COMMANDER ALEUTS

Until 1825, there was no permanent population on the Commander Islands. On the island of Bering and on the island of Medny, the Russian-American Company (R.A.K.) imported replacement parties of Russian industrialists (miners) to extract the furs of fur cats and beavers (sea otters). The first artel was landed on Medny Island in 1805, it consisted of 13 people. This group of sea hunters lingered on the islands for a long time. Other artels were also imported, some of whose members were married to Aleut women. Documents dated 1819 show that 15 people (temporary settlement) lived in the south of Medny Island at that time, and 30 people lived in the north of Bering Island.

Then both islands were part of the Athinsky department of the R.A.K. By decision of the Head Office, the head of the department, Mershenin, organized in 1825 the delivery of the first batch of Aleuts with families from Atkha Island to Bering Island. In 1826, another batch of Aleuts and Creoles were resettled from the islands of Attu and Atha.

Together with the first Russian artels, the imported natives of the Aleutian Islands and the Creoles became the first permanent residents of the present Aleutian region of the Kamchatka region. In 1827, 110 people lived on Bering Island (Russians - 17, Aleuts - 24, Creoles - 13; women - 21 Aleuts, 35 Creoles). In subsequent years, Russian pensioners (whose contracts with R.A.K. ended) and workers brought from Kamchatka, the Fox and Andreyanovsky Islands, Kodiak Island, Sitka and California settled on the islands. Among them were the Eskimos, several Indians, individual representatives of different peoples of Russia, including the indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka - Kamchadals and Ainu.

After the sale of Russian America and the Aleutian Islands, the Commander Islands went to the Petropavlovsk District. A feature of life on the islands is isolation from the outside world and the islands themselves from each other. In 1879 (B. Dybovsky), 168 people lived on both islands of the Aleuts (including 100 on Medny Island), a total of 332 Creoles, among the rest there were 10 percent of Russians and other nationalities. Considering that the Creoles spoke Russian and adhered to the national traditions of their mothers, scientists attribute the majority of their population to the Aleuts.

The history of the study of the Aleuts begins with the discovery in 1741 of the Aleutian Islands by the Great Northern (Second Kamchatka) Expedition (1733 - 1743).

The features of the life of the Commander Aleuts were determined by the isolation of the islands. Until 1867, their population worked for the Russian-American Company: they harvested furs, meat and fat from marine animals, preserving the traditional culture. The main place was occupied by hunting for marine animals from a canoe and the extraction of seals on land.

The predatory exploitation of the fisheries by American and Russian companies led to the impoverishment of the local population, undermining the foundations of traditional culture. At the end of the 19th century, population growth slowed down, illness and alcohol led to an increase in mortality. By the twenties of the XX century, the impoverishment of the Commander Aleuts reached its limit.

After the end of the civil war in the Far East, the restoration of the destroyed economy on the islands began, the development of agriculture, cattle breeding, fish and sea fur trade. The process of the revival of the Aleuts included the creation of a fur farm in 1925, the allocation of the Commander Islands to the Aleutian National Region in 1928, the participation of the people in governance, the training of national intelligentsia and technical specialists. Since 1935, the population growth has begun. At the same time, the process of dispersion of the Aleuts, their settling on the mainland, is developing.

Since 1969, the Aleuts have mostly lived in the village of Nikolskoye. In terms of lifestyle and social structure, they do not differ from the visiting population. The number of interethnic marriages has increased.

The Aleut settlements were located on the sea coast, often at the mouths of rivers and consisted of 2-4 large semi-dugouts (ulagams). High, open places were chosen so that from there it was convenient to observe the course of marine animals and the approach of enemies. Semi-dugouts were built from a fin, and on top they were covered with dry grass, skins and turf. Several quadrangular openings were left in the roof for entry, climbed there along a log with notches. The dwelling accommodated from 10 to 40 families. Inside, bunks were built along the walls. Each family lived on its part of the bunks, separated from each other by pillars and curtains. Utensils were stored under the bunks. In the summer they moved to separate light buildings. In the 19th century, the traditional semi-dugout changed: the walls and roof, made of poles and boards, were lined with turf. At the top was a hatch for lighting, on the side - an exit through a small canopy. Dwellings were illuminated with fat lamps, sometimes stoves were installed. Along with traditional utensils, they used imported factory-made utensils.

The traditional clothing was a parka - long deaf (without a slit in front) clothing made from the fur of a fur seal, sea otter, bird skins. A kamleyka was worn over it - deaf waterproof clothing made from the intestines of marine animals with sleeves, a deaf closed collar and a hood (a prototype of a European windbreaker). The edges of the hood and sleeves were tightened with laces. Parkas and kamleikas were decorated with embroidered stripes and fringes. Traditional fishing jackets with hoods made of sea lion guts and throats, and sealskin trousers have been preserved. Men's and women's clothing completely coincided in cut and decorations. A new type of clothing also appeared - brodni - trousers made of sea lion throats, to which waterproof torbasas were sewn - soft skins of sea animals. Shoes - torbasa - soft boots made from the skin of marine animals. In everyday life they wore Russian clothes.

Fishing headdresses were wooden hats of a conical shape (for toyon leaders) or without a top with a very elongated front part (for ordinary hunters), richly decorated with polychrome painting, carved bone, feathers, and sea lion whiskers. They were put on the hood of a kamlika. Such hats were hollowed out from a single piece of wood, then steamed out, giving the desired shape, and painted in bright colors, creating a fancy ornament. From the sides and back they were decorated with carved walrus tusk plates, engraved with a geometric ornament, into which paint was rubbed. A bone figurine of a bird or animal was attached to the top of the back plate, which also served as the top of the hat. Sea lion whiskers up to 50 centimeters long were inserted into the side holes of the plate. Their number depended on the owner's hunting skill and testified to the number of walruses caught. These hats were worn only by men.

Festive and ceremonial headdresses were hats of various shapes made of leather and bird skins with decorations, leather bands with patterned seams. An integral part of the festive decoration is necklaces, bracelets and anklets, inserts and pendants in holes made in the lips and near the lips, as well as in the nose, along the edges of the auricle and in the earlobe. They were made from bone, stone, wooden and slate sticks, feathers, sea lion whiskers, grass and plant roots. The Aleuts tattooed and painted their face and body, but with the beginning of contacts with the Russians, this tradition began to weaken.

Fishing began at the end of April. They fished from spring to autumn. In mid-July, they hunted birds with the help of throwing spears (shatin) and a throwing projectile (bola) - a bunch of belts with stone or bone weights at the ends. Having untwisted, the bolas were thrown into the flock and the bird entangled in the belts became the prey of the hunter. They were also caught in bird markets with a large net on a long pole (chirucha), as well as with nets. In winter, seals hunted from the shore. The sea beaver (sea otter) was hunted in the open sea with the help of a harpoon (throwing spear on a long rope), sea lions and walruses - on rookeries, seals were lured ashore by decoy - an inflated seal skin, imitating the cry of a female, whales were hunted with a spear, the tip of which smeared with poison aconite. After 2-3 days, the sea threw the carcass of the animal ashore. Harpoons and spears were thrown with the help of spear throwers - wooden planks 50-70 cm long with a longitudinal groove, finger grooves at one end and a bone stop at the other. Bows, arrows and guns were also known.

Meat and fish were eaten raw, fried or boiled. For the future, they stocked up mainly dried fish and whale oil. The latter was kept in bubbles from the stomachs of marine animals.

An important role in sea hunting was played by a canoe - a wooden, flat-bottomed frame boat covered with sea lion or seal skin and a kayak - a closed leather boat with a wooden frame and a hatch hole where the hunter sat down. They controlled it with a two-bladed oar (a prototype of a sports kayak). With the advent of firearms, two-key kayaks began to be made (during firing, the second rower had to maintain balance).

Some elements not characteristic of the mainland culture of the Aleuts also spread: for example, on about. Bering, sledges (sledges) with dog teams appeared, on Medny Island - short, wide skis lined with seal skins.

From stone, men made knives, axes, arrowheads and spearheads, vessels for cooking, fat lamps with moss wicks for lighting and heating the home. Women sewed, embroidered clothes, made covers for canoes, wove mats and baskets. The pekulka, a wide short and slightly curved knife, was a female universal tool of labor. The needles were made from bird bones.

