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Native Arctic Animals

Here are the indigenous words for eight native animals of the Arctic. We have given their names in four different Native languages: Aleut, Alutiiq, Inupiaq, and Yupik.

Can you guess whether these different Arctic languages are related to each other by looking at the animal names on this page? (Hint: Not every word will sound similar even in closely related languages, so you will need to look at several different animals to figure it out!) You can find the answer on this page: Eskimo-Aleut languages.

Arctic Native Animal Names


Aleut: sabaaka
Alutiiq: qikmiq
Inupiaq: qimmiq
Yupik: qimugta

Aleut: aliĝngi
Alutiiq: kaganaq
Inupiaq: amauq
Yupik: kegg'luner

Aleut: tanĝaaĝim
Alutiiq: taquka
Inupiaq: nanuq
Yupik: arlunar

Aleut: uskaana
Alutiiq: uskaanaq
Inupiaq: ukalliq
Yupik: maqaruar

Aleut: isu
Alutiiq: qaigyaq
Inupiaq: ugruk
Yupik: taqukar

Aleut: ala
Alutiiq: arwaq
Inupiaq: aviq
Yupik: arwer

Aleut: tiĝla
Alutiiq: kum'agyak
Inupiaq: tiŋmiaqpak
Yupik: u'uwhig

Aleut: qanglaaĝi
Alutiiq: qanikcuk
Inupiaq: tulugaq
Yupik: tulukarug



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