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Cumerrnariuq / Time for Grass Cutting

:

ISBN 1-58084-022-4
Publisher: Lower Kuskokwim School District,

Written by Rosalie Lincoln (Yup'ik)
Illustrated by Susie Moses (Yup'ik)Both the author and illustrator have written and illustrated numerous books for the LKSD's Bilingual Department to be used in their school district's Yup'ik Language programs.

Grade Level:

Yup'ik Level Seven (3rd grade) Theme: qalamciq/qalangssak - a Yup'ik story (an oral story of a recent event)

Status: Recommended

Review

Cumerrnariuq is a qalamciq/qalangssak - a Yup'ik oral story of a recent event where the parents take the children on an excursion to gather wild beach rye grass. The title of the story is very appropriate to the story because it explains and validates the concept of the activity and how people prepare, gather and store food and/or materials/resources for each season. The author reflects on her own experiences in the gathering of the wild beach grass. Her use of her own Yup'ik Nelson Island dialect is evident throughout the story. She imbeds within the story the proper cultural protocol for how traditional Yup'ik parents include their children in activities of this nature. We can only detect a minor cultural inconsistency where the young child praises her mother, which is not common amongst the traditional Yup'ik people (Western influenced). The illustrator's own cultural knowledge and experience is reflected throughout the book as she herself is part of the Yup'ik culture. It is common for Yup'ik people to sit and work on the floor as illustrated thoughout the book

Season: Fall and Spring

Suggested Teaching Topics:

  • Explain the term cumerrnariuq to the children e.g How do your parents prepare you to start school in the fall?- buying school supplies, counting the number of days before school starts,
    buying new clothes, and talking to you about school
  • Unit Types of Grass and It's Uses

References:

Earth Dyes (Nuunam Qaralirkai) Dyes for Grass Made from Natural Materials By Rita Pitka Blumenstein and The Institute of Alaska Native Arts



A list of reviewers may be found at:
http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/IKS/HAIL/Nallunairvik.html

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