American Indian website
Indian languages
American Indian nations and tribes
Unangan [archive]
This article has been archived from the now-defunct MSU E-Museum (http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/)
for educational purposes. Please visit our Article Archive Index for
further information. If the author of this article would like to make changes to it, or if you are the author of another article you would
like us to add to our archives, please contact us.
Unangan (Aleut)
The name Aleut was given by the early Russian fur traders of the mid-18th century, but they refer to themselves as Unangan, which means "seashore" or "people of the coast."
Language:
Their language includes two dialects; Unalaskan, spoken in the eastern Aleutian, Shunagin and Fox islands, and Alutiq, spoken in the western Aleutian islands.
Economy:
The Aleuts are known to be great hunters of sea lion, seals, whales and fish. They utilize many parts of the animals they hunt for different purposes from clothing to transportation. Women use the intestines of these animals to create weather resistant clothing called kamleikas that were used both for warmth and ceremonial purposes. Iqyaks or baidarkas, were kayaks made of the skins of sea mammals to navigate through the arctic waters.
History:
In the mid-eighteenth century, initial contact with outsiders was established. Russian fur traders came and exploited the Aleuts ability to hunt sea mammals. During that time, the Aleuts lived in villages which consisted of several semi-subterranean houses made of grass-covered huts and small wooden structures. These were called frame houses or ulax. The Russian fur traders contributed to the decline of the Aleut culture and the decline of the numbers of the native group by introducing outside diseases, such as smallpox and influenza. The Russians also forced the Aleuts into slavery and killed off many in a very barbaric fashion. When the Russians arrived in Aleutian Islands in the 1700s, the population of the Aleut people was numbered about 25,000. Today, the population is estimated to be about 2,000.
During World War II Aleuts were relocated to internment camps in southeastern Alaska. This forced evacuation sped up the decline of their traditions, culture and way of life.
Archeology:
The Aleuts descended from the people of early maritime hunting in the Pribilof and Commander islands. Their ancestors were the first to settle along the Aleutian archipelago, a chain of islands in southwest Alaska. It has been estimated that the early people traversed over from the other side of the Bering straight about 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. Archeologists believe that early Eskimo-Aleut culture began about 8,000 years ago.
Additional Reading
Unangan
Aleuts
Kayaks
Alaska Native Tribes
Read our article submission guidelines
Tsimshian language
Moche
Maricopa community college
Pachamama
Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?