guess that’s that story right here. It’s a hand with a mouth.
Joan Hamilton: Ciin tua tuavet ellillrua?
(Why did they put it there?)
Virginia Minock: Tua-i-w’ neqakesqelluku tamana pillikii.
(They probably want us to remember it.)
Joan Hamilton: Ii-i.
(Yes.)
Virginia Minock: So you’ll remember the story when you see it.
Joan Hamilton: We have different physical evidence of stories.
Neva Rivers: Itqiirpiim unatai taugaam qanerqertut.
(They have the itqiirpak mouths.)
Wooden ladles and spoons were painted with inherited family designs similar to those seen on bentwood food dishes. The painting on this ladle probably depicts the itqiirpak, a legendary giant hand with mouths on each finger and a large hole in the center of its palm. This dreaded sea creature, featured in warnings by Yup’ik parents, was said to come into the qasgiq [men’s community house] to eat noisy boys.
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