The Alutiiq, also known as Sugpiaq people, are native people that settled on the coast of Southwestern and Central Alaska, but most of these native islanders live among the Kodiac Archipelago, a large rugged and rocky landscape. This group of native people are lesser known, but have very a distinct and unique culture. The Alutiiq people of the Kodiak islands have had many cultural changes throughout their estimated 7,500 year of inhibition. The first Alutiiq people to settle on the Kodiak Archipelago around 7,500 to 4,000 years ago were considered early ancestral hunters. This group adapted easily to colonizing in their new environment among the coast and were known for hunting sea mammals. After living on the Kodiak Archipelago for some time, the Kodiak people being to be more…show more content… Soon after, warfare began to arise and the Kodiak people were categorized as chiefs and slaves, as well as the climate drastically became colder. Fishing became a struggle for the Alutiiq people and they were forced to migrate to banks where they can harvest more salmon and hunt whales. Most Alutiiq families lived together in large sod house, and the chiefs then started to organize labor and lead war. Around 1780, the Alutiiq people adapted new cultural traditions from incoming Russian fur traders, but this change in society led to many people dying from starvation and influenza like infections. The Russians also introduced the native people to religion, the Orthodox faith. After the United States bought Alaska, in 1867, the Alutiiq people had to adapt their lives again, but this time to an American-like culture and became a Western market economy. The Alutiiq language, also know as Sugt’stun, became foreign and children often were punished for using the language. It wasn't until around 1980 that the native people of Kodiak began to emerge in their traditional culture