By the middle of the 18th century, the population of each island or group of islands represented an independent territorial association with its own self-name and dialect. Presumably, these were tribes consisting of tribal communities - associations of persons related by blood relations and the name of a common ancestor. The tribal group was headed by a leader (toyon), he either received power by inheritance or was elected. His duties included trade and political relations, court cases, protection of sea animal rookeries, and control over other lands. As a military head, the leader had economic advantages only after military campaigns and trade deals; in everyday economic activities, he was entitled to an equal share with everyone. In addition to the leader, the tribal group was headed by a council of elders. There are references in the literature to the existence of ancestral communal houses for meetings and celebrations.

The Aleuts had slaves (kalga) - mostly prisoners of war. The slave participated in the normal economic activities of the group, in wars. For courage or for good work, he could be released.

Traditional social norms were preserved associated with the remnants of group marriage - an ancient form of marriage, when a group of men were considered potential husbands of a group of women and matrilineal norms (from Latin mater - mother and linea - line: maternal kinship accounts); cross-cousin marriages (from English cross - cross and French cusin - cousin: marriages to cousins ​​\u200b\u200band sisters are a relic of a group marriage concluded between members of two clans); polygamy and polyandry, avunculat (from lat. avunculus - mother's brother), - the custom of maternal uncle patronage in relation to nephews; hospitable hetaerism (the custom according to which the husband provided his wife for the night to the guest).

In the nineteenth century tribal communities broke up. With the adoption of Christianity by the middle of the nineteenth century. basically the dowry (a ransom for the wife) and the work for the wife that replaced it (the husband lived in the family of the wife's parents for 1-2 years and helped to run the household) disappeared, as well as polygamy, polyandry and hospitable hetaerism. At the same time, the ceremonies of matchmaking and weddings spread.

spiritual culture

Traditional beliefs are characterized by animism (from Latin anima, animus - soul, spirit) - ideas about the soul as a life force and the existence of good and evil spirits and their influence on human life. The spirits of ancestors were revered, whose images made of stone, bone, wood and Iptian skins were inherited as personal amulets. Protective spirits were depicted by wooden masks that were worn during ritual dances. Among the Aleuts, shamanism was widespread, in the mythology of which there were ideas about different worlds. The shaman costume, like that of some peoples of Siberia, symbolized a bird. In addition to shamanism, there was also hunting magic (from the Greek mageia - witchcraft, sorcery), which consisted in the rituals of summoning the beast, in special hunting prohibitions and wearing amulets that protected the owner.

The dead were buried in a sitting position. Family burials were placed in small depressions among the rocks. There they also put the tools of the deceased, weapons, dishes, ritual masks and personal amulets (objects with supernatural, magical properties). Noble people were buried together with slaves in caves, a painted pillar was placed at the entrance or the bodies of the deceased were hung in baskets between two pillars. The dead were embalmed.

One of the main holidays - the winter solstice - was accompanied by dances, dramatic performances of hunting scenes and mythological scenes, and distribution of gifts. The rites that preceded the hunting season were famous for pantomime and dancing to the accompaniment of singing and tambourine. The performers wore special headdresses and wooden masks.

At the end of the 18th century, the Aleuts, having experienced a strong influence of Russian culture, were converted to Orthodoxy. Schooling and bilingualism spread. Religious books appeared, translated into the Aleut language. It is characteristic that some of the natives became missionaries.

The writing of the Aleutian language, created by the Bishop of Kamchatka, Aleutian and Commander Innokenty (Veniaminov), who was also a prominent scientific ethnographer and linguist, did not spread to the Commander Islands.

The written language was not created on the Commanders even in Soviet times, although there were prerequisites for this: the alphabet was approved, and the "Aleutian-Russian, Russian-Aleutian Dictionary" was published (E. Golovko).

There are fairy tales, heroic epic (narration), or heroic tales, stories about ancient customs, everyday stories, songs, sayings and riddles.

Most fairy tales are based on mythological plots. The most common were myths about the spirits of patron animals and etiological (concerning the causes of various phenomena) legends about the initial immortality of people, about the origin of people from a dog that fell from the sky, etc. mainland to the islands, stories about the campaigns of the eastern groups of the Aleuts to the west, about blood feuds that led to cruel wars, etc. Everyday stories tell about fishing trips, travels; legends - about runaway Aleuts hiding from Russians in caves, about distant travels; satirical stories - about a hunter who died from gluttony inside a whale. Many plots reflect traditional family relations: about a husband's infidelity or a jealous wife, about the cohabitation of a hero with his cousin's wife, about hostile relations between a son-in-law and a brother-in-law (wife's brother), etc.

At the holidays, men, to the sound of a tambourine, sang the exploits of their ancestors, daring in fishing, dexterity in managing a canoe. During games, ritual actions and performance of fairy tales, they sang to the accompaniment of a multi-stringed plucked sword-shaped zither (chacha), which was later replaced by a guitar.

Despite a very strong assimilation, the Aleuts have retained their genetic structure, and science recognizes them as Aleuts. Worse with culture: with the death of the language (fewer and fewer of its speakers), many national customs and traditions have been lost, oral folk art - folklore - is dying out.

The Aleutian intelligentsia, old-timers are doing everything possible to revive and preserve the national culture. For these purposes, a small people in the district center - the village of Nikolsky - created two dance and folklore groups - Unangan and Chiyan.

Aleuts

(Self-name: - unanan / unangan

A look from the past

V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, "Country of Cold", 1877 :

This is a patient, courageous and honest tribe. Property between them is inviolable. They not only do not lock anything at home, but the property and strangers are completely secured. There are no murders between them. The most terrible sufferings will not tear out a groan or a cry from an Aleut. Once in a trap, the Aleut will wait motionlessly until the teeth deeply embedded in the body are removed from its leg. Aleut is completely fearless. He considers it extremely indecent to be surprised at anything. Nothing will please him, nothing will frighten him, nothing will cause a strong impression in him. The Aleut retained noble pride to such an extent that he considers not only an offensive word, but also a dismissive look, an insult. He faithfully keeps his promises and never lies.

Most of all, the Aleuts love vodka and tobacco. Especially the last one. They mix it with shavings of pine bark and completely surrender to this pleasure, closing their eyes. The handset bypasses the circle of interlocutors. Those who are waiting for it enjoy the contemplation of the pleasant sensations of the one in whose hands it is at the moment.

Not particularly developed mentally, the Aleut is distinguished by unusual receptivity. With surprising ease, he is able to master a craft that he has seen in passing. Thus, joiners, carpenters, blacksmiths, locksmiths and shoemakers have lately appeared among them. There were even examples that a good local painter came out of the Aleut. Most of the Aleut men speak Russian well, but now, with the cession of these lands to the Americans, the study of the English language is developing between them.

"Description of all the peoples living in the Russian state" 1772-1776:

- The Aleuts have an exceptional talent for imitation, and their abilities are so developed that they quickly adopted from the Russians all the crafts that these latter practice in front of the Aleuts. They are extremely clever at repeating the characteristic features and curious antics of those people who are in contact with them. The Aleuts show a great taste for reading and seem to be able to grasp abstract concepts, such as the beginnings of mathematics. But despite these abilities, as well as an excellent memory and vivid imagination, the Aleuts, of course, cannot equal the representatives of peoples whose civilization has already spanned many generations.

Contemporary sources

General information

Aleuts - the indigenous population of the Aleutian Islands, the Shumagin Islands, as well as the western coast of Alaska up to the Ugashika River in the north.

By the time the Russians arrived, i.e. in the middle of the XVIII century, the Aleuts numbered up to 15 thousand people.

However, due to the epidemics brought on their territory and the famine that occurred as a result of the barbaric destruction of the fishing base, by 1820 their number had fallen to 2 thousand people..

Today, most of them live in the USA (Alaska), some live in Russia (Kamchatsky Krai).

In 2010, according to various estimates, there were more than 17,000 Aleuts in the United States (of which more than 2,000 were native speakers).

including in AlaskaAleutian Islands ) - 10,708 people, in the state of Washington - 2273 people, in California - 998 people, in Oregon - 479 people, etc.

