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The Yupik or, in the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language
Central Alaskan Yup'ik language

Central Alaskan Yup'ik is a Yupik languages of the Eskimo language family, in turn a member of the Eskimo-Aleut languages language group, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska....
, Yup'ik, are a group of indigenous or aboriginal
Indigenous peoples

File:Kaiapos.jpegThe term indigenous peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside immigrants which have populated the region and which are greater in number....
 peoples of western, southwestern, and southcentral Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
 and the Russian Far East. They include the Central Alaskan Yup'ik
Yup'ik

The Yup'ik people , are an Eskimo people of western and southwestern Alaska ranging from southern Norton Sound southwards along the coast of the Bering Sea on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and along the northern coast of Bristol Bay as far east as Nushagak Bay and the northern Alaska Peninsula at Naknek River and Egegik Bay....
 people of the Yukon
Yukon River

The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. Over half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska, with most of the other portion lying in and giving its name to Canada Yukon Territory, and a small part of the river near the source located in British Columbia....
-Kuskokwim
Kuskokwim River

The Kuskokwim River is the 9th-largest river in the United States of America, ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth; 17th. largest by basin drainage area....
 delta, the Kuskokwim River
Kuskokwim River

The Kuskokwim River is the 9th-largest river in the United States of America, ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth; 17th. largest by basin drainage area....
, and coastal Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57? to 59? North 157? to 162? West. It is located between the southwest part of the Alaska mainland to its north, and the Alaska Peninsula to its south and east....
 in Alaska; the Alutiiq
Alutiiq

The Alutiiq , also called Pacific Yupik or Sugpiaq, are a southern coastal people of the Yupik peoples of Alaska. Their language is also called Alutiiq language....
 (or Suqpiaq) of the Alaska Peninsula
Alaska Peninsula

The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about 800 km to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands....
 and coastal and island areas of southcentral Alaska; and the Siberian Yupik
Siberian Yupik

Siberian Yupiks, or Yuits, are indigenous people who reside along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the far Russian Far East of the Russia and on St....
 of the Russian Far East
Russian Far East

Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Siberia and the Pacific Ocean....
 and St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island

St. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63?30' North 173?20' West. It is part of Alaska, but closer to Russia than to the Alaskan mainland....
 in western Alaska. They are Eskimo
Eskimo

Eskimos or Esquimaux are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska and Canada, and all of Greenland ....
 and are related to the Inuit
Inuit

Inuit is a general term for a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska, United States....
.

The Central Alaskan Yup'ik
Yup'ik

The Yup'ik people , are an Eskimo people of western and southwestern Alaska ranging from southern Norton Sound southwards along the coast of the Bering Sea on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and along the northern coast of Bristol Bay as far east as Nushagak Bay and the northern Alaska Peninsula at Naknek River and Egegik Bay....
 are by far the most numerous group of Yupik.






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The Yupik or, in the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language
Central Alaskan Yup'ik language

Central Alaskan Yup'ik is a Yupik languages of the Eskimo language family, in turn a member of the Eskimo-Aleut languages language group, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska....
, Yup'ik, are a group of indigenous or aboriginal
Indigenous peoples

File:Kaiapos.jpegThe term indigenous peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any ethnic group of people who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest known historical connection, alongside immigrants which have populated the region and which are greater in number....
 peoples of western, southwestern, and southcentral Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
 and the Russian Far East. They include the Central Alaskan Yup'ik
Yup'ik

The Yup'ik people , are an Eskimo people of western and southwestern Alaska ranging from southern Norton Sound southwards along the coast of the Bering Sea on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and along the northern coast of Bristol Bay as far east as Nushagak Bay and the northern Alaska Peninsula at Naknek River and Egegik Bay....
 people of the Yukon
Yukon River

The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. Over half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska, with most of the other portion lying in and giving its name to Canada Yukon Territory, and a small part of the river near the source located in British Columbia....
-Kuskokwim
Kuskokwim River

The Kuskokwim River is the 9th-largest river in the United States of America, ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth; 17th. largest by basin drainage area....
 delta, the Kuskokwim River
Kuskokwim River

The Kuskokwim River is the 9th-largest river in the United States of America, ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth; 17th. largest by basin drainage area....
, and coastal Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay

Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57? to 59? North 157? to 162? West. It is located between the southwest part of the Alaska mainland to its north, and the Alaska Peninsula to its south and east....
 in Alaska; the Alutiiq
Alutiiq

The Alutiiq , also called Pacific Yupik or Sugpiaq, are a southern coastal people of the Yupik peoples of Alaska. Their language is also called Alutiiq language....
 (or Suqpiaq) of the Alaska Peninsula
Alaska Peninsula

The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about 800 km to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands....
 and coastal and island areas of southcentral Alaska; and the Siberian Yupik
Siberian Yupik

Siberian Yupiks, or Yuits, are indigenous people who reside along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the far Russian Far East of the Russia and on St....
 of the Russian Far East
Russian Far East

Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Siberia and the Pacific Ocean....
 and St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island

St. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63?30' North 173?20' West. It is part of Alaska, but closer to Russia than to the Alaskan mainland....
 in western Alaska. They are Eskimo
Eskimo

Eskimos or Esquimaux are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska and Canada, and all of Greenland ....
 and are related to the Inuit
Inuit

Inuit is a general term for a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska, United States....
.

