Igiugig is a small village (population 48) located in southwestern Alaska, on the south bank of the mouth of the Kvichak River and Lake Iliamna. The village is 48 miles southwest of Iliamna, Alaska and 56 miles northeast of King Salmon, Alaska. The Village's population consists mainly of Yup'ik Eskimos, Aleuts, and Athabascan Indians. The word Igiugig means "Like a throat that swallows water" in the Yup'ik language - a name clearly derived from the location of the Village right at the mouth where Lake Illiamna feeds the Kvichak River.
The 4-1-1 in the 5-3-3
Lake Iliamna icebergs float downstream, sparkling and glinting like a chandelier in the May sunshine. The breaking ice makes a crystalline chiming noise, almost to say “tick, tock”. Fishing is not open yet, nor is the lake. I enjoy the quiet before the storm—before the barrage of equipment that needs to be transported to the village and the influx of tourists. This is our time to prepare for another whirlwind of a summer.
Within the last month we’ve received visits from: a Bulk Fuel Farm inspector, the National Park Service about their Alagnak River Study, ANTHC to service our water distribution line, and the district conservationist to look at the site we will develop for agriculture. In the meantime, we have also enjoyed “R” Carnival, the annual village clean-up, and end-of-the-school-year festivities. Soon we will have the flowerboxes and gardens planted and the village will be beautified for the season. On that note, our gift shop is looking rather bare, so if you have handicrafts, finish them up and bring them for display!
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4th of July
July 1 - Kiara Nelson
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