Multicultural Alaska Quiz | Etymology

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Spanish in Alaska: Cangrejo Point in SE Alaska was named by a Spanish explorer for a tasty type of sea food that he might have eaten there. What does "cangrejo" mean in Spanish?

Answer: Crab

"Cangrejo" is "crab", caught in pots as shown in the picture. Don Juan de la Bodega y Quadra and Francisco Antonio Maurelle explored Alaska 1775-1779, giving many Alaskan places Spanish names, including their own. Cangrejo Point is on Suemez Island, also named by Bodega y Quadra and Maurelle.

2. French in Alaska: Originally named by the Russians as Ostrov Yaichnoi, the French translated the name of this island and bird rookery to L'ile de Oeufs. What is the present name, the English translation of both previous names?

Answer: Egg Island

"Oeuf" is French for "egg", and Egg Island was named so by first the Russians, then French, then English-speakers for the large number of bird eggs found there. There are many "Egg Island"s in Alaska, but this one is in Norton Sound, an arm of the Bering Sea in the vicinity of Nome.

3. Italian in Alaska: Captain Alessandro Malaspina explored Alaska for the Spanish crown, searching for the elusive Northwest Passage. He named many points, and has his own name attached to which iconic Alaskan feature?

Answer: Glacier

The Malaspina Glacier is located on the desolate coast of the Gulf of Alaska between Yakutat and Prince William Sound. Malaspina extensively surveyed both of those locations which penetrate far inland, but of course were ultimately dead-ends.

4. Chinese in Alaska: Kimshan Cove is said to be a Chinese name meaning "____ mountain", the blank containing the name of an element that Alaska is well known for.

Answer: Gold

Gold was discovered in Alaska as early as 1848. A large gold mine operated in the capital of Juneau for decades. Many commercial gold mining operations continue, as well as individuals that pan for gold in almost any Alaskan stream. Mount Doolth, at the head of Kimshan Cove, was the site of many gold mines.

5. Inuktak Creek empties into the Chukchi Sea on the north slope of Alaska. The name is from a native Inupiat word that commemorates a meeting between two warring tribes. What crime does "inuktak" indicate?

Answer: Murder

A folktale tells of a meeting here Inuktak Creek between the warring Tigaraqmiut (Point Hope people) and Kivalinaqmiut (Kivalina people) that resulted in deaths in both tribes. "Inuktak" is the Inupiat word for "murder".

6. English in Alaska: Bligh Island is named for Captain William Bligh, infamous for the mutiny in HMS Bounty. Bligh was a member of the exploratory expedition of which famous British sea captain?

Answer: Cook

Bligh was master of HMS Resolution during Captain James Cook's third voyage of exploration. Cook and Bligh were in Alaska looking for the fabled Northwest Passage, and many geographic features in the state bear English names from their explorations. Later in this voyage, Cook was killed in the Hawaiian Islands.

7. German in Alaska: Holtz Bay on Attu Island is probably named for the German word "holtz" or "holz" which means what?

Answer: Wood

Attu Island, as all of the Aleutian Islands, are rocky, volcanic islands covered in tundra. Not many trees grow in the Aleutians, so perhaps Holtz Bay was so named by a German visitor since it does have some trees.

8. Since there were already many streams in Alaska named "Iron Creek", a 1927 geographic party renamed one of them "Ferrum Creek". From which language did they take this word for "iron"?

Answer: Latin

There are at least 24 streams named "Iron Creek" in Alaska, and many other geographic features named for this strong metal. A U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey crew mapping the Kenai Peninsula in 1927 introduced some variety and Latinized the name of one such creek. Pictured is a Roman aqueduct.

9. Japanese in Alaska: Japonski Island, near Sitka, was named by a people who had their capital at Sitka. In which language does "Japonski" or "Yaponski" mean "Japanese"?

Answer: Russian

Russian explorer Ivan Vasiliev explored the area around present-day Sitka and in 1809 found some Japanese sailors shipwrecked on an island. He named the island "Japanese Island", or "Yaponskoi Ostrov" in Russian. The name has since been Anglicized by replacing the beginning "y" sound with the hard "j"; the Russian language doesn't have a letter for "j". Pictured is the modern flag of Russia.

10. Norwegian in Alaska: Biorka is a popular name in Alaska, from the Norwegian "Bjerk 0" meaning "______ Island". Which tree name goes in the blank, whose English name sounds quite a bit like the Norwegian?

Answer: Birch

The birch tree is widespread in northern climates, so it would have been familiar to Norwegian settlers in Alaska. Birch is a hard, fragrant wood that has many uses in folk medicine and other traditional crafts. A distinctive feature of most birch species is the bark, such as the Paper Birch pictured here.

Source: Author wjames

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Multicultural Alaska Trivia Quiz

Alaska is a huge land, plenty of room for diverse place names from many cultures.

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