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(illustration by H.F. Pauli) The Aleuts appeared on the Commander Islands early in the 19th century. They were settlers from the Aleutian Islands. Most of the Aleuts inhabiting Bering Island came from Atka Island, and those who lived on Mednyi Island originated from Attu Island. Different origin of the settlers was reflected in both the linguistic and cultural distinctions of the two islands. The culture of the Commander Aleuts is original and uncommon. |
(etching by L. Zorin) It is the synthesis of the ancient culture of the Aleutian Islands and the culture of the Russian colonists and Creole population of Russian America. The latter combined the traits of the Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut traditions. The pioneer settlers of the Commander Islands inherited the art of manufacturing leather boats, coats of bird skins and sea lion guts, and baskets and mats of grass from the traditional culture. Whaling and sealing with harpoon spear and spear launchers were also traditional hunting methods. |
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(from G. Sarychev's journal) The Nikolskoye village (Bering Island, founded in 1826) and Preobrazhenskoye village (Mednyi Island) are the largest settlements on the Commander Islands. More than twenty wooden houses were built by the Gutchinson Company in Nikolskoye village in the second half of the 18th century. Several buildings of that period have been preserved in the village till present. |
(from G. Sarychev's journal) The problems of the preservation of the original culture of the Commander Aleuts in the present conditions are actual for the ethnologists, linguists, sociologists and artists. The Aleut language has been studied in the secondary school of Nikolskoye since 1983. Attempts are made to preserve and recover traditional Aleut handicrafts (stone and bone carving, manufacture of original clothing, samples of canoes, and weavings of grass). |
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(photograph by A. Zimenko) "Unangan" and "Chiyan" Aleutian folk ensembles perform in Nikolskoye. It houses the domestic, artistic and hand-crafted articles and the historical library. The domestic and foreign experts are engaged in the museum activities; joint expedition studies are also being conducted. |