Alaska Native Experiences

Unangax̂ and Aleut - people of the Aleutians

 

Master seafarers, superb artists, accomplished surgeons, and skilled hunters. The Unangax̂ people have not only survived the fierce weather of the Bering Sea for over 10,000 years, they have thrived there, building a sophisticated culture interwoven with their unique environment. During and after the war they faced new challenges including imprisonment, relocation, and loss of their ancestral villages.

Discover their stories through the experiences, places, and publications below.

 

Experiences

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  Unangax̂ Interviews

  When WWII broke out the Unangax̂ and Aleut people were caught in the crosshairs. Many were relocated. Learn more through these interviews.

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  Unangax̂ (Aleut) Evacuation & Internment

  In a tragic and shameful episode, the U.S. government forcibly removed nearly 900 Unangax̂ (Aleut) people from their homes in 1942.

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  Attu, A Lost Village of the Aleutians

  The residents of Attu, the most remote Aleutian village, had a different and especially tragic wartime experience.

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  Remembrance

  75th Anniversary

  Learn about the events for the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska and the Unangax̂ (Aleut) Evacuation

 

Publications

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  Aleutian Voices: Forced to Leave

  The [Unangax] were...the first and only people in Alaska to be assaulted by our own government and an enemy foreign power in WWII. (pdf)

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  Attu Boy

  The wartime experiences of Nick Golodoff, a six-year-old Attuan boy who was taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II. (pdf)

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  Lost Villages of the Eastern Aleutians

  Perhaps the most profound impacts of World War II were on three small traditional Unangax̂ villages: Biorka, Kashega, and Makushin. (pdf)

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  World War II Aleut Relocation Camps

  This series focuses on the places, using archival material and oral history to supplement onsite observation and photography at each site.

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  The Beginning of Memory

  The following oral histories provide many details about life in Makushin, Kashega, & Biorka as remembered by people who were children then.

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  Be a Junior Ranger!

  If you love history, cultures or far-away places, you need to check out the Aleutian World War II Junior Ranger program.

 

Places

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  The Lost Villages

  Biorka, Kashega, and Makushin, three villages surviving centuries of change only to disappear during World War II.

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  Maps of Forcible Removal

  In the story of the Aleutians theater during World War II, there is a central theme - people being forcibly removed from their homes.