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The Aleuts, also known as Unangax or Unangan, are the indigenous people of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Russia’s Kamchatka Oblast. They are related to both the Inuit and the Yupik. The Aleutians, Pribilofs, Shumagins, and the westernmost part of the Alaskan Peninsula are all considered part of the Aleuts’ traditional homeland.
See the fact file below for more information on the Aleuts, or you can download our 25-page Aleuts worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
ABOUT THE ALEUTS
- During the Russian fur trade era of the 18th and 19th centuries, Alaska’s indigenous people were named Aleut (al-ee-oot). Unangan, which means “coastal people,” was their original name.
- They were proficient at hunting and fishing in the severe climate, which Russian fur traders took advantage of after their arrival around 1750. They got assistance and support from Russian Orthodox missionaries and grew closely connected with Orthodox traditions and beliefs. However, an estimated 90% of the people perished during the Russian fur trade. Nonetheless, the tribe has recovered, and their wisdom and perseverance enable them to collaborate with others in constructing a world of peace.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
- The Aleut has lived in the 1,300-mile-long archipelago of the Aleutian Islands between Alaska and Siberia for the past 8,000 years. Although anthropologists have speculated that they originated in Siberia or the Subarctic, the consensus is that they arrived in the Americas much later than the southern tribes 4,000 years ago.
- There were two major cultural shifts: the Kodiak (about 2,500 BCE) and the Aleutian (circa 2,000 BCE). When Russian fur traders arrived in the area in 1750, they took advantage of the Aleuts because of their hunting and survival skills despite the harsh conditions. Missionaries from the Russian Orthodox Church described the desolate region as “the land that God forgot.”
- About 12,000 to 15,000 Aleuts lived there within half a century of Russian contact, and 2,000 by the turn of the century. Violence and European illnesses, to which the Aleuts had no immunity, had wiped out 80% of the population. However, the Russian Orthodox Church’s missionary efforts provided a countervailing power. The priests were well-educated individuals who cared deeply about the survival of Alaska Native culture and language. Saint Peter the Aleut was a Christian martyr in early North America.
- The sea otter was the first marine mammal to be eradicated due to the fur trade. It was common practice to relocate male Aleutians to seasonal work locations. Since the Pribilof Islands were first discovered in 1786 by the Russian explorer Gavriil Pribilof, they have been the most popular location for commercial seal hunting. The Aleuts did well as Russian citizens during this time, but their situation quickly deteriorated with the United States purchase of Alaska in 1867. Aleuts suffered from a loss of rights and mistreatment.
- The Japanese seized Attu and Kiska Islands in the western Aleutians in 1942, and their inhabitants were taken as prisoners of war to Hokkaido. The United States government evacuated hundreds more Aleuts from the chain of the west and the Pribilofs and interned them in southeast Alaska during World War II when many of them perished in internment camps.
- The Aleuts were not granted American citizenship until the 1960s. The United States government cut off funding for the people of the Pribilof Islands in 1983. The U.S. Congress authorized a $20,000,000 trust fund to develop non-traditional economic activities like fishing. This strategy was a huge success, making the Pribilofs a hub for fishing fleets and processing companies worldwide.
- Congress attempted to recompense camp survivors through the Aleut Restitution Act of 1988. By the end of the 1990s, the North Sea economy was already feeling the effects of environmental change.
CULTURE
- The harsh climate forced the Aleuts to build homes called “barabaras” (or ulax), which were partially subterranean. A barabara roof would typically be constructed of earth over a wooden or whalebone framework and feature a doorway leading to the interior.
- To keep the main room from being too chilly from the wind, rain, or snow, a small wind envelope or “Arctic entry” was usually installed above the entrance. The smoke from the fire would generally escape via a crack in the ceiling.
- Aleut communities were established along the coast to ensure a steady supply of salmon, typically in bays with readily accessible fresh water. They opted for vantage points that allowed them to survey the area below and provide a means of rapid retreat should they come under attack.
- The Aleuts would hunt marine creatures from canoes made of skin (called iqyax). They fashioned driftwood and stone found in the area for use as tools and weapons. The Aleuts relied on fishing, hunting, and collecting for their subsistence.
- It was common practice to dry, smoke, or roast fish such as salmon, seal, walrus, crabs, and shrimp. Roasted or pickled caribou, deer, moose, and other game were familiar food sources. Alutiqqutigaq, a blend of fruit, fat, and fish, was created with dried berries.
LANGUAGE
- Aleut is part of the Eskimo-Aleut language family and has three dialects: Eastern Aleut, Atkan, and Attuan. Eastern Aleut is spoken on the Eastern Aleutian, Shumagin, Fox, and Pribilof Islands; Atkan is spoken on the Atka and Bering islands, and the Attuan dialect is extinct. The majority of current Unangam Tunuu speakers are on the Pribilof Islands. Although most native elders are proficient in Aleut, much of the general populace does not. In addition to Unangam Tunuu, the Aleut language, individuals in the United States and Russia also speak English and Russian.