The Aleuts are included in the Unified List of Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Federation; while their number in Russia in 2002 was 540 people, in 2010 - 482 people.

In Russia, they live on the Commander Islands, which make up the Aleutian regionKamchatka Territory .

Of these, 401 people live in the region, where they mainly live in the village of Nikolskoye (294 people) - the only settlement on Bering Island and in the entire region (since the 1970s).

They make up 37.1% of the population of the Aleutian region according to the 2010 census.

Origin

For a long time there were two hypotheses of their origin.

According to one, the Aleuts came from the northeast Asian coast, according to another, from Alaska.

G. V. Steller spoke out for the Asian origin of the Aleuts; as the main argument, he considered the similarity that, in his opinion, the Aleut hats made of tree bark and the hats of the Itelmens and Koryaks have.

Objecting to the Asian hypothesis, the well-known American explorer of Alaska, W. Doll, believed that with the means of transportation that the Aleuts had, their movement of the Aleuts from Asia to the islands seemed incredible.

The American origin of the Aleuts was also assumed by V. I. Yokhelson, arguing this hypothesis by the similarity of the Aleut culture with the culture of the Indians of the northwestern coast of America: “This includes the use of bushings (as decorations), face painting and some other decoration techniques.

In general, we can say that the features of the material and spiritual culture, as well as the physical makeup of the Aleuts, indicate their close connection with the inhabitants of America, and not Asia.

A. Grdlichka believed that the first inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands were the Proto-Aleuts (English Pre-Aleuts), who around 1000 BC. e. replaced by the ancestors of the current Aleuts, who came from the American continent and moved west along the island chain.

Later archaeological excavations have confirmed the change in the population of the islands at this time.

As for the time of the separation of the Aleuts from the Eskimos and their separation into an independent ethnic group, this, according to a number of authors, happened about 8000 years ago.

In 1877, characterizing the anthropological type of the Aleuts, the Russian traveler V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko wrote: “A wide, flat face with protruding cheekbones and slanted eyes rather suggests the kinship of this tribe with the Mongolian than with the American race.”

He also noted that the color of the body and face of the Aleuts is white, which distinguishes them from the darker Chukchi and Eskimos.

According to modern concepts, the Aleuts belong to the Arctic race, although they occupy a special position in its composition: an admixture of southern elements of the Pacific branch of the Mongoloids was found in them.

Genetic studies have shown that the Aleuts, in their gene pool, are more closely related to the Asian Eskimos and Chukchi than to the Eskimos of Alaska and the indigenous population of Kamchatka.

An analysis of mitochondrial DNA haplogroups in the Aleuts showed that they are dominated by the ancient haplogroup D (in the D2a1 variant), which is widespread among the aboriginal population of the north of the American continent, and haplogroup A is also found, which is characteristic both for the natives of America and for the inhabitants of North and Central Asia.

This means, in particular, that on the maternal side, the contribution of Europeans to the Aleut gene pool is not traced.

A different picture is given by the study of the Y-chromosome haplogroups of the Aleuts: in modern Aleuts, the haplogroup R characteristic of Europeans prevails over the native haplogroup Q for the natives of America, so that 85% of the Y-chromosomes in the Aleuts are of European origin. Consequently, the paternal genotype of the Aleuts is highly mixed.

Language

The name "Aleut" is of Russian origin.

It was given after the discovery of the Aleutian Islands and is first found in documents in 1747.

The etymology of the ethnonym causes controversy among its researchers. If G. A. Menovshchikov derived the name "Aleut" from the Aleut word allithukh 'team, community', then I. S. Vdovin believed that the ethnonym is of Chukchi-Koryak origin - from the word alyav-vyte 'those who have a rim on their heads ' (unusual wooden headdresses of the Aleuts were indeed their distinctive feature in the past).

Hypothesis according to which the name "Aleut" comes from the Chukot. aliat ‘island’, aliut ‘islanders’ seems to be the most convincing.

Names of local groups: residents of the Nearest Islands - sasignan, Krysykh - kagan, Atki islands - nigagin.

Four-hills - akagai (i.e., "there"), the islands of Umnaka and parts of the island of Unalashki - kaelyangin, the islands of Krenitsyn and part of Unalashki - kigigan ("north-eastern"), the islands of Unimaka -animgin, about -Vov Shumagina - kagan tayagangin ("Eastern people")

The Aleuts speak the Aleut language, which is usually divided into four dialects:

Eastern dialect (most of the Aleutian Islands: Umnak, Unalashka, Akutan; Pribylov Islands; Alaska Peninsula);

Western dialect (island Atka in the western Aleutian Islands);

Bering dialect (Bering Island - Commander Islands), which almost completely coincides with the western one, but contains a much larger number of borrowings from the Russian language;

Mednovsky dialect (previously existed on Medny Island - Commander Islands, now its few speakers live on Bering Island).

The Mednov dialect is significantly different from all others.

Now they prefer to consider it as an independent Aleutian-Mednovian language - a mixed language that arose as a result of an extremely strong linguistic interference of two language formations: the Attuan dialect of the Aleutian language (meet on Attu Island, the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands, disappeared in the middle of the 20th century) and the Russian language .

As a result, its grammar partly inherits the grammar of the Attuan dialect, partly the grammar of the Russian language.

Since the 1970s Aleut, using a Latin-based alphabet, is taught in schools throughout the state of Alaska.

It is not studied in Russian educational institutions.

At the beginning of the 21st century, no more than 12-15 people of the older generation spoke the Bering and Mednov dialects on Bering Island; the rest of the Aleuts switched to Russian.

The main part of the Aleuts of the USA had switched to English by this time; 80 people continued to speak the western dialect, 420-430 people continued to speak the eastern dialect (of which about 375 people were residents of the Pribylov Islands).

economy

The basis of the traditional economy was hunting, fishing and poultry farming, supplemented by gathering.

Aleutian men hunted marine animals from canoes, and on land they hunted fur seals and - in winter - seals; in some areas they hunted bears and caribou.

Sea otters were caught on the open sea with the help of a harpoon (throwing a spear on a long rope), sea lions and walruses - on rookeries, seals were lured ashore by a decoy - an inflated seal skin, imitating the cry of a female, whales were hunted with a spear, the tip of which was smeared with aconite poison.

After 2-3 days, the sea threw the carcass of the animal ashore.

Harpoons and spears were thrown with the help of spear throwers - wooden boards 50-70 cm long with a longitudinal groove, finger grooves at one end and a bone stop at the other.

The Aleuts fished using long fishing rods made from algae.

Hooks were attached to these strong and sturdy fixtures.

Rods could be used to catch marine fish such as halibut and cod. River fish were caught using bag-like nets made from whale tendons.

They hunted birds with the help of throwing spears (shatin) and a throwing projectile (bola) - a bunch of belts with stone or bone weights at the ends.

Having untwisted, the bolas were thrown into the flock, and the bird entangled in the belts became the prey of the hunter.

They were also caught in bird markets with a large net on a long pole (chirucha), as well as with nets.

Aleutian women collected mollusks and sea urchins, as well as wild plants - berries and herbs (the latter, in particular, were used to make a variety of wickerwork).

An important role in sea hunting was played by a canoe - a flat-bottomed boat with a wooden frame, covered with sea lion or seal skin, and a kayak - a closed leather boat with a wooden frame and a hatch hole where the hunter sat (the prototype of a sports kayak). It was steered with a two-bladed oar.

Before the arrival of the Russians, the weapons of the Aleuts were light darts with bone tips, bows, stone or bone knives.

Housing

The villages were located on the sea coast, often at the mouths of rivers and consisted of two to four large semi-dugouts (ulagams).

Russian travelers called them earthen yurts from a waste forest, which were completely devoid of a hearth.

For them, high, open places were chosen so that it was convenient to observe marine animals and the approach of enemies.

Semi-dugouts were built from fin (trees nailed to the shore), covered with dry grass, skins and turf on top.

Several quadrangular openings were left in the roof for entry, climbed there along a log with notches.

The semi-dugout accommodated from 10 to 40 families.

Inside, bunks were built along the walls.

Each family lived on its part of the bunks, separated from each other by pillars and curtains. Utensils were stored under the bunks.

