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Alutiiq/Sugpiaq People

The first people of Alaska’s Kodiak Archipelago

The community of Old Harbor,  2006.

Cama’i—Hello.
Welcome to the Alutiiq world.

A map of the Alutiiq homeland showing Prince William Sound, Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak Archipelago, and upper Alaska Peninsula

Our Homeland

The Alutiiq/Sugpiaq are an Alaska Native people. We have lived in the coastal environments of south-central Alaska for over 7,500 years. Our traditional homelands include Prince William Sound, the outer Kenai Peninsula, the Kodiak Archipelago, and the Alaska Peninsula.

Alutiiq people share many cultural practices with the other coastal peoples, particularly the Unangan/Aleut of the Aleutian Chain and the Yup’ik of the Bering Sea coast. Anthropologists believe these cultural similarities reflect a distant but common ancestry.


Who Are We

A film directed by Josh Branstetter, produced by the Alutiiq Museum with support from the EVOS Trustee Council.

What does it mean to be an Alutiiq/Sugpiaq person? This short film explores Alutiiq identity in the 21st century with interviews, historic photos, and songs in the Alutiiq language (9 minutes).

Learn More About Alutiiq/Sugpiaq Traditions

HISTORY

We are descended from seafaring people.

OUR STORIES | PETROGLYPHS | LIVING AT KARLUK LAKE | RECENT STUDIES

LANGUAGE

We speak the Alutiiq language, also known as Sugt’stun or Alutiit’stun.

LESSONS | WORD OF THE WEEK | LANGUAGE COLLECTIONS | RESEARCH | LANGUAGE HISTORY

SUBSISTENCE

We live off the land and the sea.

WILD FOODS | PLANT GALLERY | PLANT CRAFTS | QAYAT

ART

We tell stories and celebrate our culture through the arts.

ALUTIIQ ARTS | ARTIST GALLERY | CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY