This is a tongue-in-cheek list of Eskimo snow words by Phil James.
| tlapa |
powder snow |
| tlacringit |
snow that is crusted on the surface |
| kayi |
drifting snow |
| tlapat |
still snow |
| klin |
remembered snow |
| naklin |
forgotten snow |
| tlamo |
snow that falls in large wet flakes |
| tlatim |
snow that falls in small flakes |
| tlaslo |
snow that falls slowly |
| tlapinti |
snow that falls quickly |
| kripya |
snow that has melted and refrozen |
| tliyel |
snow that has been marked by wolves |
| tliyelin |
snow that has been marked by Eskimos |
| blotla |
blowing snow |
| pactla |
snow that has been packed down
|
| hiryla |
snow in beards |
| wa-ter |
melted snow |
| tlayinq |
snow mixed with mud |
| quinaya |
snow mixed with Husky "dog-dirt" |
| quinyaya |
snow mixed with the shit of a
lead dog |
| slimtla |
snow that is crusted on top but
soft underneath |
| kriplyana |
snow that looks blue in the early
morning |
| puntla |
a mouthful of snow because you
fibbed |
| allatla |
baked snow |
| fritla |
fried snow |
| gristla |
deep fried snow |
| MacTla |
snow burgers |
| jatla |
snow between your fingers or toes,
or in groin-folds |
| dinliltla |
little balls of snow that cling
to Husky fur |
| sulitlana |
green snow |
| mentlana |
pink snow |
| tidtla |
snow used for cleaning |
| ertla |
snow used by Eskimo teenagers
for exquisite erotic rituals |
| kriyantli |
snow bricks |
| hahatla |
small packages of snow given as
gag gifts |
| semtla |
partially melted snow |
| ontla |
snow on objects |
| intla |
snow that has drifted indoors |
| shlim |
slush |
| warintla |
snow used to make Eskimo daiquiris |
| mextla |
snow used to make Eskimo Margaritas |
| penstla |
the idea of snow |
| mortla |
snow mounded on dead bodies |
| ylaipi |
tomorrow's snow |
| nylaipin |
the snows of yesteryear ("neiges
d'antan") |
| pritla |
our children's snow |
| nootlin |
snow that doesn't stick |
| rotlana |
quickly accumulating snow |
| skriniya |
snow that never reaches the ground |
| bluwid |
snow that's shaken down from objects
in the wind |
| tlanid |
snow that's shaken down and then
mixes with sky-falling snow |
| ever-tla |
a spirit made from mashed fermented
snow, popular among Eskimo men |
| talini |
snow angels |
| priyakli |
snow that looks like it's falling
upward |
| chiup |
snow that makes halos |
| blontla |
snow that's shaken off in the
mudroom |
| tlalman |
snow sold to German tourists |
| tlalam |
snow sold to American tourists |
| tlanip |
snow sold to Japanese tourists |
| protla |
snow packed around caribou meat |
| attla |
snow that as it falls seems to
create nice pictures in the air |
| sotla |
snow sparkling with sunlight |
| tlun |
snow sparkling with moonlight |
| astrila |
snow sparkling with starlight |
| clim |
snow sparkling with flashlight
or headlight |
| tlapi |
summer snow |
| krikaya |
snow mixed with breath |
| ashtla |
expected snow that's wagered on
(depth, size of flakes) |
| huantla |
special snow rolled into "snow
reefers" and smoked by wild Eskimo youth. |
| tla-na-na |
snow mixed with the sound of old
rock and roll from a portable radio |
| depptla |
a small snowball, preserved in
Lucite, that had been handled by Johnny Depp |
| trinkyi |
first snow of the year |
| tronkyin |
last snow of the year |
| shiya |
snow at dawn |
| katiyana |
night snow |
| tlinro |
snow vapor |
| nyik |
snow with flakes of widely varying
size |
| ragnitla |
two snowfalls at once, creating
moire patterns |
| akitla |
snow falling on water |
| privtla |
snow melting in the spring rain |
| chahatlin |
snow that makes a sizzling sound
as it falls on water |
| hootlin |
snow that makes a hissing sound
as the individual flakes brush |
| geltla |
snow dollars |
| briktla |
good building snow |
| striktla |
snow that's no good for building |
| erolinyat |
snow drifts containing the imprint
of crazy lovers |
| chachat |
swirling snow that drives you
nuts |
| krotla |
snow that blinds you |
| tlarin |
snow that can be sculpted into
the delicate corsages Eskimo girls pin to their whale parkas
at prom time |
| motla |
snow in the mouth |
| sotla |
snow in the south |
| maxtla |
snow that hides the whole village |
| tlayopi |
snow drifts you fall into and
die |
| truyi |
avalanche of snow |
| tlapripta |
snow that burns your scalp and
eyelids |
| carpitla |
snow glazed with ice |
| tla |
ordinary snow |
Native American Legends A-B