In the summer they moved to separate light buildings.

In the 19th century, the traditional semi-dugout changed: the walls and roof, made of poles and boards, were lined with turf.

At the top was a hatch for lighting, on the side - an exit through a small canopy.

They illuminated the dwellings with fat lamps, sometimes they laid stoves.

Cloth

The traditional winter clothing of the Aleuts was a parka - a long deaf (without a front cut) clothing made from the fur of a fur seal, sea otter, bird skins.

A kamleika was worn over it - deaf waterproof clothing made from the intestines of marine animals with sleeves, a deaf closed collar and a hood (a prototype of a European windbreaker).

Festive clothes (parkas and camleys) did not differ in cut from everyday clothes, but they were richly decorated with embroidered stripes, fringes, and fur straps; in men, the festive parka had a high standing collar.

The edges of the hood and sleeves were tightened with laces.

Traditional fishing jackets with hoods made of sea lion guts and throats, and sealskin trousers have been preserved.

Men's and women's clothing was similar in cut and embellishments.

Later, a new type of clothing appeared - brodni (trousers made of sea lion throats), to which waterproof torbasas were sewn - soft boots made from the skin of marine animals.

As summer clothes, the Aleuts used worn winter clothes, but they also sewed special summer clothes - from the intestines of marine animals and bird skins.

The Aleuts did not have underwear as such, but belt clothes made of seal skins were used.

During fishing, in the 18th century, the Aleuts wore raincoats woven from grass (similar to the Itelmen and Ainu) to protect them from dampness, and later woven straw mats.

Fishing headdresses were wooden hats of a conical shape (for leaders - toyons) or hats without a top, with a very elongated front part (for ordinary hunters), richly decorated with polychrome painting, carved bone, feathers, sea lion mustaches.

They were put on the hood of a kamlika.

Hats were hollowed out from a whole piece of wood, then steamed out and, having given the desired shape, painted in bright colors with intricate ornaments.

From the sides and back they were decorated with carved walrus tusk plates, engraved with a geometric ornament, into which paint was rubbed.

A bone figurine of a bird or animal was attached to the top of the back plate, which also served as the top of the hat.

A 50-centimeter sea lion mustache was inserted into the side holes of the plate, the number of which depended on the hunting merit of the owner.

These hats were worn only by men.

Festive and ceremonial headdresses were hats of various shapes made of leather and bird skins with decorations, leather bands with patterned seams.

Nutrition

The traditional food of the Aleuts consisted of the meat of marine animals and birds, fish, marine invertebrates, algae and wild plants.

They prepared yukola for the winter.

Creation

The Aleuts developed a unique artistic culture.

Throwing darts, hunting bows, headdresses, Aleut masks are at the same time examples of original ornamental art.

Skillfully carved were decorated with wooden frames for women's knives, mallets for killing fish.

Hunting headdresses were richly decorated with applied engraved plates, beads, beads, sea lion whiskers, bird feathers, after which they were painted with bright mineral paints.

The use of multi-color wood painting distinguishes the art of the Aleuts from the art of other peoples of the Far North-East of Russia.

On the contrary, it finds parallels in the art of the Indians of the Northwest of America, although the painting of the Aleuts is closer to the ornament of the Eskimos based on motives.

The Aleutian products made of soft materials are also distinguished by their originality.

The most diverse patterns of the Aleuts were created from the hair of a deer, moreover, using a technique unknown to other peoples.

Thoroughness of workmanship is typical for Aleut wickerwork - capes, mats, rugs, bags, baskets; the material was the stalks of wild peas and wild barley.

The Aleuts had many historical traditions. Many songs were composed, the most important themes of which were marine crafts and love lyrics.

The traditional structure of society

By the middle of the 18th century, the Aleuts showed social and property differentiation while maintaining the foundations of the tribal system.

V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko noted that before the arrival of the Russians, the Aleuts were divided into three classes: the first included toyons (ancestors, elders in the clan) and other noble Aleuts, the second - free people, the third - kalgi - prisoners of war, playing a temporary role of slaves.

Religion
Traditional Aleutian beliefs are characterized by Pantheism's ideas about the unity and spirituality of the World, the personal-subjective consciousness of its particular manifestations, about the soul as a life force.

God in Aleut sounds like Agugum.

The spirits of ancestors were revered, whose images made of stone, bone, wood and bird skins were inherited as personal amulets.

Protective spirits were depicted by wooden masks that were worn during ritual dances.

In mythology, there were ideas about different worlds.

The cult costume, like that of some peoples of Siberia, symbolized a bird.

There were hunting rituals for summoning the beast, special hunting prohibitions and wearing amulets to protect the owner.

At the end of the 18th century, the Aleuts were converted to Orthodoxy.

A feature of the Christianization of the Aleuts was that it was started not by missionaries, but by Russian industrialists.

The constant presence of priests among the Aleuts begins in the summer of 1824, when I. E. Veniaminov (St. Innocent) arrived on Unalaska Island, having stayed here for ten years.

It is believed that it was Ivan Veniaminov who baptized the Aleuts.

One of the Aleuts - Peter Aleut - is revered by the Orthodox Church as a martyr.

Bishop Aleutian Islands and North America in 1898 - 1907. was the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', St. Tikhon (Vasily Ivanovich Bellavin).

Story

The “discovery” of the Aleutian Islands by the Russians took place in 1741, during the “Great Northern (Second Kamchatka) Expedition” (1733-1743).

Since 1745, for several decades, there have been fierce armed clashes between the crews of Russian commercial and industrial ships and the Aleuts.

In the second half of the 18th century, up to four or five merchant ships came to the Aleutian Islands annually, and successive parties of Russians wintered on the islands for 5-6 years.

Since 1799, the Aleutian Islands and the adjacent part of Alaska were controlled by the Russian-American Company (RAC).

In order to develop the previously uninhabited Commander Islands, since 1826, the company began to move Aleut fishing workers (ancestors of the current population of Commander) there from the nearby Aleutian Islands..

In the future, the population of the Commander Islands was replenished not only by Aleuts, but also by Creoles (descendants of Europeans and Aleuts) and Russian industrialists from Atka and California, who married Aleuts.

Bering Island was settled mainly by people from Atka (in 1827 there were already 110 people), Medny Island - by people from Attu.

The main goal of the Russian-American Company was to use the Aleuts as hunters for seals and sea otters, whose furs were the main source of profit.

The official status of the Aleuts was approaching the status of foreigners of the Russian Empire; they paid yasak to the treasury, and since 1821 they were recognized as Russian subjects (at the same time they were referred to the class of "islanders", and in 1844 they were equated with "sedentary foreigners").

In 1812, Ivan Kuskov, an employee of the RAC, with 25 Russian colonists and 90 Aleuts (along with the Aleuts themselves, the Alutiik Eskimos were among the latter) founded the fortress of Ross (Fort Ross) on the coast of Northern California.

In 1828, 25 Russians and about 100 Aleut hunters lived in the fortress; The local Kashaya Indians called the Aleuts "underwater people" because their kayak boats sat so low on the water that they seemed to emerge from the sea.

In 1867, the Aleutian Islands, together with Alaska, were sold to the United States, after which the Aleuts remained in Russia only on the Commanders.

In 1915, the Aleuts were equated with American Indians and came under the care of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In 1924 they were entitled to American citizenship.

In June 1942, Japanese troops landed on Attu Island, after which its inhabitants were transferred to Hokkaido.

In 1945, the American authorities resettled them back, but for reasons of military order, not to their native island, but to Atka Island, where they disappeared among the local population.

Beginning in the 1960s, the situation of the American Aleuts began to improve significantly (in particular, they managed to cope with tuberculosis, which had previously become widespread).

In accordance with the December 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Aleutian Corporation was created in June 1972.

One of the 12 regional corporations created in the state of Alaska on an ethnic basis, which has subdivisions in every village where the Aleuts live, and is designed to resolve issues about lands that were once alienated from the indigenous population.

It also concludes government contracts, manages real estate and invests in various projects in the territory it controls.

The “act” also recognized the rights of the Aleuts to “lead a traditional way of life” and provided for the payment of compensation to them for alienated lands.

