In Yup'ik, caputnguaq refers to a something blocking a path temporarily. In Chefornak, a long time ago when the river was narrow, there was a line of rocks under the water that formed a false water dam that spanned accross the river where the old school is located at. This is caused by a line of rocks that are under the river which to this day makes a rip tide type of line inthe water that is visible when the current goes out toward the Bering Sea. Our ancestors saw this river feature and named this location Caputnguaq in the Yup'k language.