It's Oookie-ook (Ukiuk) And It's Cold Outside
live action short set in Alaska
NOTE: All of the Eskimo/Inuit words in quotes are spelled phonetically. I've added the English word being defined and the closest native word I could find in brackets. These come from the Inuktitut Living Dictionary, but were cross-checked with other online sources as best I could. For many the native word doesn't look/sound a *thing* like it does in the song, but it's the best I could do. Of course, my ears aren't perfect and if anyone wants to help out, please do!
[Scene opens in a village in Alaska. The camera pans in on a little girl looking at the snow-covered land from the other side of a window in a house.]
I wake up in my house
It's called a "too-pik" (house - illuk)
Each day
And I dress just like you do
But the old Alaskan way
[The camera moves inside as the little girl walks over to her mother seated on the floor surrounded by winter garments. She sits down, her mother smiles and the camera pans over all the fur-covered, hand-made Indian articles she's about to put on. As she sings each item, we see her putting it on.]
I wear my regular clothes underneath
But because of the Arctic chill
My "agah" (mother - anaana)
Makes me bundle up
Like mothers always will
Put on your "kamikluke" (pants - qalliik)
To stay warm and dry
Lace up your "too-ta-luk" (boots - tipsaluq)
And you're stepping high
Slip on your "aa-tee-eat" (coat/jacket - japaq)
Put your "mouse-on?" (hat - nahaq)
On your head with pride
A pair of "aa-teak" (gloves/mittens - aggajaak)
And you're ready
'Cause it's "ookie-ook" (winter - ukiuk)
And it's cold outside!
[Spoken as the girl walks out the door:]
Now it's off to "aglavic" (school - ilinniarvik)
Just like all the other "eel-eeah-guck" (children/kids - aangiq)
[A bunch of kids comes skipping down the road singing, all bundled in their own winter gear.]
We've got our "kamikluke"
To stay warm and dry
We've laced our "too-ta-luk"
And we're stepping high
Slipped on our "aa-tee-eat"
Put our "mouse-on?"
On our head with pride
A pair of "aa-teak"
And we're ready
'Cause it's "ookie-ook"
Really "ookie-ook"
Yes, it's "ookie-ook"
And it's cold outside!
[All of the kids enter a school.]
[Spoken as the camera pans the wintery landscape:]
Where I come from, "ookie-ook" is winter, and winter is really "ookie-ook"!
Painstakingly transcribed by your loyal webmistress Tiny Dancer