In Russia, in 1882, the Aleuts were engaged in fur seal, beaver and arctic fox trades, caught fish and birds, bred sled dogs and were engaged in gardening (turnips, radishes, potatoes).

Since 1871, seal and beaver fisheries have been leased to various commercial and industrial companies.

The population of the islands was registered in 1899: 354 people on Bering Island and 283 people on Medny Island.

In 1928, the Commander Islands were separated into the Aleutian National Region.

In 1969, the village of Preobrazhenskoye (place of residence of the Aleuts of Medny Island) was closed by the decision of local authorities as part of the campaign to eliminate "unpromising" villages, and the villagers were transferred to Bering Island.

After that, the village of Nikolskoye on this island became the main place of concentration of Russian Aleuts.

National cuisine. Recipes

Whale hunting has long been a traditional occupation of many peoples - the Aleuts, Greenlanders, Kamchadals, Scandinavians, Chukchi, Evenks, Japanese. In the fall, they harvested meat: dried, poured with whale oil or frozen - so much so that it could be stored for almost a year.
Meat and fish were eaten raw, fried or boiled.

For the future, they stocked up mainly dried fish and whale oil.

The latter was kept in bubbles from the stomachs of marine animals.

Recipes:

Stroganin.

Soak whole salted fish in running water for about 3-4 days. If it is cut and cut into pieces, the process is faster, but the fish loses its taste. Separate meat from bones and skins. Cut into pieces 1-1.5 cm, add vinegar, pepper, onion, you can also green peas. Mix. Everything can be eaten, or rather served as a snack.

The second method is similar to the first. Freshly frozen fish cut or cut with a knife, add vinegar, salt, pepper, onion, let stand for 1-3 hours and you can eat. The main condition is that the fish must be well frozen: 6-10 hours at a temperature of -35 .. -45 degrees, or 2-4 days at -10 ... -20 degrees.

Abdomen in batter.

The belly and ribs are taken from fresh sockeye salmon, coho salmon, char, the bones are separated, cut into approximately 5-6 cm pieces. teaspoons of egg powder), salt and pepper are added to taste. All this is diluted with milk or water (you can also dry milk) to a creamy state. A frying pan with vegetable oil should be well heated. Pieces of fish are completely dipped in batter, the excess dough is shaken off and placed in a frying pan. Roasts very quickly. Halibut is fried in the same way, only the thickness of the pieces should be no more than 1.5..2 cm.

Yukola.

Mostly made from sockeye salmon. The fish is gutted, the head is cut off, cut lengthwise to the very tail, but not quite, it turns out two halves connected in the tail. The ridge is removed along with the ribs. These two halves are hung on poles under a canopy. You can salt a little. Dried fish is stored for a very long time and retains all the nutrients.

Fish pie.

Cod, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, char go to the pie. Fresh dough is used. The fish fillet is cut into small pieces (1-2 cm). The dough is laid in a baking sheet with a layer of 0.5-1 cm. Slightly undercooked rice is laid on it in approximately the same layer (you can also use raw potatoes), then a layer of chopped onions. Then a layer of fish from 1.5 to 2.5 cm. Some housewives, on the contrary, first fish then rice. The last layer of onions, spices: salt, pepper, parsley (to taste). All this is covered with a layer of dough with a thickness of 0.5 - 1 cm. The edges are snapped. The resulting cake is pierced from above with a fork about 10-12 times, to release steam, otherwise it will swell like a bun. Various decorations are made from the rest of the dough and placed on top. Put in the oven, check from time to time. Usually when it is covered with a brownish crust, it means it's ready.!

Cod cutlets.

Cod meat is twisted into minced meat. Add about the same amount of twisted fat to it. In this stuffing, add onions, potatoes. Pepper, herbs and salt to taste. Fry cutlets until crispy. Then we put all this in a saucepan, 100-150 grams of water or some kind of gravy, and soar.

Chimigin - Aleutian "seeds".

Shellfish. Sea snails with a diameter of 1 to 2.5 cm. In the surf zone, all stones are strewn with them. An iron vessel is taken, we put snails into it, sea water is immediately collected, we cook them for about 3-5 minutes. Most importantly, you need a needle or something to pick them out of the shells. It looks like crab or squid meat, that's for sure. Delicious. And a job for a long time. Children are simply delighted when you cook these “seeds” on the seashore. And indeed, sometimes you will be so carried away by these “seeds” that you will be surprised to notice a pile of empty shells near you.

Duck in field conditions.

We build a fire on a large pebble. We pluck the duck, gut it. We put the heart and other liver inside. Salt, spices to taste. If there is a potato - there too. We rake the fire to the side, into the hole - a duck, from above we fall asleep with hot pebbles. On top of the remains of a fire - let it burn for 20 - 30 minutes.

Salty flippers.

The flippers of the seal, the cat are cut off at the first joint. The skin is not removed. They put it in a barrel, fill it with strong brine (saline solution), put it under oppression. If they need to be fermented, then salts are not used much. You can eat in a couple of months. Seals are slaughtered mostly young, their meat almost does not smell like fish.

fresh erasers

Flippers fur seal is boiled together with potatoes in "uniforms". They eat with potatoes. Mustard or garlic to taste.

Tachi are the shoulder blades of a fur seal.

The shoulder blades are lightly salted, rubbed with garlic and pepper. We put them in the oven on a baking sheet. After 20-30 minutes you can eat. It differs from ordinary meat in a very delicate taste. No, there were no other attributes of ordinary meat. The color is dark brown.

Soltison in Aleutian.

The stomach is removed from the seal, the cat along with the esophagus. Turn out, scrape off the mucus and rinse. Turned back to original position. Inflate, tie, hang out in the breeze. In the dried stomach, yukola and seal fat are laid in layers. The fat is cut into strips. They tie it up and hang it in the cellar. After 2-3 months, the yukola is saturated with fat, becomes soft and ready for use. In the same stomachs, erasers are also fermented, also adding seal fat. In fact, melted seal fat at normal temperatures remains liquid like vegetable oil.

Self-name - Aleut, Unangan.

The indigenous population of the Aleutian Islands, Most of them live in the USA - the southwest of the Alaska Peninsula (up to the Ugashika River in the north) and some small islands adjacent to it (about 2 thousand people) and in Russia (482 people) on the Commander Islands ( Bering and Medny Islands), where he has lived since the beginning of the 19th century, in Kamchatka, etc.

The Aleut language of the Eskimo-Aleut family. Dialects: Unalashka (Eastern), Atka (Central), Attuan (Western). Few retained their native language, they switched to English, Russian.

The history of the study of the Aleuts begins with the discovery in 1741 of the Aleutian Islands by the Great Northern (Second Kamchatka) Expedition (1733-1743). Russian navigators, researchers, industrialists collected data on the culture of the people.

Ethnogenesis and ethnic history: the main part of their territory was settled by the ancestors of the Aleuts during the migration of peoples from Asia to America 10-12 thousand years ago. The name "Aleuts" was given by the Russians after they discovered the Aleutian Islands and is first found in documents of 1747. Since 1799, the territory of the Aleuts was controlled by the Russian-American Company, which settled the uninhabited Commander and Pribylov Islands with the Aleuts. The Aleuts were converted to Orthodoxy and were strongly influenced by Russian culture. In 1867, the Aleutian Islands and Alaska were sold to the United States.

The main traditional occupations of the Aleuts before contacts with Europeans were hunting for marine animals (seals, sea lions, sea otters, etc.) and fishing. Gathering was of secondary importance. They made hunting and fishing tools, weapons made of stone, bone, wood, leather-covered boats - multi-oared kayaks, one-, two-, three-hull kayaks.

In Russia, the Commander Islands were allocated (1928) to the Aleutian national region (since 1932 in the Kamchatka region), liquidated in the mid-1930s, now restored. Along with the traditional ones, new branches of the economy are developing: fur farming (mink), animal husbandry, and gardening.

By the middle of the 18th century, property and social differentiation and military organization existed.

Aleut villages usually consisted of 2-4 large (from 10 to 40 families) semi-dugouts.

