Boarding School and Land Allotment Eras 1879-1933

1880s

American traders along Arctic shore introduce alcohol and guns, disrupting Alaska Native lifeways

View of four three-masted whaling ships offshore from Barrow, Alaska. Image: Alaska State Library
View of four three-masted whaling ships offshore from Barrow, Alaska. Image: Alaska State Library

American traders settling along the Arctic shore hire Native whalers and introduce alcohol and guns, leading to disruptions in Native lifeways, over-hunting, and depletion of food animals, which eventually leads to a period of famine among Alaska Native communities (Native Voices, “1868: Navajo internment ends, but 2,000 died while imprisoned”).

Traumatic Event