Qengallgek (Gahn-NE’TH-huck) means King Eider in Yugtun
Storyknife, May/June 2026 edition
When migrating birds start arriving in our region, hunters in the lower Kuskokwim coastal communities hunt qengallget (gahn-NE鈥橳H-hit)[king eiders] and nacaullget (NAH-jiaow-th鈥檒it)[emperor geese] along with black brants and cranes.
Qengallget Nacaullget-llu Pissulallrit (gahn-NE鈥橳H-hit NAH-jiaow-th鈥檒it-TH鈥檒u bi-SU-la鈥橳H-hit) means 鈥�Hunting king eiders and emperor geese鈥� in Yugtun.
As the ice begins to melt, qengallget fly above the shore ice or open water heading north in large flocks. People prefer hunting qengallget in spring rather than the fall because they are fatter and taste better. According to Kipnuk Elders, qengallget fly in flocks with the wind blowing behind them. As they arrive from the south, people in Togiak inform the people of the Kuskokwim area that emperor geese are headed their way. They don鈥檛 nest in the region but fly through as they head north.
People from the coast also hunt nacaullget, which nest in the region. When Noah Atti from Kipnuk was about 8 or 9 years old and learning how to hunt, he and his mother walked along the land near the ocean hunting nacaullget that were nesting in spring. His mom would point them out as they sat in their nests and he would shoot them on their heads with a 20 gauge rifle. She鈥檇 place them in her grass storage bag, which got heavy with the geese he caught.
As the ice begins to melt, qengallget fly above the shore ice or open water heading north in large flocks.
While they were walking along, they came upon an old log with roots that had washed ashore and was stuck in the mud and wasn鈥檛 too long. His mother told him when he comes upon logs like that in the future in the wilderness, he should use all his strength to roll them over to expose the wet, muddy bottom side. He was told that even logs have awareness and they endow blessings on the one who turned them over. Noah continues to pass down this important teaching to students in Kipnuk as well as others.
presents the Yup鈥檌k Teaching Moment in our Storyknife newsletter. CEC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to serve the people of the 九色视频 Region by preserving culture, empowering education and facilitating Yuuyaraq, our traditional way of being, to ensure a vibrant and sustainable future. This Yup鈥檌k Teaching Moment is provided by Alice Cucuaq Rearden. She grew up in Napakiak and now lives and works in Anchorage as the Cultural Engagement Manager at CEC. This information was gathered from Kipnuk Elders living in Anchorage due to Typhoon Halong.