The traditional clothes of the Aleuts (men's and women's) - the parka - long deaf clothes made of fur of a seal, sea otter, bird skins. A kamlika was worn over it - clothes made from the intestines of sea animals with sleeves, a blind collar and a hood. Shoes - torbasa (boots made from the skins of marine animals). Hunters wore wooden hats - conical or with an open top, with an elongated large visor, decorated with carved bone, sea lion mustache, feathers, etc.

An important role in the sea hunting of the Aleuts was played by a canoe - a flat-bottomed boat with a wooden frame, covered with sea lion or seal skin, and a kayak - a closed leather boat with a wooden frame and a hatch hole, where the hunter sat (the prototype of a sports kayak). It was steered with a two-bladed oar. Before the arrival of the Russians, the weapons of the Aleuts were light darts with bone tips, bows, stone or bone knives.

The main traditional food is the meat of marine animals and poultry, fish (mainly in raw form), marine invertebrates, algae, berries, and roots.

Traditional beliefs are characterized by belief in spirits, there was shamanism.

R.G. Lyapunov

According to the 2010 Population Census, the number of Aleuts living in Russia is 482 people.

Aleuts (self-name - unangan / unangan) - the indigenous population of the Aleutian Islands. Most of them live in the USA (Alaska), some in Russia (Kamchatsky Krai).

The name "Aleut" is of Russian origin. It was given after the discovery of the Aleutian Islands, it is first found in documents in 1747. The etymology of the ethnonym is debatable. G. A. Menovshchikov explains it from the Aleutian word allitkhukh (team, community). I. S. Vdovin believed that the ethnonym is of Chukchi-Koryak origin, from the word alyav-vyte (those with a rim on their heads). A distinctive feature of the Aleuts in the past was indeed their unusual wooden headdresses. The most convincing explanation is the origin of this name from the Chukchi "aliat" (island), "aliut" (islanders).

In addition to the common name Unangan, the inhabitants of the islands also had local names: the inhabitants of the Near Islands were called sasignan, the Rat Islands - kagan, the Chetyrekhsopochny - akagai (that is, local), the inhabitants of the Krenitsiya Islands and parts of Unalashka - kigigan (northeastern), the inhabitants of the islands from Ungi to Unimak (not including him) - kagan tayagangin (eastern people), inhabitants of Unimak island - animgin, Umnaka island and part of Unalashki island - kaelyangin, Athi island - nigagin.

The Eskimos, the closest neighbors of the Aleuts, call them alakshak.

In Russia, they live on the Commander Islands, which make up the Aleutsky District of the Kamchatka Territory. The number of Aleuts in Russia is 482 people (according to the 2010 census), of which 401 people in the region, in the village of Nikolskoye, in the only settlement on Bering Island and the region as a whole (since the 1970s).

The Aleuts occupy a special position in the composition of the Arctic race; an admixture of the southern elements of the Pacific branch of the Mongoloids was found in them. The broad, flat face with protruding cheekbones and slantingly pierced eyes rather suggests the kinship of this tribe with the Mongolian than with the American race.

For a long time there were two hypotheses of their origin. According to one, the Aleuts came from the northeast Asian coast, according to another, from Alaska. Steller spoke out for the Asian origin of the Aleuts. As the basis, he exposed the similarity that, in his opinion, the Aleutian hats made of tree bark have with the hats of the Kamchadals and Koryaks. Objecting to this opinion, the well-known American explorer of Alaska, W. Doll, considered it incredible that the Aleuts, with their means of transportation, moved from Asia to the islands. Jochelson also speaks for the American origin of the Aleuts, arguing this by the similarity of the Aleut culture with the culture of the northwestern Indians: “This includes the use of bushings (as jewelry), face painting and some other decoration techniques. In general, we can say that the features of the material and spiritual culture, as well as the physical makeup of the Aleuts, indicate their close connection with the inhabitants of America, and not Asia. Grdlichka believed that by the time of the beginning of our era, a people appeared on the Aleutian Islands, which the author calls the pre-Aleuts (pre-Aleuts). They anthropologically differed from the Aleuts, Eskimos and Konyags (Kodiaks) and were similar to the Sioux Indians. In the XIII-XIV centuries. they were replaced by Mongoloids who came here from the east, from America, perhaps some branch of the Tungus family of peoples, who crossed the Bering Strait to America. Thus, according to Grdlichka, the movement of the ancestors of modern Aleuts did not take place along the Aleutian ridge, but from America, where both the Proto-Aleuts and the newcomers of the XIII-XIV centuries. entered through the Bering Strait.

Studies prove that the formation of the anthropological type, language and culture took place 6000 - 4600 years ago. There is an assumption that the Aleuts were the southern group of the Eskimos, according to other sources - they stood out as an independent ethnic group for a long time.

The history of the study of the Aleuts begins with the discovery in 1741 of the Aleutian Islands by the Great Northern (Second Kamchatka) Expedition (1733-1743). Russian navigators, researchers, industrialists collected data on the culture of the people.

Since 1799, the Aleutian Islands and the adjacent part of Alaska were controlled by the Russian-American Company. In order to develop the uninhabited Commander Islands, the company moved there from these islands part of the Aleuts, the ancestors of the current ones. In the future, the population of the Commander Islands was replenished not only by Aleuts, but also by Creoles (descendants of Europeans and Aleuts) and Russian industrialists from Atka and California, who married Aleuts. Bering Island was inhabited mainly by people from Atka, in 1827 there were already 110 of them. In 1900, 279 Aleuts lived on Bering Island, and 253 people from Attu lived on Medny Island. Now about 550 Aleuts live on the Commanders. The main goal of the Russian-American Company was to preserve their traditional economy as a reliable source of profit. Officials appointed clerks and kayakers to organize fishing on remote islands. The official status of the Aleuts was approaching the status of foreigners of the Russian Empire; they paid yasak to the treasury, and from 1821 they were recognized as Russian subjects. In 1867 the Aleutian Islands, together with Alaska, were sold to the United States. In Russia, the Aleuts remained only on the Commanders. From 1891 to 1917, various commercial and industrial companies rented the islands.

After the end of the civil war in the Far East, the restoration of the destroyed economy on the islands began, the development of agriculture, cattle breeding, fish and sea fur trade. The process of the revival of the Aleuts included the creation of a fur farm in 1925, the allocation of the Commander Islands to the Aleutian National Region in 1928, the participation of the people in governance, and the training of national intelligentsia and technical specialists. Since 1935, population growth has begun. At the same time, the process of dispersion of the Aleuts, their settling on the mainland, is developing.

Since 1969, the Aleuts have mainly lived in the village of Nikolskoye. In terms of lifestyle and social structure, they do not differ from the visiting population. The number of interethnic marriages has increased.

Traditional beliefs are characterized by animism. The spirits of ancestors were revered, whose images made of stone, bone, wood and bird skins were inherited as personal amulets. Protective spirits were depicted by wooden masks that were worn during ritual dances. Among the Aleuts, shamanism was widespread, in the mythology of which there were ideas about different worlds. The shaman costume, like that of some peoples of Siberia, symbolized a bird. In addition to shamanism, there was also hunting magic, which consisted in the rituals of summoning the beast, in special hunting prohibitions and wearing amulets that protected the owner.

At the end of the 18th century, the Aleuts, having experienced a strong influence of Russian culture, were converted to Orthodoxy. Schooling and bilingualism spread. Religious books appeared, translated into the Aleut language. It is characteristic that some of the natives became missionaries. The Aleuts still remain staunch adherents of Orthodoxy, religious rites are performed in Russian and Aleut languages. One of the Aleuts - Peter Aleut - is revered by the Orthodox Church as a martyr. God in Aleut sounds like Agugum.

The basis of the economy was hunting, fishing and poultry farming. They also collected marine invertebrates: sea urchins, clams, limpets and mussels. Hunting for marine animals with a kayak and hunting seals on land. In winter, seals hunted from the shore. The sea beaver (sea otter) was hunted in the open sea with the help of a harpoon (throwing spear on a long rope), sea lions and walruses - on rookeries, seals were lured ashore by decoy - an inflated seal skin, imitating the cry of a female, whales were hunted with a spear, the tip of which smeared with poison aconite. After 2-3 days, the sea threw the carcass of the animal ashore. Harpoons and spears were thrown with the help of spear throwers - wooden planks 50-70 cm long with a longitudinal groove, finger grooves at one end and a bone stop at the other.

