After 8,000 years on the Aleutian Islands, the Unangax̂ were forced into relocation camps during WWII

Aleutian Islands

The Aleutian Islands form a chain of over 300 small, volcanic islands stretching 1,200 miles west from Alaska. They create a natural border between the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean.

The Unangax̂ people, also called Aleut, have lived on these islands for over 8,000 years. They built rich maritime traditions that helped them survive in this harsh environment.

Today, about 7,000 people live on the islands, keeping parts of Unangax̂ culture alive while adapting to modern life.

Ancient Roots Run Deep

The Unangax̂ settled in the Aleutian Islands about 8,000 years ago. Before Europeans arrived in the mid-1700s, their population reached 12,000 to 15,000 people.

Families lived in houses called barabaras or ulax, made by digging pits and covering frames of wood and bone with grass mats and earth. These homes stayed warm during harsh winters.

Men hunted sea mammals from skin boats while women gathered plants and made baskets. They lived this way for thousands of years before outsiders arrived.

Family Life and Cultural Practices

Unangax̂ families traced their bloodlines through mothers, with children belonging to their mother’s family group. Women owned the family homes, while older men usually made group decisions.

The Steller sea lion gave them more than food. They used its parts to make boat covers, fishing lines, tools, waterproof containers, and clothes. Skilled crafters wove grass into baskets with special patterns.

Ceremonies marked important life events and honored the natural world that supported them.

First Strikes From Japan

Japanese planes attacked Dutch Harbor on June 3-4, 1942, bombing American military bases six months after Pearl Harbor. Bombs hit fuel tanks and barracks, killing several Americans.

These strikes aimed to pull American attention away from Japan’s main attack on Midway Island in the central Pacific. For the first time since the War of 1812, enemy forces invaded North American soil.

Americans were shocked that their homeland faced direct attack despite its distance from Japan.

Enemy Occupies Aleutian Islands

Japanese troops landed on Kiska Island on June 6, 1942, capturing ten Navy weathermen. The next day, they took Attu Island and captured 45 Unangax̂ residents along with two white Americans.

Charles Foster Jones worked as a radio operator with his wife Etta, a teacher and nurse. The Japanese killed Charles during questioning, making him the only American civilian executed during the occupation.

These invasions made Americans fear attacks on Alaska or the Pacific Northwest.

Unangax̂ Prisoners in Japan

In September 1942, the Japanese took 42 Attu villagers to Hokkaido, Japan. One person died during the journey across the northern Pacific. Guards kept the survivors in a house in Otaru and forced them to work in a nearby mine.

Food ran out quickly, and Japanese rations weren’t enough to keep them healthy. Disease spread as winter came. After about a year, half the prisoners moved to a Shinto shrine when tuberculosis put others in hospitals.

Forced Evacuation of Villages

After the Japanese invasion, American military leaders ordered all remaining Aleutian villages emptied. Officials removed 881 Unangax̂ people from nine villages in June and July 1942. Families had just 24 hours to pack.

Each person could bring only one suitcase, forcing them to leave behind family treasures and cultural items. Navy crews burned some empty villages to keep Japanese forces from using them.

No one told the Unangax̂ where they were going or when they might return home.

Life in Duration Villages

The government sent Unangax̂ evacuees to Southeast Alaska camps called “duration villages.” These camps used old canneries, a fish processing plant, and an abandoned gold mine.

Buildings had broken windows, leaky roofs, and rotting floors. Most had no running water, electricity, or toilets. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ran these camps but provided few supplies.

The Unangax̂, used to treeless islands, now lived under dense forests that blocked sunlight and trapped moisture.

Hardship and Suffering

Rain seeped through damaged buildings, making everything damp. The Unangax̂ had no proper winter clothes for this unfamiliar climate. Camp food was mostly poor-quality leftovers, and the water often made people sick.

Few doctors visited despite widespread illness. Tuberculosis and pneumonia spread quickly in cramped quarters. When the Unangax̂ reported health problems, officials often ignored them, focusing instead on the war effort rather than helping these American citizens.

Lives Lost in Two Nations

Many people died as the years passed. In American camps, thirty-two died at Funter Bay, seventeen at Killisnoo, twenty at Ward Lake, and five at Burnett Inlet. In Japan, fifteen Attu captives died from tuberculosis or starvation during three years as prisoners.

Most victims were young children and older adults. Despite this mistreatment, many Unangax̂ stayed loyal to America. Twenty-five men joined the U.S. military, with three helping retake their home island and earning Bronze Stars for their bravery.

America Reclaims the Islands

On May 11, 1943, U.S. forces launched Operation Landcrab to retake Attu Island. American troops faced dug-in Japanese defenders, terrible weather, and steep mountains. The battle lasted almost three weeks.

On May 29, Japanese Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki led his remaining soldiers in a last-ditch charge through American lines. Fighting continued until nearly all Japanese defenders died.

The battle killed 549 Americans and 2,400 Japanese. Only 28 Japanese soldiers survived as prisoners. This was the only land battle fought in North America during World War II.

Visiting Aleutian World War II National Historic Area

You’ll find the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area Visitor Center at 2716 Airport Beach Road in Unalaska, Alaska.

Inside, explore exhibits featuring artifacts, photographs, and video testimonies from survivors. The theater shows a documentary about the forgotten battle and civilian internment.

For the best experience, start at the visitor center before exploring nearby bunkers, gun emplacements, and the hillside cemetery.

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