Site fidelity and movement of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the western Gulf of Alaska as revealed by photo-identification

We describe feeding-site fidelity in terms of the rate of annual return by individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)) to Kodiak Archipelago and Shumagin Islands feeding areas and the rate of exchange between these Gulf of Alaska feeding aggregations. Individual whales were photo-identified in both regions between 1999 and 2015 during vessel surveys, either throughout the feeding season (Kodiak region) or in brief 7- to 10-day windows (Shumagin Islands). Feeding-site fidelity was assessed in terms of individuals’ annual return rate, sighting interval, total number of years sighted, and movement between feeding areas. We found similarly high degrees of site fidelity in both regions and limited movement of individuals between them, suggesting that the Shumagin Islands and Kodiak Archipelago represent distinct feeding aggregations. Results did not appear affected by temporal differences in sampling strategy in these study areas.

Archaeology and the Sugpiaq renaissance on Kodiak Island: Three stories from Alaska

The Sugpiat people have lived in the Kodiak Archipelago for at least 7,500 years, but suffered extraordinary pressure on their cultural identity beginning with violent Russian conquest in 1784 and followed by Russian and American colonisation. Recognising that drastic actions were needed to preserve Sugpiaq heritage, the Kodiak Area Native Association began a cultural revitalisation movement. The centrepiece was a Native-owned state-of-the-art museum that opened in 1995. This essay recounts the stories of three participants in the beginning of a process that has transformed the cultural landscape of Kodiak.

Open skin boats of the Aleutians, Kodiak Island, and Prince William Sound

This article examines the relationship between the open skin boat (umiak) traditions of the Unangax/Aleut who inhabited the Aleutian Islands and the Sugpiat of Kodiak Island and Prince William Sound, the two southernmost Indigenous Alaskan peoples who used such watercraft. In a larger geographical context, the Aleutian Islands and the Kodiak Archipelago form a chain of lands stretching from the Alaska Peninsula to the eastern coast of Eurasia. Drawing from archaeological and ethnographic evidence, the author discusses both technological and social aspects of open skin boats. A comparison between Sugpiaq and Unangax/Aleut boats demonstrates similarities in some structural details and leads to a discussion of technological exchange in the larger region that encompasses Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, the Kodiak Archipelago, the Aleutian Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. The different Indigenous boat types influenced each other along a chain of overlapping related elements and structural features, rather than being adopted in each case as a complete technological corpus. This exchange occurred along routes of trade and war but ultimately created a dynamic intellectual network of watercraft technology.