"The Aleut, or Unangan, as they call themselves, inhabit the Aleutian archipelago, a 1,300-mile-long volcanic island arc extending from the Alaska Peninsula west nearly to Kamchatka.

Aleut settlements were, as a rule, located on bays where there was a good gravel beach for landing skin-covered watercraft. Village locations on necks between two bays were preferred, as such locations provided at least one protected landing for any given wind direction and served as an escape route in the event of enemy attack. A good supply of fresh water nearby was a necessity, as a good salmon stream was indispensable; other considerations were availability of driftwood and access to stone materials suitable for tool- and weapon-making and mineral paints, sea mammal hauling grounds, and an elevated lookout post from which one could watch for enemies and whales.

Aleut society was ranked, with hereditary classes of high nobles, commoners, and slaves. The leaders were recruited from the high nobles or the chiefly elite. This ranking was reflected in allocation of living space within the longhouse and in burials. The "east" and the "above" were the sacred dimensions associated with the creator - Agugux. At dawn Aleut men emerged on the rooftops of their houses and faced the east to greet the day and "swallow light."

At sea, Aleut men wore wooden hunting hats. The shape of the headgear indicated a man's rank; a short visor was worn by the young and inexperienced hunters, an elongated visor by the rank-and-file, and open-crown long-visored hats by important mature men."

- Lydia T. Black and R. G. Liapunova
National Museum of Natural History, 1996
http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/croads/aleut.html

Original hand drawing by John Webber in 1778. John Webber was a member of Captain Cook's Third Voyage, 1776-1780, aboard the H.M.S. Resolution and H.M.S. Discovery that wintered in English Bay (Samgoonoodha), Unalaska Island in 1778.

Vist the Museum of the Aleutians website to read the full history of this exceptional drawing.

Students take part in an actual dig at Margaret Bay.
Learn more at the Margaret Bay Archaeolgical Site Website.

Examples of artifacts found in Unalaska

Bentwood Hats, traditional Aleut headgear
You can read more about this art in the
"Sharing our Pathways" newsletter article
Revival of Aleut Hatmaking: In Memory of Andrew Gronholdt,
written by Jerah Chadwick

Students at Camp Qungaayux, a culture camp, sponsored by the Aleutian /Pribilof Center, learn how to make traditional wood hats and crafts.

The Aleutian region is well known for its fine basket weaving. These are examples from the Museum of the Aleutians collection.

These coins, again from the Museum of the Aleutians collection, are from the earliest days of Russian contact in the Aleutians.

A beautiful model of an Aleut kayak from the Museum of the Aleutians collection. Note the skin parkas and bentwood hats.

Fish hooks found in Unalaska.

Wooden masks and bentwood hats are wonderful examples of the arts and crafts found in the Aluetians.
These examples were made by students at the Aleutian / Pribilof Center participating in local classes.