The Aleut are original people of southwestern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands, also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large volcanic islands and 55 smaller ones belonging to both the U.S. state of Alaska and the Russian federal subject of Kamchatka Krai. They form par…Aleutian Islands
Who are the Aleuts?
The Aleuts ( / əˈljuːt, ˈæl.juːt /; Russian: Алеуты, romanized : Aleuty ), who are usually known in the Aleut language by the endonyms Unangan (eastern dialect), Unangas (western dialect), Унаӈан ( lit. 'people', singular is Unangax̂ ), are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands .
What kind of houses do the Aleuts live in?
Here are some pictures of native housing like the ones the Aleuts used. Aleut people do not live in old-fashioned barabaras anymore, any more than other Americans live in log cabins. Aleut people today live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
Where did the Aleut people live in Alaska?
For specific tribal village names, see List of Alaska Native tribal entities. The Aleut people historically lived throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Shumagin Islands, and the far western part of the Alaska Peninsula, with an estimated population of around 25,000 prior to European contact.
How did the Aleuts travel by sea?
Aleut women didn't travel by sea very often, but when they did, they used a different kind of ship called a nigilax, which was larger than a baidarka and had an open top like a canoe. The Aleuts used these two kinds of ships to travel up and down the sea coast for trading, fishing and hunting, and warfare.
How did the Aleuts live?
The Aleuts lived in earth houses called barabaras or ulax. An Aleut barabara was made by digging an underground pit, raising a frame of wood and whale bones over it, covering the frame with grass mats, and then packing the whole structure in layers of earth to insulate it.
Where do Aleut people live?
Aleut, self-names Unangax̂ and Sugpiaq, an Indigenous person of the Aleutian Islands and western portion of the Alaska Peninsula of northwestern North America.
What did the Aleuts do?
Traditionally, Aleut Unangan men were the ones who hunted the seals, whales, sea lions, sea otters, sometimes walrus, and in some areas they were the ones who hunted the caribou and bears. The Aleut Unangan women were in charge of gathering fish, birds, wild plant foods, and mollusks.
Where are the Aleut now?
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Aleuts were settled on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. Today, some thirteen Aleut villages remain, mostly in the Pribilofs and eastern Aleutians.
Where did the Aleut people come from?
The Aleut people historically lived throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Shumagin Islands, and the far western part of the Alaska Peninsula, with an estimated population of around 25,000 prior to European contact.
What language do the Aleuts speak?
Unangam Tunuu (Aleut) is one branch of the Eskimo-Aleut language family. Its territory in Alaska encompasses the Aleutian Islands, the Pribilof Islands, and the Alaska Peninsula west of Stepovak Bay. Unangam Tunuu is a single language divided at Atka Island into eastern and the western dialects.
Who are the Aleuts in Island of the Blue Dolphins?
Aleuts are people who are natives of a Russian island. The leader of the Aleuts, Captain Orlov reassures Chowig that this time they will do their own hunting and will pay the villagers with half of their catch.
Is Aleut a race?
The Aleuts of Alaska are part of an ancient race of maritime peoples who settled in the Aleutians approximately 7,000 years ago (Langdon, 1978).
Does anyone live on Aleutian Islands?
There are fewer than 3,000 natives in the whole of the Aleutians, 1,100‐mile‐long chain of 144 islands, and nobody—the Government, the promoters of civilization or travel agents—pays them any mind.
What country owns the Aleutian Islands?
Most of the Aleutian Islands belong to the U.S. state of Alaska, but some belong to the Russian federal subject of Kamchatka Krai.
How many Aleut tribes are there?
The 13 communities represented by APIA are Akutan, Atka, Belkofski, False Pass, King Cove, Nelson Lagoon, Nikolski, Pauloff Harbor, Sand Point, St. George, St. Paul, Unalaska, and Unga. Other communities that are a part of the Aleutian Chain, but not a part of APIA are: Adak, Amchitka, and Attu.
Where did the Aleut people live?
The Aleut people historically lived throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Shumagin Islands, and the far western part of the Alaska Peninsula, with an estimated population of around 25,000 prior to European contact.
How did the Aleut survive?
The Aleut survived by hunting and gathering. They fished for salmon, crabs, shellfish, and cod, as well as hunting sea mammals such as seal, walrus, and whales. They processed fish and sea mammals in a variety of ways: dried, smoked, or roasted.
What language is the Aleut?
The Aleuts ( / əˈljuːt, ˈæl.juːt /; Russian: Алеуты, romanized : Aleuty ), who are usually known in the Aleut language by the endonyms Unangan (eastern dialect), Unangas (western dialect), Унаӈан ( lit. 'people', singular is Unangax̂ ), are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands .
What is the Atkan dialect?
Atkan dialect or Western Aleut or Aliguutax̂ (in Aleut) and speaking tribes: Naahmiĝus or Delarof Islanders : in the Delarof Islands ( Amatignak) and Andreanof Islands ( Tanaga ). Niiĝuĝis or Andreanof Islanders : in the Andreanof Islands ( Kanaga, Adak, Atka, Amlia, Seguam ). Eastern Aleut dialect and speaking tribes:
What is the name of the Russian state that the Aleut people live in?
Both the Aleut people and the islands are divided between the US state of Alaska and the Russian administrative division of Kamchatka Krai .
Which island speaks the most Aleut?
The Pribilof Islands boast the highest number of active speakers of Unangam Tunuu. Most native elders speak Aleut, but it is rare for common people to speak the language fluently. Beginning in 1829, Aleut was written in the Cyrillic script. From 1870, the language has been written in the Latin script.
How many people speak Aleut?
An estimated 150 people in the United States and five people in Russia speak Aleut. The language belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut language family and includes three dialects: Eastern Aleut, spoken on the Eastern Aleutian, Shumagin, Fox and Pribilof Islands; Atkan, spoken on Atka and Bering islands; and the now extinct Attuan dialect.
What is the Aleut village?
Traditional Aleut villages were usually composed of related families that lived in extended family households in well-insulated, semisubterranean homes. Kinship was reckoned through the mother’s line. A chief, generally a seasoned and talented hunter, might govern several villages or an entire island.
What did the Aleut hunt?
Traditionally, Aleut men hunted seals, sea otters, whales, sea lions, sometimes walrus, and, in some areas, caribou and bears.
Where did the name Aleut come from?
The name Aleut derives from the Russian; the people refer to themselves as the Unangax̂ and the Sugpiaq. (The Sugpiaq pronounce the Russian-introduced name Aleut “Alutiiq.”)
What did the Aleut women gather?
Aleut women gathered fish, birds, mollusks, and wild plant foods such as berries and wove fine grass basketry. Stone, bone, and ivory were fashioned into containers, needles and awls, oil lamps, and other objects. Nineteenth-century Aleut and Eskimo baskets.
Which peoples lived in the Arctic?
Arctic: Sedentary peoples: the southern Yupiit and the Aleuts
Why was Russian rule established?
Russian rule was quickly established, not least because of the depredations of a large party of Russian and Siberian hunters who overwintered in the Aleutian Islands in 1745; members of the party were later convicted of atrocities in the Russian courts.
When did the Aleut people first encounter Russian colonizers?
Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now. Aleut people first encountered Russian colonizers in 1741, when the expedition led by Vitus Bering reached the Aleutian Islands.
Where did the Aleut people settle?
Meanwhile, migrants from Attu Island settled on the neighboring island of Medny (or Mednyj), in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Since the end of the XVIII century, following a series of smallpox epidemics, the Aleut population began to decline rapidly.
How many Aleuts are there in the world?
There are about 15,000 Aleuts in the world today, the overwhelming majority of whom live in Alaska. In Russia, only 300 Aleuts remain, making them one of the smallest indigenous peoples in the country. Practically all of them live in the village of Nikolskoye (whose total population is just over 600), the only settlement on Bering Island, the biggest of the Commander Islands.
What is the Aleut language?
The Aleut language has two principal dialects (the western dialect, including the Bering version, and the eastern one), and Mednyj Aleut language (mixed Aleut-Russian). Additionally, the Latin alphabet is used for the written language in the U.S., while Cyrillic is used in Russia.
What are the problems facing the Aleuts on both sides of the Bering Sea?
The problems facing Aleuts on both sides of the Bering Sea are similar: Their language and traditions are gradually disappearing, as are the last remaining representatives of the Unangan culture, as the Aleuts refer to themselves. Google Maps.
How far is the Aleutian Islands from Russia?
The distance between the Aleutian Islands and the Commander (Komandorski) Islands is just 370 km, and this is where the border between the United States and Russia passes. In the 19th century, the Aleuts, an indigenous people of the region, found themselves divided across borders after Alaska was sold to the U.S., but the two communities still keep in touch with one another. The problems facing Aleuts on both sides of the Bering Sea are similar: Their language and traditions are gradually disappearing, as are the last remaining representatives of the Unangan culture, as the Aleuts refer to themselves.
Where are the young Aleuts in the Commander Islands?
Young Aleuts in Nikolskoye, 1987. In 1970, the inhabitants of Medny were resettled on Bering Island and now Nikolskoye is the only remaining settlement in the Commander Islands. A local at the Bering Island, 2012.
