Aleut

Aleut, Native Americans of the Inuit-Aleut (Ekimaleut) linguistic group and of the Arctic culture area. The Aleut ancestral homeland is on the Aleutian Islands in what is now southwestern Alaska. The name Aleut is perhaps derived from a native word meaning “island” or a Russian word meaning “bald rock.” Their native name is Unangan, meaning “the people.”

The Aleut, ancestrally related to Inuit peoples, originally moved to the Aleutian Islands from the Alaska mainland (Alaska is derived from an Aleut phrase meaning “mainland”). There were two main divisions, as determined by differences in dialects: the Unalaska, closer to the mainland, on the Fox Islands and Shumagin Islands (with some people remaining on the Alaska Peninsula); and the Atka, to the west, on the Andreanof Islands, Rat Islands, and Near Islands. Bands were organized into coastal villages, each having a chief and with classes of nobles and commoners. The Aleut were dependent on the sea as a source of food and of materials for arts and crafts and fuel. The traditional Aleut dwelling, the barabara, was built over a pit, with sod walls and whalebone or driftwood roof beams covered with sea mammal skins. The Aleut boat, the baidarka, a type of kayak, was constructed from oiled walrus or sealskins stretched over wood frames. It typically had two cockpits, the rear one for a paddler and the front one for a harpooner. The Aleut also crafted tightly woven baskets, from rye grass growing on beaches.

When the Aleutians came under Russian domination in the 1740s, the native population numbered about 25,000. The Aleut, who were skillful hunters of sea mammals, were exploited by fur traders for forced labor. Harsh treatment by the Russians as well as smallpox and influenza epidemics took their toll on the native population. During World War II (1939-1945), with Japanese occupation of the island of Attu, some Aleut were taken to Japan; others were relocated by the United States to the mainland.

In the 2000 U.S. census about 11,900 people identified themselves as Aleut only; an additional 5,000 people reported being part Aleut. Most Aleut live on the Aleutians and on the Alaskan mainland. In addition to fishing, hunting, and raising sheep, many work in the commercial fishing industry or in fish canneries. Most are members of the Russian Orthodox Church.