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Kodiak environment, with its rich marine waters,
rocky shores, and verdant meadows, has provided
food and raw materials for hunting and gathering
societies for many thousands of years. Kodiak's
first settlers were undoubtedly attracted to the
region by the sea mammals, seabirds, fish, and shellfish
that formed the foundation of a rich subsistence
lifestyle.
Alaska is one of the most culturally diverse
regions of North America. There are three
racially distinct Native population in our state
- Aleut, Eskimo, and Indian - each with a unique
history. This diversity reflects Alaska's position
at the crossroads between Asia and the Americas.
Archaeologists believe that modern Native Americans
are descended from Asiatic peoples that walked
or paddled into Alaska at the end of the last
great ice age. This gradual migration began
about 12,000 years ago. Some settlers made
Alaska their home, while others spread south and
east, rapidly populating all of North and South
America, from the northern-most reaches of the
Canadian Archipelago to the southern tip of Chile.
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Alutiiq
Museum
Alutiiq Museum
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Over
thousands of years, Alaska's Native people adapted
to the range of unique environments in our large
and ecologically diverse state. Today there
are six major Native Alaskan groups; the
Aleut, Alutiiq, Yup'ik, Inupiaq, Athabaskan, and
Northwest Coast Indians. The Kodiak Archipelago,
and the surrounding regions of Prince William
Sound, the outer Kenai Peninsula, and the Alaska
Peninsula are home to the Alutiiq.
Anthropologist classify the Alutiiq
as an Eskimo people, as their culture and language
are most closely related to those of the Yup'ik
and Inupiaq. In prehistoric times, the Alutiiq
shared many items of technology with other northern
coastal peoples. They built sod houses which
were lit by stone oil lamps. They hunted
sea mammals from skin covered kayaks equipped
with sophisticated harpoons. They wore waterproof
clothing stitched from seal intestines, beach
grass, and sinew. Additionally, the Alutiiq
speak Alutiiq, one of six Eskimo languages.
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Today,
the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers continue to perform
in the tradition of their ancestors. Dressed
in "snow-falling" parkas and beautiful
beaded headdresses trimmed with ermine fur they
sing and dance to the beat of a skin drum.
Songs sung in the Alutiiq language tell both traditional
and contemporary stories.
Open to the public since May of 1995, the Alutiiq
Museum cares for one of the largest collections
of Eskimo artifacts in its state-of-the-art facility.
By working with the community and other anthropologists,
the Alutiiq Museum continues to collect and preserve
Alutiiq cultural materials. The museum also
encourages and supports research, and disseminates
the result of this research to the public through
educational outreach, exhibits, special events,
publications and lectures.
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