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Inupiaq and St Lawrence Island Yupik Native American history - page 1 of 4

The Inupiaq and the St. Lawrence Island Yupik People, or “Real People,” are still hunting and gathering societies. They continue to subsist on the land and sea of north and northwest Alaska. Their lives continue to evolve around the whale, walrus, seal, polar bear, caribou and fish.

Archaeologists are confident that the Bering Sea region was the birthplace of Eskimo culture, although it is unclear where exactly it began. Archaeologists investigating the history of cultures around Bering Strait have found clear evidence of the movement of Asian peoples into northeastern Siberia and their subsequent migration into Alaska and the Americas; dates from stratified cave sites begin as early as 35,000 years ago, and 12,000 years ago, the first well-dated stratified sites appear in Alaska, on the Nenana River. The Iñupiat people have been living in Barrow Alaska for 4,000 years.

The Pleistocene, or Glacial era, characterized by a series of northern glaciating and the appearance of human beings, took place about 2 million years ago, ending about 11,000 years ago. Many of the animals represented in the painting were living up here about 10,000 years ago. Not all the animals are extinct. One of the species that survived the Pleistocene era is the musk ox. The mastodon was living in the Arctic as late as 3,800 years ago, alongside of the Inuit. Displayed bones were found at the Ikpikpak River 60 miles up inland from Barrow. Iñupiat elders were instrumental in identifying the Iñupiaq names for these animals.

Different groups of people have crossed from Siberia into Alaska, and the Inuit are probably one of the last groups of people to have crossed. Uncovered artifacts, about 14,000 years old, are similar to those found at other sites throughout North America and South America.

Traditionally, Iñupiat lived in semi-permanent coastal communities located at good hunting places. In fact, Barrow's traditional name, "Ukpiagik," means "the place for hunting snowy owls." While mostly whale and seal hunters, the Iñupiat also hunted caribou, fish and waterfowl from inland areas. The Inuit have stories about hunting the mammoth, other large game animals and small game animals such as the musk ox, caribou, wolves and other Arctic species native to the region at that time. Pink and chum salmon, cod, inconnu and whitefish were fished whenever ice formed; herring and crab and halibut were also caught. Birds and eggs formed an important part of the diet.

A large sealskin covered boat, called an "umiaq," was used for summer travel, bartering, and hunting whale and walrus. An umiaq usually measures 20 to 30 feet and is able to carry 10 to 12 people and a ton of cargo. Dog sleds were used for winter travel. The kayak, a closed skin boat, is typically for one person. The basket sled is used for land travel. A flat sled is used for hauling large skin boats across the ice, and small sleds attached to the bottom of a skin boat transport the watercraft across ice. Snowshoes are used in interior regions.

The traditional Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik tool kit had a variety of stone, wood, bone and ivory tools made for butchering, tanning, carving, drilling, inscribing, sharpening and flaking. The bow drill was an important tool, used for starting fires, drilling holes in wood, bone, ivory. Hunting equipment included a sophisticated package of toggle-headed harpoons, lances, lines, and seal bladder floats used for the bowhead whale hunt. Seal skin floats are used for whale hunts, as are water-filled seal bladders which attract and lead bowhead whales closer to the shore. Other tools include scratching boards for attracting seals to breathing holes, bows, arrows, spears, spear throwers, bolas for taking birds, and snares. Fishing gear includes nets, traps made from branches and roots, and hooks.

• Athabascans,
• Yup'ik and Cup'ik,
• Inupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik people,
• Aleut and Alutiiq peoples,
• Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people.

St Lawrence Island Yupik and Inupiaq Native American history - page 2

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