- Prehistory of Alaska
Prehistoric Alaska begins with
Paleolithic peoples moving into northwesternNorth America sometime between 60,000 and 50,000 BC across theBering Land Bridge in westernAlaska . [National Genographic. "Atlas of the Human Journey." 2005. May 2, 2007. [https://www3.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/atlas.html] ] They found their passage blocked by a huge sheet ofice until a temporary recession in theWisconsin glaciation (the lastice age ) opened up an ice-free corridor through northwesternCanada , possibly allowing bands to fan out throughout the rest of the continent. Eventually, Alaska became populated by theInuit and a variety of Native American groups. Today, early Alaskans are divided into several main groups: the Southeastern Coastal Indians (theTlingit ,Haida , andTsimshian ), theAthabascans , theAleut , and the two groups ofEskimos ,Inupiat andYup'ik ref|nps.gov.Coastal Indians
The Coastal Indians were probably the first wave of immigrants to cross the
Bering Land Bridge in western Alaska, although many of them initially settled in interior Canada. TheTlingit were the most numerous of this group, claiming most of the coastal Panhandle by the time of European contact. The southern portion of Prince of Wales Island was settled by theHaida s emigrating from theQueen Charlotte Islands in Canada. TheTsimshian emigrated during the territorial period from a town near Prince Rupert in British Columbia. The Tlingit were known to travel for more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) south to trade with Native peoples in thePacific Northwest . There was no standard currency of trade, but slaves, native copper materials, and blankets made of red cedar bark, and dog and goat-hairref|1 were highly valued.The Coastal Indians believed that
fish and animals gave themselves willingly to humans, and strove to honor the animals' sacrifice. They also believed that thebone s of a consumedsalmon should be returned to the river in which it had been caught—to allow forreincarnation —otherwise, the fish would reincarnate with deformities and refuse to return to that river. Coastal Indian society featured a complex system of property ownership with a mix of private and group property. Eachhousehold owned tools, objects, and food that they had produced themselves, while the clan owned names, land, stories, buildings, and most other property.In the social organization of the Tlingit and Haida, status and prestige were negotiated through wealth. To maintain position, a man of high rank demonstrated wealth by holding a
potlatch ceremony in which he would give away, destroy, or invite guests to consume all of his food and possessions. This was referred to as "paying off" the guests who had performed ritual services or provided support in the past. Those who received goods at one potlatch would typically reciprocate by inviting their former hosts to their own potlatch at a later date; such invitations would confirm their relative levels of prestige and status. Other important features of the potlatch were the recitation offamily histories and bloodlines, transfer of ceremonial titles and possessions, and offerings to ancestors.The mild climate and plentiful resources of the Panhandle allowed the Coastal Indians leisure time to devote to social pastimes, travel and trade. They enjoyed complex art, music, and storytelling, and their
traditions kept an accurate account of genealogy and clan history. The painted designs developed by the Coastal tribes featured fish, animals, and mythical creatures in formalized patterns of black, red, and other bold colors. They decorated their craft goods, domestic utensils, clothing, masks, canoes, and ritual objects to signify ownership. The world renownedtotem pole s were carved at great expense to illustrate myths, to honor the deceased, and to imply the enormous wealth of the owners.Athabascan Indians
The Athabascan Indians of Alaska's interior were hunters and inland fishermen. Most lived in small nomadic bands along the numerous
rivers of the region. Endurance and physical strength were prized, and game was often run down on foot. Athabascans harvested salmon and hunted rabbits, caribou, and bear with the help of snares, clubs,spears , and bows andarrow s. Periods offamine were common. Because they were seminomadic and hunted on foot, footwear was very important, and the Athabascans designed light and flexiblesnowshoes made of birch and rawhide. The Athabascans used birch bark from the interior forests to make canoes, containers,sled s, and cradles. Clothing was made of animal hides, decorated withporcupine quills colored with natural dyes.Some Athabascan groups inhabited permanent winter
villages and summer fishing camps. Most bands consisted of a few nuclear families and had limited internal organization.Leadership was acquired bywarriors or hunters. Athabascans also gave potlatches to mark a death and celebrate a child's first successful hunt, as a prelude to marriage. Those who aspired to leadership were expected to host memorable potlatches, at which the would-be leader would give away all his possessions then prove his prowess by providing for himself and his family for an entire year without outside help.Aleuts
The Aleuts settled the islands of the Aleutian chain approximately 10,000 years ago. Although their location allowed them easy access to fishing, they also had to contend with unpredictable violent weather, severe
earthquakes , andvolcano s. Aleut fishing technology included fish spears,weirs , nets, hooks, and lines. Various darts, nets, andharpoons were used to obtainsea lions and sea otters.Whales were usually killed with a poisoned, stone-bladedlance . The job of women and children was to gathershellfish along the beaches at low tide, and berries and other plants in the hills. Aleut women are still today famed for theirbasketry andsewing techniques, capable of weaving grasses into watertight baskets and sewing seal gut into watertight raincoats suitable for the open ocean.Aleut society was divided into three categories: honorables, comprising the respected whalers and elders; common people; and
slaves . At death, the body of an honorable wasmummified , and slaves were occasionally killed in honor of the deceased.The one- and two-person skin
kayaks used by the Aleuts were called "baidarka s" or "bidarkas" by the Russians. These were the model for modern fiberglass kayaks in use today, and are the smallest ocean-going craft made by humans, capable of long journeys in some of the most dangerous seas. Three-person baidarkas were developed at the behest of the Russians, who wanted to ride as passengers in the center ; these "three-hole" baidarkas were then adapted for Aleut use in long-distance travel and trade.Eskimos
Eskimos , the Native group most familiar to non-Alaskans, were originally divided into two subgroups: theInupiat Eskimos settled in Alaska'sArctic region, and theYup'ik settled in the west. To combat the cold, seasonal food was stored against future shortage, in particular against the privations of each winter. A hunter always divided a fresh kill evenly amongst thecommunity , and status within a village was determined by hunting ability. Eskimo village sites were chosen partly on the basis of the availability of food sources. The Arctic coast people depended on seals,walrus es and whales, while the inland Eskimos lived on a diet of caribou,birds , and other small game animals. These people gathered eggs, berries, roots; they ate wild greens fresh, or preserved them in skin containers.Eskimos used open boats called "umiaks", and the smaller
kayaks , to hunt large sea mammals. Both vessels were made of adriftwood frame, covered with tightly sewn seal skins. Sleds and dog teams were used forwinter travel, and during thesummer , dogs were used as pack animals. Women were skilled in basketry and sewing . They stitched and fitted waterproof garments made of animalintestine and fish skins. The Eskimos' everyday clothing oftrousers ,boots , and coats was sewn from skins and fur, sometimes in complex geometric designs. The coats, which were called "parka s", featured an attached hood and a ruff of wolf or bear fur.Eskimos were known for their carvings, especially their small
ivory pieces. In early times, household utensils andweapons were ornamented. Using wood, bone,baleen , walrusivory , and fossil mammoth tusks, Eskimos crafteddishes ,knives ,oil lamps , small sculptures, game pieces. Snowgoggles having only small slits to look through to protect their eyes from the glare of snow and ice were carved out of wood or ivory. Replicas of the "ulu " (women's knives) can be found in most Alaskan tourist shops today.References
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