Alaskan Natives

Alaskan Natives – American Indians of the Artic and Sub-Artic

This is our index to the north American Indians of the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of North America. Most indigenous people of this region are Inuit, who do not consider themselves to be Indian.

Some Yupik and Aleut people call themselves Indians, and others do not. Some Native people of the Arctic region use the Cree word “Eskimo” to refer to themselves; others consider that term to be derogatory and are offended by its use.

Collectively, the indigenous people of the arctic and sub-arctic culture regions in the United States are also referred to as Alaskan Natives.

The term “native americans,” commonly used to refer to the indigenous people of the lower 48 states in the US, is generally not used when referring to the native people of Alaska.

Alaskan native cultures are generally grouped by their languages. Within each culture are many different tribes.


  • Alaskan Athabaskans

    • Ahtna
    • Deg Hit’an
    • Dena’ina
    • Gwich’in
    • Hän
    • Holikachuk
    • Koyukon
    • Lower Tanana
    • Tanacross
    • Upper Tanana
    • Upper Kuskokwim (Kolchan)


  • Eyak
  • Tlingit
  • Haida
  • Tsimshian
  • Eskimo

    • Iñupiat, an Inuit group
    • Yupik

      • Siberian Yupik
      • Yup’ik

        • Cup’ik


      • Sugpiaq ~ Alutiiq

        • Chugach Sugpiaq
        • Koniag Alutiiq




  • Aleut (Unangan)


Subcategories

Article Index:

Ahtna TribeThe Ahtna are a hunter/fisher/gatherer tribe of Alaska’s Copper River that had little White contact until the 1880’s. The tribe’s aggressive nature allowed them to remain isolated in spite of White exploration.
Aleut People

The Aleut people (pronounced Ah-loot), who call themselves Unangan (singular, pronounced Uh-nang-an) or Unangax̂(plural), arrived some 5,000 years ago, and settled in loose family groups on the coast and offshore islands of southwest Alaska. They are believed to be the last prehistoric migration of people from Asia.