[vdo]

Maps showing the flow of people into North America fill me with a swell of emotion deep in my heart. I’m Aleut, from Alaska, and it is very humbling to think of the thousands of years of continuous living here. To think of how related we are to other Native groups, and perhaps not so related the further off it goes, is endlessly fascinating to me. There is a sense of connectedness hard to quantify.

[nekcihc]

Aleuts were not continuously(from times of Beringia) living on those islands. Aleuts are very closely linked to Inuits and the understanding about Inuits is that they started to expand 3000 years ago. One of the initial drives to that 3000 year old expansion was because of new technologies(at that time), that helped to survive in North and that coincides with migration of N-Tat people(most of them nowadays are living in NE Europe). Genetically Aleuts are more related to Asian Eskimos and Chukchi, than to American Eskimos and Kamchatkian natives, so their spread is "recent"(no more than 3000 years). Nowadays Aleuts by patrilinear line are more related to Europeans - which started from Russian colonisation and mixing with Russians.

The thing about migratory highways is that people who live there(on migration highway) are not be able to continuously be connected to that place, due to constant influx of new people that pushes them along, like waves in ocean. But nonetheless - all people are related to other people and have very deep and long and unique ancestry. And the unique is what matters - and story that comes with it. But in this case those early Beringia inhabitants are more closely linked to American natives in Brazil, than to Aleuts.

[vdo]

There is not much I can say to any of that, but I do find it interesting. Unfortunate, but interesting. I would still say I am Aleut and that the Aleutian Islands are our original, true home. There has been evidence of people for thousands of years, no it’s not necessarily one singular bloodline, but I still stand by the sense of how much history there is, and I feel I have ties to it. Too often, Native claims to land are argued with, invalidated, or dismissed as far as “we’re all from somewhere else.” I am distrustful of genetic testing/results for the second to last paragraph there—we’ve really been nearly wiped out compared to e.g. Inupiat who still have a fair number of full blooded individuals. Aleuts were enslaved and carted across the coast of Alaska by Russians and our genetic history — to say little of oral history, traditions, and culture — is not perfectly clear as a result.

Edit: I am not trying to sound arguing or anything—just am apprehensive for this kind of thing, I always hesitate to comment on Native-related things because it is a near and dear issue for me. I’ve always thought Far East groups had similarities in boat design and such, it makes sense to me that there are such waves of flow.

[nekcihc]

You are here, so it is fortunate for you. Or unfortunate, compared to those who are dead. It all depends what angle is chosen.

>>Too often, Native claims to land are argued with, invalidated, or dismissed as far as “we’re all from somewhere else.”

I do not know of any other people(with exception of US and Russia, that have split Aleut lands between them) that _currently_ have claims on Aleut lands, so Aleut claims as primary claims are still very valid. The main issue is that Aleut numbers are small and dwingling to make that claim into independence - a top achievement to any people.

To be fair, this claim is argued mainly for any country, where migrants want to enter, because we are living in times, where US is going through "cultural revolution" and migrants are "new oppressed"(because true working class is too rich and independent and not stupid), whether they like it or not - their opinion is of no matter, where political influence is at play. Coincidentally some natives who play along also can gain something from it, but to an extent of course.

>>I am distrustful of genetic testing/results for the second to last paragraph there—we’ve really been nearly wiped out compared to e.g. Inupiat who still have a fair number of full blooded individuals. Aleuts were enslaved and carted across the coast of Alaska by Russians and our genetic history — to say little of oral history, traditions, and culture — is not perfectly clear as a result.

Judging from the contents of sapiens.org, they are making that statement as a sum of all natives of both Americas - not specifically from Beringia. More or less nowadays 50% of indigenous people have 50% European patrilinear lineage, though 10%+(more than native numbers) of non-native inhabitants carry native patrilinear lineages, so it is something that goes both ways.

In case of Aleutians, it was something, that made me realize, that Russian colonization was not as much different from rest of Siberia(where cossacks left wastelands of bodies that even nowadays are still not repopulated), and contradicts happy picture what can be gained from media, that tells about Russian times in Alaska. But, to be fair - let's not make myth, that Aleuts were peace loving people and that they dwingled, because they were peaceful - they dwingled in numbers, because Russians were more ruthless and had better weapons - Aleuts initially expanded, because they were better at something - including warfare.

Personally to me genetic results was shattering some myths, that I had and I could rediscover history of my own, as my relatives were afraid to talk about past. Also in USSR people were robbed of history and not allowed to have memory, so that is an awakening for me.

I think that understanding history, that can't be changed and not hiding from it is what makes strong people, as the truth and understanding of past is the only foundation on which to build future. Without understanding past, there is only repetition of the same errors - again and again. Even with all the might and power Russians are still in agony, as they can't built their own future and are making same mistakes, because time does not stand still and others who are learning from their mistakes and errors have grown, while Russians have learned nothing and are declining their own growth(and numbers), by living in glorious past - or rather still undecided on which glorious past to live in.

Well, anyway - I think, that nowadays Aleuts in US can do more, compared to Aleuts in Russia and it is up to youth if they want to be Aleuts in future or not - just the same as anywhere else. Yeah, I'm wondering if Aleuts of US are making contacts with Russian Aleuts, but then again - probably now it is a bad time to do so, as Russia is descending into totalitarian state again.