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.
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.