- In 1824, Ivan Veniaminov set out to create a script for the Aleut language to translate it into textbooks and religious texts. Devoted linguists have been hard at work consistently throughout the 20th century. Between 1950 and Veniaminov’s death in 1998, Knut Bergsland collaborated with native Aleut speakers to compile a dictionary in 1994 and a reference grammar book for the language in 1997.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- The Aleuts had a strictly hierarchical society based on bloodlines before the Russian invasion. In the Western world, social classes were also analogous to nobility, commoners, and serfs. The highest-ranking members of the long house were afforded special privileges, including exclusive burial grounds. The east was deemed the ideal location because that was where Agugux, the Creator, made his home.
RELIGION
- When Russian fur traders lived in Alaska, many native Aleuts converted to Christianity and joined the Russian Orthodox Church. The clothing of an Aleut male was often decorated with sea creature motifs as a form of respect. The Aleuts relied heavily on hunting for food. Creatures of the sea and the air were held in high regard and thought to possess souls. Rituals were sometimes performed to free the spirit of a hunted animal.
- It was common practice to give newborns the names of loved ones who had passed away so that their memories would continue to be honored through the child. Also typical was the idea that people’s spirits would travel to a celestial or underwater paradise after death. Animal masks carved out of wood were commonly utilized in ceremonial dances.
- The role of shamans was important. They could enter a trance state and receive guidance from the afterlife for things like hunting and healing. They could engage in harmful activities toward other people. Sea Woman (Sedna), the goddess of the oceans, the sun (Aningaaq), and the sky (Sila) were also revered.
CLOTHING
- The Aleuts are used to a harsh environment due to their location. Men and women would bundle up in knee-length parkas (kamleika) for cold weather protection. Women wore parkas crafted from seal or sea otter skin, while males wore parkas crafted from bird skin, with the feathers on either the inside or the outside, depending on the season. Waterproof hooded parkas constructed from seal or sea lion guts, or the intestines of bears, walruses, and whales, were worn by the men when hunting on the water.
- Youngsters sported parkas and hoods crafted from tanned eagle skin and down. It took a year to create one parka, but it could survive for two years with the proper maintenance. Bird feathers, seal and sea lion beard bristles, sea parrot beaks, bird claws, sea otter fur, colored leather, and caribou hair were all used as embellishments on the parkas. Fish guts and other animal sinews were dyed and used as embroidery threads. Vermilion, hematite, octopus ink, and grassroots were used to dye the threads in various hues.
ART AND CULTURE
- The Aleuts have a rich cultural heritage that includes the creation of intricate weapons, the construction of baidarkas (specialized hunting boats), and the weaving of intricate textiles.
- The skilled artisans of the nineteenth century were known for their exquisite woodwork hunting caps, which were often decorated with sea lion whiskers, feathers, and ivory. Craftswomen among the Aleuts wove beautiful baskets out of rye and beach grass and sewed together waterproof parkas out of seal gut.
- The male Aleut population traditionally wore wooden caps for hunting. The length of their visor communicated one’s status. The uniqueness of Aleut sculptures from one place to the next has made them desirable to merchants for generations. Hunting knives and clubs were the most popular use for ivory and wood carvings. In other instances, the carvings were made to represent more familiar subjects, such as seals, whales, and even humans.
- Jewelry and needles, often with intricately carved animal heads at the lip piercings, nose piercings, necklace piercings, ear piercings, and piercings into the flesh under the lower lip, are all popular places to wear jewelry.
- In the modern era, Aleuts continue a tradition of basket-making that began in prehistoric times. Ancient Aleut women could construct baskets and woven mats of extraordinary technical perfection using only an enlarged and pointed fingernail. These modern works of art by Aleut weavers draw inspiration from centuries-old customs and techniques. Aleuts use the term “qiigam aygaaxsii” for a basket made of grass.
- Aleut masks have profound symbolic importance. Knut Bergsland translates a phrase from the Aleut language that could refer to these creatures: “like those found in caves.” Most masks were fashioned from wood and painted with pigments extracted from berries or other natural materials. Feathers were also used as an embellishment by being inserted into pre-existing holes. These masks served various functions in ceremonies, dances, and laudatory performances.
Aleuts Worksheets
This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Aleuts across 25 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Aleuts, The Aleuts, also known as Unangax or Unangan, are the indigenous people of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and Russia’s Kamchatka Oblast.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.
- Aleut Facts
- The Aleuts
- Decode It
- Tell Me About It
- Their Heritage
- Your Heritage
- Living In The Arctic
- The Interview
- Let’s Go Back
- Indigenous People
- Fast Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Aleuts known for?
The Aleut folk were courageous, whose men often embarked on daring voyages to hunt sea lions and other oceanic wildlife from their kayaks. Occasionally they even dared to harpoon whales! Additionally, these brave individuals fished in waters near them, shot birds with arrows for food and gathered up berries or plants that could supplement their diets.
What did the Aleuts believe in?
In the early days of Russia, animistic beliefs held strong among humans and animals and natural forces. Russian Orthodoxy was brought in by fur hunters from Russia and spread with the help of missionaries who arrived at the end of the 18th century. People viewed these spirits or entities as needing placation and sought to do so through faith practices.
How did the Aleuts get their name?
The Aleut people were referred to as Unangan, which means “coastal people,” by Russian fur traders during the 18th and 19th centuries. This was how they were known before being called Aleuts.
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