Village Lingo 101


Ever since I moved out to the village I have gotten used to learning new words and phrases. Most  are just other names for common lower 48 items/events. However, there are some that I didn’t know before coming out here. Which means that anyone who reads my blog may not always know what I’m talking about (I try to explain in posts, but sometimes they slip by me). I thought it would be helpful to come up with a Pilot Point/Alaskan dictionary (subject to change as time goes by).
Barabara- A sod house/hut that different native groups used to live in
Bike- The second most common term for a four wheeler
Bump- The basketball game that is known as knock-out in the lower 48 (NJ specifically)
Buzzed the school- A term pilots use to say they flew over the school so you know they are about to land. This helps so teachers can send someone to pick people up   from or get out to the airstrip.
D.O- District Office or our home base which is located in King Salmon
Going to town- Flying to Anchorage
Honda-The most common terms for a four wheeler
H.U.D.- Houses that are part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also the name of one of our roads here in PIP
Kinders- Kindergarten students
L.P.S.D- The Lake and Peninsula School District a.k.a my school district
O.C.S- Office of Children’s Services
Petal Bike- A regular bike
S.B.S- The standards based system that we use in the school district
Set-netters- The summer fishers who are not villagers
Spend- Having a sleepover (as in “Sofie is coming to spend this weekend”)
Spent the/Spended- Past tense of spend (as in “Sofie ‘spent the’ last night)
Steam- A sauna
Steam bath- To wash yourself while in a sauna
The deck- The old basketball court in the village
The truck- Our village ambulance-like vehicle
The Valley- The shorthand term for a region in Anchorage
Troopers- The Alaskan State Troopers
V.P.S.O.- Village Police Safety Officer
Weathered In- Not being able to leave a village due to the problems with visibility, wind,    temperatures, or other conditions

No comments:

Post a Comment