Eskimos and Aleuts: Their Origins and Evolution

Abstract

Eskimos have been known to the European world since A.D. 1000, when Leif Erikson found them on the coast of Labrador. The Greenlandic Eskimos and their relatives the Aleuts and Eskimos to the west and north were by no means newcomers to North America and Greenland. At the time of their discovery by Leif they had been living in the New World for over 4000 years.In the more than five millennia that have passed since these Mongoloid peoples migrated from Siberia to Alaska, they have worked out a remarkable system of adaptation to a series of diverse environments, ranging from the harsh climate and poorly lighted terrain of the polar regions to the more moderate marine environment of the Aleutian Islands. Their adaptations, physiological and cultural, have enabled them to occupy the entire coast of northern North America, from Alaska to the northeastern coast of Canada, and the entire coast of Greenland. Because of their antiquity, the evolutionary changes in successive groups, and the variations throughout their distribution over a long coastal area, the Eskimos and Aleuts provide a unique opportunity for studying microevolution, population history from the standpoint of genetics, and biological and cultural adaptation. Such studies have been facilitated by the excavation of stratified village sites rich in durable artifacts and in faunal remains and human skeletons, many of them showing direct continuity with living groups. Moreover, studies of the blood groups of living individuals show a basic similarity between Aleuts and Greenlandic Eskimos, as distinguished from American Indians, who are much less Mongoloid. In addition, the linguistic diversity within a single stock provides an invaluable means of tracing the impressive florescence of these energetic and practical peoples. Linguistic CharacterizationThe three distinctive languages spoken by members of this stock differentiate them from American Indians and indicate a connection with Siberian Mongoloids that is confirmed by the serological and morphological evidence.

Changing Patterns of Health and Disease Among the Aleuts

“…For the purposes of these comparisons, the three late pre-contact/early contact period samples were grouped into one larger sample. The rationale for combining these samples is as follows: 1) the samples are geographically close, 2) they represent eastern Aleuts, a group that is linguistically, morphologically, and culturally distinct from western Aleuts (Black 1984;Laughlin and Aigner 1975), and 3) they represent Neo-Aleuts who are believed to have evolved locally from earlier Paleo-Aleuts (Laughlin 1963(Laughlin , 1980Turner et al 1982). In addition, separate statistical comparisons were also made between the pre-contact sample and the Shiprock and Kagamil samples.…”

“…1). All of the skeletons are dolichocephalic "PaleoAleuts," believed to have evolved into the brachycephalic "Neo-Aleuts" of the historic period (Laughlin 1963). The Paleo-Aleut skeletons were recovered from the lower, middle, and upper levels of the site and date from ca.…”

“…to 1500 A.D. (Laughlin 1992:6). Despite the temporal depth of these remains, archaeological evidence from Chaluka indicates homogeneity in both material culture and diet throughout this period (Laughlin 1963).…”

“…Classified by Hrdlicka as "Aleut" (i.e., Neo-Aleut) on the basis of their craniometrics (Hrdlicka 1945), the remains were found in both flexed and extended positions, the latter possibly reflecting European influences (Turner et al 1974:140). Hrdlicka (1945:371) noted evidence of possible venereal syphilis in one of these skeletons, and commented that none of the Overall Total 292 *Hrdlicka, 1945;Laughlin, 1963**Hrdlicka, 1945Turner et al, 1974***Hrdlicka, 1941, 1945Turner, 1991****Hrdlicka, 1941, 1945Heathcote, 1986;Laughlin, 1980Laughlin, , 1992Utermohle, 1984 pre-contact burials from the site showed any evidence of the disease. The Shiprock Island sample consists of the remains of 62 individuals recovered from two rock shelters on Shiprock Island in Umnak Pass (Fig.…”

University of Pennsylvania Radiocarbon Dates X

“…Also Tata I, II, III, and IV, and in Pennsylvania VI. Analyses of the dating problem are given by Agrawal, 1964;Dales, 1966a; (Godwin and Willis, 1962;Rodden, 1962Rodden, , 1965Rodden and Rodden, 1964 (Black and Laughlin, 1964;Laughlin, 1963;Laughlin and Marsh, 1954 …”