Alutiiq

North Americahunter-gatherers

Map
expand_more Description

The term "Alutiiq" refers to the Eskimo groups of southern Alaska, frequently referred to in the literature as the Pacific Eskimo, who are located from the Alaska Peninsula east to Prince William Sound, including the Koniag of Kodiak Island and the Chugach of the Kenai Peninsula. The language traditionally spoken by the Alutiiq was Yup'ik. English is now the dominant spoken language. The traditional subsistence economy was based on the hunting of marine and land animals, fishing, and gathering. Following their involvement in the Russian fur trade in the late eighteenth century up to the late twentieth century, the Alutiiq are more directly involved in the cash economy. They usually work for cash and provide the canneries with salmon, and crabs. Many find employment in these same processing plants.

Identifier
Region
  • North America
Subregion
  • Arctic and Subarctic
Subsistence Type
  • hunter-gatherers
Samples
Countries
  • United States
External Links