(Re)examining Alutiiq Agency during Russian and American Colonization

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Retelling Time in Indigenous-Colonial Interactions across North America" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological notions of time are often categorized based on a modern perspective of the past, which can overemphasize contact with others or technological advancements (e.g., classic/post-classic or pre-/post-contact). This approach presents particular challenges for sites and resources occupied or used after significant interaction with colonial forces, as it can lead to an overemphasis on the colonizing culture (e.g., post-contact, Russian era, American era). In the Kodiak Archipelago of Alaska, this terminology has tended to flatten the historical narrative by diminishing the agency of Alutiiq people in their response to Russian colonialism. Classifying these sites as “Russian” or “American” period sites subsumes Alutiiq traditions and culture under those of others, downplaying the active role of Alutiiq people, who selectively adopted Russian and American culture and technology to meet their needs. Further, this emphasis serves to minimize the impact of Alutiiq knowledge and contributions to Russian/American survival and subsistence across the archipelago. This paper will examine concepts of archaeological time at the Alutiiq-Russian site of Eagle Harbor and offer ideas for (re)telling the story of colonial interaction through an Alutiiq lens.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Retelling Time in Indigenous-Colonial Interactions across North America

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52185