How old is Aleutskaya Zvezda?
Aleutskaya Zvezda. At 86 years old, he sings songs in Aleut, gives dance lessons and helps locals communicate with American Aleuts from Anchorage and Aleutian Islands. Teleconferences between the groups were held regularly before the pandemic struck.
Where did the Aleuts live?
They were the original inhabitants of southwest Alaska, the Kodiak archipelago and the Aleutian Islands, stretching some 1,100 miles toward Asia.
What were the challenges of the Aleuts?
Although warmer than the Arctic, the weather also presented challenges to the Aleuts, thanks to its capricious, cloudy storms heavy with rain, snow and wind. In turn, the sea was equally restless. Splendid seamen, the Aleuts used skin-covered baidarkas (kayaks) to pursue sea lion, seals and whales.
What was the role of the shaman in the Aleut society?
Like so many aboriginal groups, the main agent of their spiritual life was the shaman (so-called medicine man) who was responsible for rituals, taboo enforcement and healing.
Where are the Aleut people from?
The Aleut are original people of southwestern Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Here is a map showing the location of traditional Aleut lands.
What is the Aleut name?
Aleut is pronounced "al-yoot.". This was the Russian name for their tribe, and nobody is sure about its origin-- it may have been a word from a Siberian language, or else it could have been a Russian corruption of the Aleut word for "community," allithuh. Their name for themselves in their own language is Unangan (singular) or Unangax (plural), ...
What did the Aleut people wear?
Aleut men and women both wore long tunics, parka coats, and sometimes loose pants. Most of their clothes were made out of sea lion or sea otter hides, but men's parkas were often made out of the skin of puffins and other seabirds, with the water-repellant feathers turned to the outside in wet weather and the inside in dry weather. Men would also wear a third layer called a kamleika while kayaking. Kamleikas were made of seal intestines and were highly waterproof. Aleut people also wore sealskin mittens and mukluk boots lined with grass, although some Aleut people surprised the Russians by preferring to go barefoot even in the snow! Here is a website on Native clothing styles.
What were the boats called that the Aleuts used?
The Aleuts used skin boats, known as kayaks or baidarka. These boats were made by stretching sealskins over a light wooden frame, and were renowned for their speed and maneuverability. Here is a website about the construction of Aleutian kayaks . Only men were allowed to paddle kayaks in Aleut culture.
How were Aleut Barabaras made?
An Aleut barabara was made by digging an underground chamber, raising a frame of wood and whale bones over it, covering the frame with grass mats, and then packing the whole structure in layers of earth to insulate it. Since Aleut barabaras were partially underground, they were larger than they appeared.
How are Aleut villages governed?
In the past, each Aleut village was governed by a village chief. This chief was always male, and was usually an elder from the most powerful family in the village. Today, Aleut villages are governed by tribal councils. Councilmembers are elected and can be either male or female.
What are some good books about the Aleut people?
If you want to know more about Aleut culture and history, two good books are Alaskan Eskimos and Aleuts and Arctic Peoples .
Where did the Aleut people live?
Тhe Aleut people were distributed throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Shumagin Islands, and the far western part of the Alaska Peninsula, with an estimated population of around 25,000 before contact with Europeans.
Where did the Aleuts come from?
Aleut Culture. The earliest people in this region, the Paleo-Aleuts, arrived in the Aleutian Islands from the Alaskan mainland about 2000 B.C. Aleuts are Alaskan Native people inhabiting the Aleutian Islands and coastal areas of southwest Alaska, and a small portion of the Aleutian Islands are in Kamchatka Krai, Russia.
What is the Aluet language?
Aluet also refers to either or both dialects of their language. Their language is a member of the Eskimo-Aleut family, which branches into the Eskimo and Aleut language branches, and then two Aleut dialects. Unanga - The people's traditional name for themselves, meaning "original people.". Unanganin - Plural form of Unanga.
How many Aleut died in the nineteenth century?
These continue to have majority-Aleut communities. The number of Aleut had dwindled to about 2,000, as they suffered high fatalities in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from Eurasian infectious diseases to which they had no immunity.
How many Alaska Natives were in the Aleut Corporation?
When Alaska Natives enrolled in their regional corporations under the terms of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA), the Aleut Corporation attracted only about 2,000 enrollees who could prove a blood quantum of 1/4 or more Alaska Native (including Aleut).
How many people were Aleut in 1990?
On the 1990 US Census, 11,941 people identified as being Aleut and nearly 17,000 said Aleuts were among their ancestors. People of partial Aleut descent, many of whom identify as Aleut and continue the culture, continue to live in relative isolation. Most are members of the Russian Orthodox Church.