The Aleuts fished using long fishing rods made from algae. Hooks were attached to these strong and sturdy fixtures. Rods could be used to catch marine fish such as halibut and cod. River fish were caught using bag-like nets made from whale tendons.

They hunted birds with the help of throwing spears (shatin) and a throwing projectile (bola) - a bunch of belts with stone or bone weights at the ends. Having untwisted, the bolas were thrown into the flock and the bird entangled in the belts became the prey of the hunter. They were also caught in bird markets with a large net on a long pole (chirucha), as well as with nets.

An important role in sea hunting was played by a canoe - a flat-bottomed boat with a wooden frame, covered with sea lion or seal skin, and a kayak - a closed leather boat with a wooden frame and a hatch hole where the hunter sat (the prototype of a sports kayak). It was steered with a two-bladed oar. Before the arrival of the Russians, the weapons of the Aleuts were light darts with bone tips, bows, stone or bone knives.

The villages were located on the sea coast, often at the mouths of rivers and consisted of two to four large semi-dugouts (ulagams). Russian travelers called them earthen yurts from a waste forest, which were completely devoid of a hearth. For them, high, open places were chosen so that it was convenient to observe marine animals and the approach of enemies. Semi-dugouts were built from driftwood (trees nailed to the shore), covered with dry grass, skins and turf on top. Several quadrangular openings were left in the roof for entry, climbed there along a log with notches. The dwelling accommodated from 10 to 40 families. Inside, bunks were built along the walls. Each family lived on its part of the bunks, separated from each other by pillars and curtains. Utensils were stored under the bunks. In the summer they moved to separate light buildings. In the 19th century, the traditional semi-dugout changed: the walls and roof, made of poles and boards, were covered with turf. At the top was a hatch for lighting, on the side - an exit through a small canopy. They illuminated the dwellings with fat lamps, sometimes they laid stoves. Along with traditional utensils, they used imported factory-made utensils.

The traditional clothing was a parka - long deaf (without a slit in front) clothing made from the fur of a fur seal, sea otter, bird skins. A kamleika was worn over it - deaf waterproof clothing made from the intestines of marine animals with sleeves, a deaf closed collar and a hood (a prototype of a European windbreaker). The edges of the hood and sleeves were tightened with laces. Parkas and kamleikas were decorated with embroidered stripes and fringes. Traditional fishing jackets with hoods made of sea lion guts and throats, and sealskin trousers have been preserved. Men's and women's clothing completely coincided in cut and decorations. Later, a new type of clothing appeared - brodni - trousers made of sea lion throats, to which waterproof torbasas were sewn - soft boots made from the skin of marine animals. In everyday life they wore European clothes.

Fishing headdresses were wooden hats of a conical shape (for leaders - toyons) or without a top, with a very elongated front part (for ordinary hunters), richly decorated with polychrome painting, carved bone, feathers, sea lion mustaches. They were put on the hood of a kamlika. Hats were hollowed out from a whole piece of wood, then steamed out and, having given the desired shape, painted in bright colors with intricate ornaments. From the sides and back they were decorated with carved walrus tusk plates, engraved with a geometric ornament, into which paint was rubbed. A bone figurine of a bird or animal was attached to the top of the back plate, which also served as the top of the hat. A 50-centimeter sea lion mustache was inserted into the side holes of the plate, the number of which depended on the hunting merit of the owner. These hats were worn only by men. Festive and ceremonial headdresses were hats of various shapes made of leather and bird skins with decorations, leather bands with patterned seams.

The traditional food of the Aleuts was yukola.

The Aleuts observed social stratification in the presence of a tribal system. The leader (toyon or tukuks) led the tribe. There were also kalgi - slaves from prisoners of war.

Noble people were buried together with slaves in caves, a painted pillar was placed at the entrance or the bodies of the deceased were hung in baskets between two pillars. The dead were embalmed, then eaten [source not specified 92 days], and funeral pyres were also made from their bones.

The Aleuts are the indigenous population of the Commander Islands, which are administratively part of the Kamchatka region. The Aleuts also live in the USA (the indigenous population of the Aleutian and Pribylov Islands, the southwestern tip of the Alaska Peninsula). The total number of Aleuts is about 13 thousand people, incl. more than 12 thousand in the USA. Self-name - Aleut, Unangan. The Aleuts living on Medny Island called themselves Sasignam. The Eskimos, the closest neighbors of the Aleuts, call them alakshak. The name "Aleut" is of Russian origin. It was given after the discovery of the Aleutian Islands, it is first found in documents in 1747. The etymology of the name is controversial, a connection with the Aleutian alyaguk - "sea" is possible. They speak the Aleutian language, which has three dialects: Unalashka (Eastern), Atka (Central), Attuan (Western).

Currently, there are two dialects in Russia - Bering (the language of the Western dialect group) and Mednov, which is a creolized language with Aleut vocabulary and a mixed Russian-Aleut grammatical system.

The name of the people - Aleuts, was invented by the Russians during the Great Northern Expedition of 1741. Travelers could not accurately determine the roots of this people. According to one version, the Aleuts came from the northeast Asian coast, according to another, from Alaska. This happened approximately 6000 - 4600 years ago. In the middle of the 18th century there were 15 thousand of them, and they lived mainly on the Aleutian Islands. In 1799, Russian companies moved some of the Aleuts to the Commander Islands. In 1867, the Aleutian Islands, along with Alaska, were sold to the United States. There are only 550 natives left in Russia today. A larger group lives in America. There are currently 17,000 of them there.

From 1891 to 1917, the Commander Islands were rented by various commercial and industrial companies that bought furs, meat and fat from marine animals from the local population.

Language

The language supposedly became isolated 3-4 thousand years ago and was considered one of the ancient dialects of the Eskimo language. On Bering Island, the Atka dialect of the Aleutian language was widespread; on Medny Island, a new dialect was formed based on the Atka and Russian languages. When communicating, the inhabitants of these islands hardly understood each other. The first grammar of the Aleut language was compiled at the beginning of the 19th century. based on Cyrillic.

The ancestors of modern Aleuts appeared on the Commanders in the first decades of the 19th century. The Russian-American company moved here several families from the islands of Atka and Attu to hunt marine animals. From the very beginning of the constant development of the islands, their population was mixed: Aleuts, Russians and Creoles (persons of mixed origin). The interaction of these three main components formed by the end of the 19th century a peculiar cultural image of the Commander Aleuts. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were two large villages on the Commander Islands - Nikolskoye on Bering Island and Preobrazhenskoye on Medny Island. There were also smaller settlements, mostly seasonal, but often inhabited all year round. The concentration of island production in the 70s led to the liquidation of Preobrazhensky as an independent settlement. All residents of the Commander concentrated in the village of Nikolskoe.

Lifestyle and provision system

The main traditional occupations of the Aleuts are hunting for marine animals (sea otters, seals), fishing, island fur farming and gathering. At the beginning of the 20th century, due to a sharp drop in the number of fur seals on the rookeries of the Commander Islands, the importance of seal hunting in the life of the Aleuts decreased. The leading role in the economy began to be played by fishing, fox hunting, as well as gardening and domestic animal husbandry.

In those days, the arsenal of hunters included a wide variety of weapons. Fishing began at the end of April with catching fish with nets. Mid-July is bird hunting season with shatin javelins and bola projectiles. The bola is a witty and simple tool, which is a bunch of belts with stone or bone weights at the ends. Having untwisted, the bolas were thrown into the flock, the bird became tangled in the belts and became easy prey. Birds were also hunted with large nets and nets.

With the onset of winter, the hunt for the sea beaver began, which was hunted in the open sea with the help of a harpoon; walruses hunted on rookeries. A cunning trick was used to catch the seal: it was lured ashore by a decoy - an inflated seal skin, while imitating the cry of a female. The Aleuts even hunted the king of the sea - the whale. To do this, they used a spear with a poisoned tip. Under the influence of poison, the whale died in 2–3 days, and hunters picked up its carcass, thrown ashore by the waves.

