{"id":89550,"date":"2022-08-02T22:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-03T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/planet-alaskathe-language-of-berries\/"},"modified":"2022-08-03T15:37:37","modified_gmt":"2022-08-03T23:37:37","slug":"planet-alaskathe-language-of-berries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/planet-alaskathe-language-of-berries\/","title":{"rendered":"Planet Alaska:\tThe language of berries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
It’s berry season in Tlingit Aaní, our favorite time of year. Sagóot kuwaháa — It’s a joyful time. We’d like to introduce you, Dear Reader, to 10 Lingít words for some of our favorite Southeast Alaskan berries. We invite you to learn the names, so when you’re out in the bushes picking berries, you can practice saying the words.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Even though the Lingít language is one of the most complex languages in the world, as you fill your buckets with berries this summer, fill your mind and body with the language of the land. Like the berries, the language lives on the land. Lingít X’éináx Sá—Say it in Lingít. Let’s begin:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Wasʼxʼaan tléig̱u—Salmonberry:<\/strong> Sounds almost like wus-caan-clay-goo. (The letter sounds are more complex than this.)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Boots and buckets and salmonberries in Wrangell. (Courtesy Photo \/ Vivian Faith Prescott)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Berries are an important part of our Tlingit diet. They are our fruit, sweeteners, our trading currency, our ceremonial foods, our delicacies, and our everyday food. Salmonberries are like our culture—determined and resilient. They send out their roots from the stems, like tradition bearers do, making the soil rich for new seedlings to sprout.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t One of the best ways to pick salmonberries in Southeast Alaska is to put on full raingear and get inside the berry bush. A person just disappears two steps into a salmonberry bush. Most of the berries are underneath the leaves. The rain gear helps to protect you from the wet bushes and the sticks, pokies, and bugs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Practice this phrase: Goosú wé was’x’aan tléigu? Where are the salmonberries?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Kanat’á—Blueberry:<\/strong> Sounds like kun-ut-uh.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t In Southeast Alaska we use the general term “blueberry” but we’re talking about several varieties growing in our forests. There’s the oval-leaf blueberry, Alaskan blueberry, dwarf blueberry, black huckleberry, and the lowbush blueberry. Alaskan blueberries are a “superfood,” meaning they’re nutritionally dense like our salmon and seaweeds.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t One of the most nutritious beverages we have in Tlingit Aaní is berry juice or “soup”. It might appear unappetizing, but berry soup is fantastic.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Berry soup. (Courtesy Photo \/ Yeilk’ Vivian Mork)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t To make it, mix any number of berries (any variety such as mixing salmonberries and blueberries) with any amount of water and add a bit of sweetener if you’d like. Mix gently with a spoon. Our favorite is blueberry, thimbleberry, salmonberry, blackberry soup. We like to eat it hot first and then eat some cold later.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Practice this phrase: Kanat’á xaxá. I am eating blueberries.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Shákw—Strawberry:<\/strong> Sounds like sh-uh-kw.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Both wild and cultivated strawberries are grown in Southeast Alaska. They like sandy soil by glaciers or grasslands. In Wrangell there’s a Sitkine River variety and in the Glacier Bay region there’s another. Often you can find them growing on the side of roads, but before harvesting you must make sure they’re in an area that’s not polluted. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Practice this phrase: Shákw gaatoo.ín Let’s gather strawberries.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Chʼeix̱ʼ—Thimbleberry:<\/strong> Sounds like ch-ay-x. Also pronounced\/called ch’eex’.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Thimblerries in Yeilk’ Vivian Mork’s hand.(Courtesy Photo \/ Yeilk’ Vivian Mork)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t As traditional harvesters we speak to the berries, the land, our ancestors, while we’re out harvesting. Having a simple ceremony before harvesting acknowledges respect for this berry land. Use the Lingít words you’re learning: Gunalchéesh ch’eix’. This word is fun to learn to pronounce because the apostrophes mean the letters are pinched, meaning the sound is cut off sooner and sharper.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Though thimbleberries can be found in the Pacific Northwest, California, and even the Great Lakes region, the favorite picking sites are often well-kept secrets. Thimbleberries are good for your immune system, and they’re shared by humans and critters alike. You can make jam from thimbleberries, and sauces for fish and meats, and use them for baking too. Currently our most favorite jam in the world is thimbleberry\/blueberry. We call it blue-thimble jam.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Practice this phrase: Gunalchéesh, ch’eix’. Thank you, thimbleberry.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Tleikatánk—Red huckleberry:<\/strong> Sounds like tl-ache-uh-tunk.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Courtesy Photo \/ Vivian Faith Prescott \n Red huckleberries and blueberries in Wrangell at Mickey’s Fishcamp.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t Tleikatánk is one of our favorite words to practice because when you say it, the syllables remind us of red huckleberries plunking into the bucket. Sitka has a lot of red huckleberries, but they are rarer in Wrangell and patches are often closely guarded secrets. Red huckleberries are high in vitamin C and fiber. We have lots of uses for these sought-after berries. They freeze well in freezer bags for a year or two. In addition to pie, jelly, and jam, you can toss frozen berries in your oatmeal or eat them in muffins and pancakes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Practice this phrase: Tleikatánk áwé kanat’áx xoo yéi nateech: Red huckleberries are always among blueberries.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t ***<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t In this list, we’re offering you basic pronunciations, but this method falls short. You should hear the correct pronunciations so you can practice. The best resources are found at tlingitlanguage.com, at Sealaska Heritage Institute’s YouTube page<\/a>, and at Goldbelt Heritage’s website.<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Depending on which linguist you ask, there are anywhere between 44 to 48 consonants<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t and 8 vowels. Plus, there are unique sounds that are not heard in English or in any language in the world. The individual letters are also distinguished by tone marks, underlines, apostrophes and even the “period” is a letter.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t It may seem daunting, but it’s possible to learn these new sounds. Once you hear a few of the words and sounds, then go practice. What better place to practice than in the berry bushes? Plus, practicing in the berry bushes lets the critters and other humans know your presence.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t