The Aleut Diet: Masters of the Marine Environment

Subsistence in the Aleutian Islands

The Aleut (Unangan) people thrived for millennia in the harsh, resource-rich environment of the Aleutian archipelago. Their diet was overwhelmingly marine-based, supplemented by seasonal land resources.

Marine Mammals

• Sea otters
• Seals
• Sea lions
• Whales

Fish & Shellfish

• Salmon, cod, halibut, flounder, herring
• Clams, mussels, sea urchins

Birds & Eggs

• Puffins, auklets, murres, guillemots, kittiwakes, gulls
• Seabird, duck, and goose eggs

Plants & Berries

• Salmonberries, blueberries, crowberries, lingonberries, raspberries
• Wild celery, seaweed, beach peas, wild onions, angelica, camas, saxifrage, cow parsnip

Adaptation & Ingenuity

Every part of the harvest was used: meat for food, skins for clothing and boat covers, bones for tools, oils for lamps. The Aleut's deep ecological knowledge allowed them to flourish where agriculture was impossible.