The Unangax̂ (Aleuts) are an Alaska Native people that historically inhabited a few small villages in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. During World War II the remote Aleutian Islands, home to the Unangax̂ (Aleut) people for over 8,000 years, became a fiercely contested battleground in the Pacific. This thousand-mile-long archipelago saw invasion by Japanese forces, the occupation of two islands; a mass relocation of Unangax̂ civilians; a 15-month air war; and one of the deadliest battles in the Pacific Theater.
During World War II the villagers were evacuated and interned at six locations in southeast Alaska, where they endured considerable hardship (the villagers of Attu Island were interned by the enemy in Japan, where they suffered even more hardship).
During World War II the villagers were evacuated and interned at six locations in southeast Alaska, where they endured considerable hardship (the villagers of Attu Island were interned by the enemy in Japan, where they suffered even more hardship).
Learn more by visiting Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area and exploring the resources below.The [Unangax] were...the first and only people in Alaska to be assaulted by our own government and an enemy foreign power in WWII simultaneously.
Philemon Michael Tutiakoff, Chairman of the Board Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, Inc. 1981
Last updated: February 23, 2023