Iqsani’s family plays yaamaq, watercolor by Cheryl Lacy, 2021, produced with support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
Games have been part of Alutiiq/Sugpiaq culture for centuries and they had many purposes. Games taught skills, reinforced spiritual beliefs, provided entertainment, promoted friendly competition, and encouraged physical fitness. Alutiiq games varied with the seasons. In the fall, children played aigat (hands), a string game meant to slow the sun from setting and give families more time to prepare for winter. Alutiiq people put their toys and games away for winter—so as not to prolong bad weather. As spring approached, children played a sunrise game, a string game that hastened warm weather. When the geese and sparrows returned, toys, games, and competitions reappeared to celebrate the birth of the year. Elders remember spring as a time when beaches were filled with people playing games and preparing for subsistence activities.
Gaming remains part of the seasonal rhythm of life in Alutiiq communities. Although new games like bingo are popular today, many people still enjoy the old games and Alutiiq versions of games like hide and seek, tag, and baseball.