What is the Aleut culture?
Aleut Culture. Aleut, a name given to the Unangan by the Russian fur traders, but who prefer to be called Unangan, are people who have had to and still currently rely on the sea for their livelihood. Unanga means the original people and Unanganin is the plural form. Unangan is another traditional name for them. Unanangan means Seasider.
What do the Aleuts Unangan do?
Today, most Aleuts Unangan peoples live a subsistence lifestyle. This includes fishing, hunting, and gathering berries. During the summer months, a large number of Aleut Unangan families spend their time harvesting traditional foods and preserving them for the winter. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aleut.
What did the Aleut Unangan people eat?
The wild plant foods included berries and the weaving of fine grass basketry. Baidarkas are a one-man and two-man skin boat, these Baidarkas, along with kayaks, or large, open, skin boats were what the Aleut Unangan men used for hunting. Ivory, stone, and bone were all used in multiple ways.
Why did the Aleut Unangan population decline?
Due to being under foreign control, the Aleut Unangan population had dramatically declined from a population of approximately 25,000 to 2,000 by the end of the 19th century. By the late 20th century the Aleut Unangan people were bringing back many traditional cultures.
When did the Aleut Unangan people first encounter the Russians?
The first encounter that the Aleut Unangan people had with the Russian people colonizers was in 1741. This encounter happened when Vitus Bering led the expedition to the Aleutian Islands. Following the encounter, the Russians quickly established control, which can be attributed to a large party of Russian and Siberian hunters who caused severe injuries and death of the people in the Aleutian Islands in 1745 while they overwintered (spent the winter). Subsequent of the overwintering of the hunters, Russian courts found some hunters of the group guilty of cruelty.
What is the meaning of Unangan?
Unanangan means Seasider. Unangax^ is the plural form for Unangan. Traditionally, Aleut Unangan men were the ones who hunted the seals, whales, sea lions, sea otters, sometimes walrus, and in some areas they were the ones who hunted the caribou and bears.
Overview
The Aleuts , who are usually known in the Aleut language by the endonyms Unangan (eastern dialect), Unangas (western dialect), and Унаӈан (lit. 'people', singular is Unangax̂), are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands.
Both the Aleut people and the islands are divided between the US state of Alaska and the Russian administrative division of Kamchatka Krai.
Language
Aleut people speak Unangam Tunuu, the Aleut language, as well as English and Russian in the United States and Russia respectively. An estimated 150 people in the United States and five people in Russia speak Aleut. The language belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut language family and includes three dialects: Eastern Aleut, spoken on the Eastern Aleutian, Shumagin, Fox and Pribilof Islands; Atkan, spoken on Atka and Bering islands; and the now extinct Attuan dialect.
Tribes
The Aleut (Unangan) dialects and tribes:
• Attuan dialect and speaking tribes:
• ? Qax̂un or Rat Islanders : in the Buldir Island and Rat Islands (Kiska, Amchitka, Semisopochnoi).
• Atkan dialect or Western Aleut or Aliguutax̂ (in Aleut) and speaking tribes:
Population and distribution
The Aleut people historically lived throughout the Aleutian Islands, the Shumagin Islands, and the far western part of the Alaska Peninsula, with an estimated population of around 25,000 prior to European contact. In the 1820s, the Russian-American Company administered a large portion of the North Pacific during a Russian-led expansion of the fur trade. They resettled many Aleut fam…
History
After the arrival of Russian Orthodox missionaries in the late 18th century, many Aleuts became Christian. Of the numerous Russian Orthodox congregations in Alaska, most are majority Alaska Native in ethnicity. One of the earliest Christian martyrs in North America was Saint Peter the Aleut.
In the 18th century, Russia promyshlenniki traders established settlements on t…
Culture
The Aleut constructed partially underground houses called barabara. According to Lillie McGarvey, a 20th century Aleut leader, barabaras keep "occupants dry from the frequent rains, warm at all times, and snugly sheltered from the high winds common to the area". Aleuts traditionally built houses by digging an oblong square pit in the ground, usually 50 by 20 feet (15.2 by 6.1 m) or smalle…
Notable Aleuts
• John Hoover (1919–2011), sculptor
• Carl E. Moses (1929–2014) businessman, state representative, who served from 1965 to 1973 as both a Republican and Democrat,
• Jacob Netsvetov (1802–1864), Russian Orthodox saint and priest
In popular culture
In Snow Crash, a science fiction novel by American writer Neal Stephenson, a central character named Raven is portrayed as an Aleut with incredible toughness and hunting skill. The story is about revenge due in part to perceived mistreatment of the Aleut.
Alaska by James A. Michener.