The Central Alaskan Yup'ik
Yup'ik

The Yup'ik people , are an Eskimo people of western and southwestern Alaska ranging from southern Norton Sound southwards along the coast of the Bering Sea on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and along the northern coast of Bristol Bay as far east as Nushagak Bay and the northern Alaska Peninsula at Naknek River and Egegik Bay....
 are by far the most numerous group of Yupik. The Central Alaskan Yup'ik who live on Nunivak Island
Nunivak Island

Nunivak Island, the second largest island in the Bering Sea, is a permafrost-covered volcanic island lying about 48 km offshore from the delta of the Yukon River and Kuskokwim River rivers in the state of Alaska, at about 60? North latitude....
 call themselves Cup'ig (plural Cup'it). Those who live in the village of Chevak
Chevak, Alaska

Chevak is a city in Wade Hampton Census Area, Alaska, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 United States Census the population was 765....
 call themselves Cup'ik (plural Cup'it).

Culture

Traditionally, families spent the spring and summer at fish camp, then joined with others at village sites for the winter. Many families still harvest the traditional subsistence resources, especially salmon
Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout,the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, this holds true for the Atlantic salmon....
 and seal.

The men's communal house, the qasgiq, was the community center for ceremonies and festivals which included singing, dancing, and storytelling
Storytelling

Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, s, and sounds often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture and in every land as a means of entertainment, education, preservation of culture and in order to instill moral values....
. The qasgiq was used mainly in the winter months, because people would travel in family groups following food sources throughout the spring, summer, and fall months. Aside from ceremonies and festivals, it was also where the men taught the young boys survival and hunting skills, as well as other life lessons. The young boys were also taught how to make tools and qayaqs (kayaks) during the winter months in the qasgiq. The ceremonies involve a shaman. The women's house, the ena, was traditionally right next door, and in some areas they were connected by a tunnel. Women taught the young girls how to sew, cook, and weave. Boys would live with their mothers until they were about five years old, then they would live in the qasgiq. Each winter, from anywhere between three to six weeks, the young boys and young girls would switch, with the men teaching the girls survival and hunting skills and toolmaking and the women teaching the boys how to sew and cook.

In Yup'ik group dances individuals often remain stationary while moving their upper body and arms rhythmically, their gestures accentuated by hand held dance fans very similar to Cherokee dance fans. The limited motion by no means limits the expressiveness of the dances, which can be gracefully flowing, bursting with energy, or wryly humorous.

The Yup'ik are unique among native peoples of the Americas in that children are named after the last person in the community to have died.

Languages


The five Yupik language
Yupik language

The Yupik languages are the several distinct languages of the several Yupik peoples of western and southcentral Alaska and northeastern Siberia....
s (related to Inuktitut
Inuktitut

Inuktitut is the name of the varieties of Inuit language spoken in Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the tree line, including parts of the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, to some extent in northeastern Manitoba as well as the territories of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and traditionally on the Arctic Ocean coa...
) are still very widely spoken, with more than 75% of the Yupik/Yup'ik population fluent in the language.

The Alaskan and Siberian Yupik, like the Alaskan Inupiat
Inupiat

The Inupiat or I?upiaq are the Inuit people of Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska and North Slope Borough, Alaska boroughs and the Bering Straits region....
, adopted the system of writing developed by Moravian Church missionaries during the 1760s in Greenland
Greenland

Greenland is a member country of the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago....
. The Alaskan Yupik and Inupiat are the only Northern indigenous peoples to have developed their own system of hieroglyphics, a system that died with its inventors.

Through a confusion among Russian explorers in the 1800s, the Yupik people bordering the territory of the unrelated Aleuts were erroneously called Aleuts, or Alutiiq
Alutiiq

The Alutiiq , also called Pacific Yupik or Sugpiaq, are a southern coastal people of the Yupik peoples of Alaska. Their language is also called Alutiiq language....
, in Yupik. This term has remained in use to the present day, along with another term, Sugpiaq, which both refer to the Yupik of Southcentral Alaska and Kodiak.

See
of Yupik languages. The whole Eskimo-Aleut family, and also all Alaskan languages are shown. Available online . Here is a wikified version of the mentioned tree (restricted to the Eskimo-Aleut family):
  • Eskimo-Aleut
    • Aleut
      Aleut

      The Aleuts are the Alaska Natives of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, United States and Kamchatka Krai, Russia....
    • Eskimo
      Eskimo

      Eskimos or Esquimaux are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska and Canada, and all of Greenland ....
      • (Yupik)
        • Alutiiq
          Alutiiq language

          The Alutiiq language is a close relative to the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language spoken in the western and southwestern Alaska, but is considered a distinct language....
        • Central Alaskan Yup'ik
          Central Alaskan Yup'ik language

          Central Alaskan Yup'ik is a Yupik languages of the Eskimo language family, in turn a member of the Eskimo-Aleut languages language group, spoken in western and southwestern Alaska....
        • Naukan
        • Siberian Yupik
          Siberian Yupik language

          Siberian Yupik is the language of the Siberian Yupik people, an indigenous people who reside along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East and on St....
           (Yuit)
      • Sirenik
      • Inuit
        Inuit

        Inuit is a general term for a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Alaska, United States....
Some differences may exist in the terminolgy or in the details of the classification, in comparison to the main article
Yupik language

The Yupik languages are the several distinct languages of the several Yupik peoples of western and southcentral Alaska and northeastern Siberia....
.

See also

  • List of Alaska Native Tribal Entities
  • Siberian Yupik
    Siberian Yupik

    Siberian Yupiks, or Yuits, are indigenous people who reside along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the far Russian Far East of the Russia and on St....
  • Yupiit Nation


Bibliography


  • Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
  • Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.
  • de Reuse, Willem J. (1994). Siberian Yupik Eskimo: The language and its contacts with Chukchi. Studies in indigenous languages of the Americas. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 0-87480-397-7.
  • , the identification of Inuit portrayed in photographic collections at Library and Archives Canada


External links