Aleuts: Survivors of the Bering Land Bridge

by William S. Laughlin

This unusual case study integrates vital data and interpretations to give a complete historical picture of the Aleuts, who have lived for 9,000 years in a remote and inhospitable part of the earth, and whose ancestors are connected with the original human inhabitants of the New World.

Genres: Anthropology, History

151 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

Reviews

[Chrisl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful in understanding Aleut culture.

Some quotes concerning the type of information I'm seeking:

“Child Training …

more specificity in training than in other cultures … to sit for hours in the kayak rather than running and walking … learning to throw harpoons from that position … “It was advantageous, therefore, to actually stretch the ligaments and tendons of the knee, back, and shoulder, and for this to be done early in life … gently pulled boy’s arms straight over the shoulder and back behind the head … done intermittently and accompanied by a song of with susurrating sounds. Beginning as early as age one, this exercise made the shoulder joint supple and permitted a greater excursion from behind with a straight arm, a valuable ability for casting harpoons with the throwing board.

“In another exercise, the child was seated on a box with his legs extended and heels resting on another box. The tutor then massaged his knees and pressed down on them gently, accompanying this treatment with a rhythmical sound, ‘t-t-t-t.’ This exercise lengthened the hamstring muscles on the back side of the lower thighs and lower legs and also loosened the muscles in the small of the back, thus enabling him to sit comfortably in a kayak. Aleuts commonly ridiculed Eskimos because they knelt in their kayaks.

“A third exercise saw the child hung by his fingers from a ceiling beam of the babara … this training was preparation for climbing on cliffs … Gathering the eggs of puffins, murres, and cormorants required agility and tenacity in climbing on high, wet cliffs.

“A variety of games naturally reinforced the training … players sat on the ground facing each other … with feet straight out, as though sitting in a kayak … Each player took turns throwing … By the time the boy was ready for kayak instruction around age 10, he commanded the appropriate postures and endurance …

“At age 13 or 14, the boy began to hunt with his uncles or father. Between age 16 and 19, the boy had his own baidarka (kayak) and might undertake trips on his own. By then he was also capable of making his own boat frame and persuading some women to sew skins for him. A young man capable of persuading three or four women to sew for him was obviously prepared to cope with sea lions and whales.