THE ALEUT IN ALASKA

THE NAME ALEUT MEANS COMMUNITY. THESE COASTAL PEOPLE WERE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, AND THE FAR WESTERN PART OF ALASKA WITH A PART OF 25,000. IN THE 1820'S A RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY RESETTLED MANY COMPANIES TO THE COMMANDER ISLANDS AND THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. THEIR POPULATION HAS DECREASED TO ABOUT 2000 DUE TO DISEASE AND TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLES. PEOPLE WITH PARTIAL ALEUT DESCENT MAY BE ABOUT 15,000.

AFTER THE 18TH CENTURY THE MISSIONARIES CONVERTED THEM TO CHRISTIANS AND THEY JOINED THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH. IN THE 1700'S THE RUSSIAN FUR TRADERS ESTABLISHED SETTLEMENTS ON THE ISLANDS AND EXPLOITED THE PEOPLE. THERE WAS A REVOLT AGAINST THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE. IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE EXHAUSTIAN OF NECESSITIES THAT RUSSIANS PROVIDED TO THE LOCAL PEOPLE. IN 1811 A PARTY OF ALEUT HUNTERS WENT TO THE SAN NICOLAS AREA NEAR BAJA, CALIFORNIA TO OBTAIN VALUABLE OTTER PELTS. THE LOCAL RESIDENT NATION SOUGHT PAYMENT FOR THESE. THIS TURNED INTO A VIOLENT BATTLE. AND NEARBY ALL THE TRIBE WAS KILLED. BY 1853 ONLY ONE WOMAN REMAINED.

PRIOR TO EUROPEAN INFLUENCE THERE WERE ABOUT 25,00 ALEUTS HERE. DISEASE SOON REDUCED THE POPULATION TO 1/10TH OF THIS. IN 2000 THERE WERE 12,000 ALEUTS HERE. THE RUSSIAN OCCUPATION LEFT NO FULL BLOODED ALEUTS.

IN 1971 THE ALASKAN NATIVE CLAIMS SETTLEMENT ACT ENROLLED ABOUT 2000 PEOPLE WHO WERE 1/4 ALASKAN.

IN 1942 DURING WW II JAPANESE FORCED HUNDREDS OF ALEUT TO BE HELD PRISONERS OF WAR. HUNDREDS MORE WERE EVACUATED TO INTERNMENT CAMPS IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA.

IN 1784 THE JAPANESE REVOLTED AGAINST THE RUSSIANS. THE ALEUTS TOLD THE JAPANESE THAT THE OTHERS WERE DECREASING YEAR BY YEAR. THE JAPANESE FELT THEIR CRISIS. TWO RUSSIANS KILLED THE CHIEFDOMS DAUGHTERS! THAT EVENING HUNDREDS OF ALEUTIANS STARTED GATHERING ON A MOUNTAIN AND MARCHED TO THE RUSSIANS HOUSES. THE RUSSIANS OPENED FIRE AND THE ALEUTS RAN BACK. THE NEXT DAY THE RUSSIANS TOOK THE ALEUTIAN WOMEN AND CHILDREN HOSTAGE. THE ALEUTS SURRENDERED. FOUR HIGH LEADERS WERE KILLED. AFTER THIS THEY MOVED TO OTHER ISLANDS. THE LEADERS OF THE RUSSIANS WERE JAILED.

THE ALEUTS LIVED IN PARTIALLY UNDERGROUND HOUSES THEY WERE COVERED WITH EARTH AND GRASS AND BUILT WITH POLES. THEY WERE SEALED EXCEPT FOR THE SMOKE HOLE ON THE TOP. THERE BEDROOMS WERE AT THE BACK OF THE LODGE.

FISHING AND HUNTING AND GATHERING WERE THE ONLY WAY ALEUTS COULD FIND FOOD. SALMON, SEAL, WALRUS, CRABS, AND SHELLFISH WERE EATEN OR ROASTED. BERRIES WERE DRIED OR WHIPPED WITH FISH. THE BLUBBER OF A WHALE OR WALRUS WAS BOILED. THEY ALSO EAT THE NEW PROCESSED FOODS.

THEY MAKE MANY TYPES ARTS INCLUDING MANY CLOTHING, TOOLS, HATS, WOODWORKING, BOATS, WEAVINGS, FIGURINES, AND IVORY CARVINGS. THEY MADE OLD TIME BENT WOOD HATS. THEY USED SEAL SKINS FOR WATERPROOF PARKAS. EACH CLAN HAD DIFFERENT NOSE PIERCING AND JEWELRY. THEY MADE EXCEPTIONAL BASKETRY USING WOVEN GRASS. THEY ALSO MADE MASKS. THEY BELIEVED ANOTHER PEOPLE LIVED HERE BEFORE THEY DID AND THESE PEOPLE ARE IN THEIR MASKS. THEY HAVE ANTHROPOMORPHIC CREATURES DESCRIBED IN ALEUTIAN LANGUAGE.

TATTOOS DEMONSTRATE THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN LIFE AND THEIR RELIGIOUS VIEWS. BODY ART ENHANCED THEIR BEAUTY AND SOCIAL STATUS. TATTOOS SIGNALED SOCIAL CLASS. EAR PIERCING WAS POPULAR. CHILDREN EAGLE SKIN PARKAS THEY WERE EXPERT SEA HUNTERS WITH LION SEA SKIN BOATS.

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