This article contains interesting facts, pictures and information about the life of the Aleut Native American Indian Tribe of the Arctic cultural group.
The Aleut Tribe Summary and Definition: The Aleut tribe were semi-nomadic fishermen and hunters of the Arctic cultural group. The Aleut tribe live in the Aleutian Islands and the western portion of the Alaska Peninsula of northwestern North America. The Aleut people used kayaks for transportation and fishing and lived in semi-subterranean, sod-covered, structures called barabaras.
Facts about the Aleut Native Indian Tribe This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Aleut Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Aleut tribe live, what clothes did they wear and what did they eat? Discover what happened to the tribe with facts about their history and culture.
Facts about the Aleut Native Indian Tribe: Lifestyle and Culture Their name is derived from the Aleut word 'allithuh' meaning "coastal people" but they were called Aleut by Russian fur traders. At one time they were referred to as "Eskimo" which was a general used to described the Aleut, Yupik and Inuit people. The people call themselves "Unangan". The Aleutian Islands, with their 57 volcanoes, consist of a chain of 14 large and 55 small islands. The Aleutian Islands of Alaska comprise of five groups: the Fox Islands, the Islands of Four Mountains, Andreanof Islands, Rat Islands and the Near Islands. The chief source of food for the Aleut people were whales, sea lions, seals and walruses. Different types of fish, and shellfish were also part of their diet, as were wildfowl and Arctic birds. The Aleut lived in sod-covered houses called barabaras.
What language did the Aleut tribe speak? The Aleut language belongs to the Eskimo-Aleut language family and includes three dialects: Eastern Aleut, Shumagin spoken on the Fox and Pribilof Islands and the Atkan dialect , spoken on Atka and Bering islands.
Where did the Aleut tribe live? The Aleut are people of the Arctic Native American cultural group. The location of their homelands are shown on the map. The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Aleut tribe.
Climate and Land: The climate of the Aleutian islands is oceanic, with moderate and fairly uniform temperatures with frequent fogs, high winds and heavy rainfall with a volcanic landscape.
Animals: The animals included beaver, seal, sea lions, fox, arctic hare, whale, otter, walrus and Artic birds
Natural Resources: Fish, shellfish, clams, plants, kelp and wild celery
Transport: Leather-covered, watertight canoes and open fishing boats such as the Aleut Kayaks
What did the Aleut tribe live in? The Aleut people lived in semi-subterranean, sod covered (earth covered), arched-roofed structures called barabaras.
A Barabara was an oblong shaped , semi-subterranean, sod-covered structure, similar to the pit houses built by Native American Indians
The inside of the barabara house consisted of one large room with a central communal area and a hearth for cooking. Around the sides of the barabara were partitioned sections providing some privacy and used for storage. The screens were created by grass mat dividers
What clothes did the Aleut wear? The clothes, mitts and boots worn by the Aleut tribe were made from animal skins and furs from sea lion, walrus or sea otter skins. Bird feathers and puffin skins were also used when making clothing. Both men and women wore long tunics often accompanied by loose pants. In the winter the Aleut wore fur-lined, hooded coats called Fur Parkas. The Aleut of Alaska wore fitted clothing in contrast with the loosely hung garments of other regions. For fishing trips in their kayaks the men would wear a light, waterproof coat, generally made from sea otter intestine, called a Kamleika. In the winter they wore soft Mukluk boots made from sealskin. In the summer it was not unusual for the Aleut to go barefoot. The Aleut man shown in the picture is wearing a special fur robe and weaved hat made from from dune wildrye grass that was used during important ceremonies.
What food did the Aleut eat? The staple diet of the Aleut were fish products and shellfish. These were supplemented by the meat obtained from sea animals such as the seal, whale and sea lions. The Aleut ate a great variety of shellfish including crab, shrimp, mussels and clams. Food was also obtained from birds such as ducks, cormorants, emperor geese, albatross and puffins. The abundance of birds also provided food in the form of bird eggs. Types of fish included Pacific cod, halibut, salmon and trout. The protein foods were supplemented with berries, roots, and edible plants such as kelp and wild celery.
What forms of transport did the Aleut tribe use? The Aleut tribe used a small, narrow boat called a baidarka or a kayak for transportation and fishing trips. The kayak was lightweight, highly manoeuvrable and made using a wooden (driftwood) or whalebone frame covered with sealskin or sea lion skin sewn with sinew. The Aleut developed skills of righting a capsized kayak with, or without, the use of a paddle (called a kayak roll).
Aleut History Timeline The following Aleut history timeline details facts, dates and famous landmarks and battles fought by the Aleut Nation. The history timeline explains what happened to the people of their tribe.
Aleut History Timeline
1000 CE: The Aleut are the descendants of the Thule culture, who emerged after crossing from Siberia, and moved eastward across the Arctic
1648: Russian Semeon Dezhnev sails through Bering Strait and lands in the Diomede Islands
1732: Russian explorers M.S. Gvozdev and Ivan Fedorov make the first recorded contact with the Aleuts
1741: Vitus Bering, captain of the Russian ship the St. Peter, sends men ashore on Kayak Island
1766: Catherine the Great sent Russian explorers and settlers to Alaska and claimed Alaska as part of Russia
1770's: Russian fur traders arrived in the Arctic and exploit the Aleut, giving rise to many conflicts
1771: Captain James Cook leaves Great Britain on his third major expedition to the North Pacific and maps much of the southern coast of Alaska in 1778
1784: The Aleut mount a rebellion against Russian fur traders at Amchitka on the Rat Island group
1794: The First Russian Orthodox missionaries arrive at Kodiak from Russia
1836: Smallpox, measles, chicken pox, and whooping-cough epidemics are suffered amongst the Aleuts (1836-1839)
1850: The Great Age of Unangan (Aleut) Literacy begins (1850-1900)
1866: The Aleut population drops by 25% following the epidemics
1867: The Alaska Purchase was made by the United States of America from Russia for $7.2 million
1868: January 4 1868 the Alaska Commercial Company is established
1880: The Indian Affairs Department was established
1886: Native languages are disallowed in public schools
1912: August 24, 1912 Sea-otter hunting is stopped by U.S. law
1942: The Japanese attack the Aleutian Islands during WW2
1959: Alaska becomes the 49th state
Aleut History Timeline
Aleut
Interesting Facts and information about the way the Aleut people lived
The clothes worn by men and women
Description of the homes and the type of food the Aleut would eat
Fast Facts and info about the Aleut
Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Aleut Native American Indians and their kayaks and barabara shelters
Pictures and Videos of Native American Indians and their Tribes The Aleut Tribe was one of the most famous tribes of Native American Indians. Discover the vast selection of pictures on the subject of the tribes of Famous Native Americans such as the Aleut nation. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes, such as the Aleut tribe, that can be used as a really useful educational resource for kids and children of all ages. We hope you enjoy watching the video - just click and play - a great social studies homework resource for kids .
