ALEUTIAN ISLAND INDIANS

CULTURAL SURVIVAL OF THE ALEUTS OF THE PRIBOLOS ISLANDS IN ALASKA IS ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL.THEY WERE TAKEN FROM THEIR HOMES ON THE ALEUTIAN CHAIN TO TWO HUNDRED UNINHABITED AND ISOLATED ISLANDS IN THE CENTRAL BERING SEA. THE PRIBILOF ALEUTS WERE FORCED INTO SERVICE TO KILL SEA MAMMALS FOR TWO COLONIAL REGIMES - FIRST RUSSIA AND THEN THE U.S. THE ALEUTS WERE A COG IN A WHEEL OF A MASSIVE FUR INDUSTRY THAT LASTED 200 YEARS FROM WHICH THEIR CULTURAL HISTORY DEVELOPED.

THE SEAL HUNTERS ARE DESCENDANTS OF THE GREAT MARITIME RAIDS OF THE ALEUTS WHO SETTLED ALONG THE ALEUTIAN ARCHIPELAGO, A 1300 KM CHAIN OF ISLANDS EXTENDING SOUTHWARD TO ALASKA. RUSSIANS CALLED THEM ALEUTS, BUT THEIR NAME IS CALLED UMANGAN WHICH MEANS THE COAST. THEY MIGRATED ACROSS BERING STRAIT LAND BRIDGE FROM ASIA BETWEEN 12,000 TO 15,000 YEARS AGO. AN EARLY ESKIMO ALEUT CULTURE BEGAN TO DEVELOP ABOUT 8000 YEARS AGO IN THE BERING SEA. THEY LATER BRANCHED TO THE DISTINCTIVE CULTURE AND LANGUAGE OF THE UMANGAN ALONG THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. AN ESKIMO CULTURE DEVELOPED. AN ESKIMO CULTURE DEVELOPED ABOUT 8,000 YEARS AGO AND BRANCHED INTO THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS. THEY LIVED IN SEMI SUBTERRANEAN AND RIGOROUS CLIMATE. THEY PASSED SPECIAL SKILLS FOR HUNTING MARITIME MAMMALS FROM THEIR KAYAKS.

THE RUSSIAN FUR TRADERS WERE HERE AFTER 1750 TO HUNT SEA OTTERS AND SEALS. IN THE FIRST 50 YEARS OF RUSSIAN FUR TRADER.

AFTER FIFTY YEARS OF RUSSIAN CONTROL THE ALEUTS DIED FROM DISEASES, WARS, MALNUTRITION, AND PRIVATION CAUSED BY THE TRANSPORT OF HUNTERS AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES TO HUNT SEA MAMMALS FOR THE RUSSIANS.

THE ALEUT POPULATION WAS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN BETYWEEN 12000 TO 15000. TODAY THERE ARE ABOUT 2,000 ALEUTS AND ONLY 340 SPEAK ALEUT LANGUAGE. IN 1786 A RUSSIAN MAN,PRIBOLOF, DISCOVERED TWO ISLANDS AND THEY WERE GIVEN THIS NAME. THESE ISLANDS TWO ISLANDS AND THEY WERE GIVEN HIS NAME. THESE ISLANDS ARE THE GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF NORTHERN PACIFIC FUR SEALS IN THE WORLD. THE RUSSIAN TRADERS HAD NEARLY ELIMINATED THE SEA OTTER AND WERE LOOKING AND WERE SEEKING THE MOST NEXT MOST VALUABLE SOURCE OF FURS. THE DISCOVERY OF THE PRIBOLOFS EXTENDED THE RUSSIAN FUR TRADE IN AMERICAS FOR ANOTHER CENTURY.

THE ALEUT HUNTERS WERE TAKEN TO THE ISLANDS OFTEN WITHOUT CHOICE ON A SEASONAL BASIS AND BY THE 1820'S PERMENENT SETLEMENT WERE ON A SEASONAL BASIS AND BY THE 1820'S PERMAMNENT SETTLEMENT WERE ON THE TWO ISLANDS. SEALS WERE KILLED RUTHLESSLY, WHEN THE RUSSIAN AMERICAN COMPANY ESTABLISHED A LICENSED FUR SEAL MONOPOLY. CONSERVATION OF THE SEALS WAS ENFORCED BY TAKING ON 3 TO 5 YEAR OLD NONBREEDING MALES, AND PROHIBITING TAKING ANY FEMALE SEALS.

A GREAT SHOCK CAME TO THE THE ALEUTS AS THEY LOST THEIR SEA NAVIGATION AND SEA HUNTING SKILLS ON THE PRIBOLOFS AS THEY WERE FORCED INTO A LAND BASED INDUSTRY THAT INTERFERED WITH THEIR TRADITIONAL SUBSISTENCE ACTIVITIES. THE MEN WORKED TO FISH OR HUNT DURING THE SEALING MONTHS. THEY WORKED FOR A COMPANY TO HARVEST SEALS IN ASSEMBLY LINES. WOMEN AND CHILDREN GATHER SEAL MEAT TO SALT FOR WINTER USE. DURING WINTER THE MEN HUNTED STELLAR SEA LIONS FROM SHORE. THEY HAD TO HAVE STRICT HUNTING ETHICS FOR ELDERS. THEIR OTHER FOODS WERE DUCKS, REINDEER, HALIBUT AND SEA EGGS. THEY DEVELOPED AN EXTENSIVE TRADE NETWORK BETWEEN THE PRIBOLOF ALEUTS AND THEIR RELATIVES ON THE OTHER ISLANDS. THE ALEUTS HAD OTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THEIR SHAMANS REGARDING HUNTING, TABOOS, WEATHER, AND PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE. SUN AND SEALIFE WERE SACRED SOURCES OF LIFE. THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOXRESPECTED THEIR ORTHODOX CHURCH RESPECTED THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. ALL OF THEIR SUBSISTANCE STRATEGIES RECEIVE THE PREIST'S BLESSING.

THE MAIN CHALLENGE WAS A LARGE ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT TO TO SEAL KILLING. THERE WERE MANY MEASURES TAKEN. IN 1983 THEIR WERE MANY MEASURES TAKEN. IN 1983 THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WITHDREW $6.2. MILLION IN ANNUAL ALLOCATIONDOLLARS FROM THE PRIBILOFS. THEN THE U.S. WITHDREW FROM THE INTERNATIONAL FUR SEAL TREATY, LEAVING THE THE NORTHERN FUR SEAL WITHOUT INTERNATIONAL TREATY MIGRATORY PROTECTION. THE LEADERS HAD THE DIFFICULT TASK OF BALANCING TRADITIONAL VALUES WITH ELEMENTS OF WESTERN CULTURE. THEY NEEDED TO BALANCE AND MANAGE AND PLAN THEIR DESTINY. THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN A SHORT PERIOD MIRACULOUSLY.

NATIVE-LANGUAGES.COM