An important role in sea hunting was played by a canoe - a wooden, flat-bottomed frame boat covered with sea lion or seal skin and a kayak - a closed leather boat with a wooden frame and a hatch hole where the hunter sat down. They controlled it with a two-bladed oar (a prototype of a sports kayak). With the advent of firearms, two-key kayaks began to be made (during firing, the second rower had to maintain balance).

Some elements not characteristic of the mainland culture of the Aleuts also spread: for example, on about. Bering, sleds (sledges) with dog teams appeared, on about. Copper - short, wide skis, lined with the skin of a seal.

Since 1932, when a specialized animal sovkhoz (animal processing plant) was established at Komandor, all adult male Aleuts and a significant part of women were listed as its workers. Consumer fishing, hunting and gathering continued. In the field of employment, a category of employees began to form, incl. administrative staff.

In the 50s. began a massive influx of newcomers to the islands, the rapid growth of economic and social infrastructure. This immediately had a negative impact on the position of the Aleuts. Very soon, the newcomers forced the indigenous people out of the most profitable and prestigious sectors of the economy.

Ethno-cultural situation

The Commander Aleuts, originally formed as a Creole ethnic community, which became an independent “small” people of the North in Soviet times, are currently turning into a Russian-speaking old-timer group. All Commander Aleuts are Russian-speaking. According to linguists, today only two dozen elderly people are still native speakers of their native language. However, the problem of losing their native language is characteristic of almost the majority of the indigenous peoples of the North of the Russian Federation. Created in the 30s and restored on a Russian graphic basis in the late 80s. writing in the Aleutian language is practically not used. Language at school is taught at the elective level.

Deep isolation of the Commander from the rest of the country and the region, limited access to the islands for the visiting population and, as a result, the slowness of assimilation processes create conditions for the stable functioning of the established culture. From this point of view, the ethnocultural situation on the Commanders is unique, and the Aleuts themselves are of exceptional interest as the only most prominent Creole group within the modern territory of the Russian Federation. The current generation of Aleuts strives to preserve and revive their cultural heritage. The Aleutian Museum of Local Lore operates. An important role in the preservation of folk traditions is played by the Unangan national ensemble and the Chiyan family ensemble, created in the early 1980s. There are attempts to revive the tradition of bone and stone carving as a kind of applied art, the attractiveness of traditional Aleut parties and other national forms of leisure is growing.

An important role in the preservation of the culture of the Aleuts is called upon to play the ethnocultural center created in the village. Nikolsky at the expense of the federal budget. It is also necessary to restore permanent cultural ties with the Aleuts living in Alaska.

traditional dwelling

Until the 19th century, the Aleuts fled from the winter cold in semi-dugouts for 10-40 families, covered with dry grass, skins and turf. We climbed inside through a hole in the roof along a log with notches. Bunks were built along the walls, and the place of each family was separated by pillars with curtains. Utensils were stored under the bunks. In the summer they lived in light buildings.

In the 19th century they had other winter dwellings, with walls and a roof made of poles and planks. The upper hatch began to be used for lighting, and they entered the room through exits in the walls. The semi-dark dwellings were illuminated with fat lamps.

Traditions and customs

During the long winter, men were engaged in the manufacture of fishing tools, stone and wooden utensils, sitting at bowls hollowed out of stone, in which a moss wick was burning, floating in whale oil. Food was fried in the same bowls. If there were hot springs near the settlement, then the Aleuts cooked fish and meat in them. They also knew how to cook special dishes from raw fish. For the hungry winter, they prepared dried fish and whale oil, which was kept in bubbles from the stomachs of marine animals.

Women were skilled craftswomen, sewing and embroidering clothes, weaving mats and baskets. Vegetable threads were so thin that they could compete with silk. However, the ornaments were not very diverse.

Despite the small number, by the middle of the eighteenth century. the population of each island represented an independent community of relatives with their own dialect. The tribal group was headed by a toyon chief. This honorary position was hereditary and in rare births was elective. Toyon established trade relations, decided court cases, and was engaged in control over the lands of the clan - rookeries of animals.

If we talk about their beliefs, then shamanism and hunting magic were widespread among the Aleuts. Usually a shaman, dressed in a special costume resembling a bird, called the beast. The shaman also danced in a special way to protect the hunter in the field and provide him with rich prey.

On the holiday of the winter solstice, the Aleuts gathered for a beautiful performance. It was accompanied by dances with pantomimes, dramatic performances of hunting scenes and mythological scenes accompanied by singing and beats of a tambourine. The performers wore special headdresses and wooden masks. From mouth to mouth, the Aleuts passed on legends about the original immortality of people, about the origin of people from a dog that fell from the sky, about the fight against cannibals, about blood feuds that led to cruel wars.

At the end of the 18th century, the Aleuts were converted to Orthodoxy and many of their customs began to fade away, traditions were forgotten, and the people themselves began to die out and become impoverished. In the 19th century, this reached a critical point and it seemed that soon there would not be a single Aleut left in Russia. Since 1935, a slow increase in the population began, but national traditions were largely lost.

traditional clothing

The traditional clothing was a parka - long deaf (without a slit in front) clothing made from the fur of a fur seal, sea otter, bird skins. A kamleika was worn over it - deaf waterproof clothing made from the intestines of marine animals with sleeves, a deaf closed collar and a hood (a prototype of a European windbreaker). The edges of the hood and sleeves were tightened with laces. Parkas and kamleikas were decorated with embroidered stripes and fringes. Traditional fishing jackets with hoods made of sea lion guts and throats, and sealskin trousers have been preserved. Men's and women's clothing completely coincided in cut and decorations. A new type of clothing also appeared - waders - trousers made of sea lion throats, to which waterproof torbasas were sewn - soft skins of marine animals. Shoes - torbasa - soft boots made from the skin of marine animals. In everyday life they wore Russian clothes.

Fishing headdresses were wooden hats of a conical shape (for toyon leaders) or without a top with a very elongated front part (for ordinary hunters), richly decorated with polychrome painting, carved bone, feathers, and sea lion whiskers. They were put on the hood of a kamlika. Such hats were hollowed out from a single piece of wood, then steamed out, giving the desired shape, and painted in bright colors, creating a fancy ornament. From the sides and back they were decorated with carved walrus tusk plates, engraved with a geometric ornament, into which paint was rubbed. On the top of the back plate, which simultaneously served as the top of the hat, a bone figurine of a bird or beast was attached. Sea lion whiskers up to 50 centimeters long were inserted into the side holes of the plate. Their number depended on the owner's hunting skill and testified to the number of walruses caught. These hats were worn only by men.

Festive and ceremonial headdresses were hats of various shapes made of leather and bird skins with decorations, leather bands with patterned seams. An integral part of the festive decoration is necklaces, bracelets and anklets, inserts and pendants in the holes made in the lips and near the lips, as well as in the nose, along the edges of the auricle and in the earlobe. They were made from bone, stone, wooden and slate sticks, feathers, sea lion whiskers, grass and plant roots. The Aleuts tattooed and painted their face and body, but with the beginning of contacts with the Russians, this tradition began to weaken.

Folklore

Folklore has not been sufficiently studied, since fundamental research has not been conducted,

There are fairy tales, heroic epic (narration), or heroic tales, stories about ancient customs, everyday stories, songs, sayings and riddles.

Most fairy tales are based on mythological plots. The most common were myths about the spirits of patron animals and etiological (concerning the causes of various phenomena) legends about the initial immortality of people, about the origin of people from a dog that fell from the sky, etc. mainland to the islands, stories about the campaigns of the eastern groups of the Aleuts to the west, about blood feuds that led to cruel wars, etc. Everyday stories tell about fishing trips, travels; legends - about runaway Aleuts hiding from Russians in caves, about distant travels; satirical stories about a hunter who died of gluttony inside a whale. Many plots reflect traditional family relations: about a husband's infidelity or a jealous wife, about the cohabitation of a hero with his cousin's wife, about hostile relations between a son-in-law and a brother-in-law (wife's brother), etc.

Song folklore was extremely developed. At the holidays, men, to the sound of a tambourine, sang the exploits of their ancestors, daring in fishing, dexterity in managing a canoe. During games, ritual actions and performance of fairy tales, they sang to the accompaniment of a multi-stringed plucked sword-shaped zither (chacha), which was later replaced by a guitar.