Also known as Yupiaq, Yupiit, Yupiat, Cup'ik, Cup'ig, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Central Yup'ik, and Alaskan Yup'ik, the Yup'ik people are an Indigenous people of western and southwestern Alaska.
The Yup'ik are one of three groups of Yupik people, the others being the Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) and the Siberian Yupik.
The Yup'ik are the most numerous of the Alaska Native groups, numbering over 34,000 people, most of whom live in about seventy communities in the traditional Yup'ik homelands in the western and southwestern part of the state.
Over 10,000 Yup'ik speak at least one of the five traditional Yupik dialects of the language, now known as Yup'ik or Cup'ik. The five major dialects are Norton Sound, General Central Yup'ik, Nunivak, Hooper Bay-Chevak, and the extinct Egegik dialect, although there are also sub-dialects.
Most Yup'ik people speak both English and a traditional language, while some are also conversant in Russian.
The Yup'ik people combine a traditional and contemporary subsistence lifestyle unique to southwestern Alaska. While most Yup'ik work and live in a Western-style, they also hunt, fish, and gather traditional foods.
The nearest neighbors to the Yup'ik are the Iñupiaq to the north, the Sugpiaq to the south, and Alaskan Athabaskans to the east.
The common ancestors of the Yupik and Aleut are believed to have come from easter Siberia, migrating across the Bering land bridge about 10,000 years ago. About 3,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Yup'ik had settled along the coastal areas of what would later become western Alaska, with migrations up the coastal rivers, such as the Yukon and Kuskokwim, around 1400 AD, eventually reaching as far upriver as Paimiut on the Yukon and Crow Village on the Kuskokwim. Before the Russian colonization, they spent most of their time hunting seals, walruses, and sea lions, using tools made of wood, stone, and bones, with minimal fishing experience.
Russian colonization lasted from 1732 to 1867. Russians came from Siberia to the Alaskan coast on whaling and fishing ships, eventually establishing hunting and trading posts for the Shelikhov-Golikov Company in the Aleutian Islands and in Indigenous villages in northern Alaska. During this period, Indigenous people were forced to pay taxes in the form of beaver and sea pelts.
Until 1819, Russian settlements were mostly confined to the Aleutian Islands, the Pribolof Islands, Kodiak Island, and scattered coastal locations on the mainland. Russian Orthodox missionaries were active on Kodiak Island and in the Aleutian Islands. Russian traders and missionaries introduced infectious diseases, a reliance on European trade goods, and Christianity.
After the acquisition of Alaska by the United States in 1867, the federal government largely ignored the Alaskan territory other than some exploitation of the natural resources and the granting of positions in territorial governments for political patronage.
In the 1880s, Moravian and Jesuit Catholic missionaries established schools and churches along the Kuskokwim and lower Yukon rivers. While Russian Orthodox missionaries learned the traditional languages of the Indigenous people, American missionaries forbade the use of Native languages in mission schools and discouraged traditional customs and religions. American companies generally exploited local resources rather than purchasing or trading for them, making it more difficult for Indigenous people to rely, as they had, on subsistence resources.
The term Yuuyaraq, which means "Way of Life," encapsulates the Yup'ik worldview. It defines how they perceive and interact with all living things, especially the sea and land mammals that sustain them. These creatures are considered sensitive, worthy of respect, and capable of understanding human conversations. Yuuyaraq also guided the proper hunting, fishing, and handling of fish and game to honor their spirits.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs recognizes the following tribal entities: Akiachak, Akiak, Alakanuk, Aleknagik, Andreafsky, Aniak, Atmautluak, Bethel, Bill Moores Slough, Chefornak, Chevak, Chuathbaluk, Chuloonawick, Clarks Point, Crooked Creek, Dillingham, Eek, Egegik, Ekuk, Ekwok, Elim, Emmonak, Golovin, Goodnews Bay, Hamilton, Holy Cross, Hooper Bay, Igiugig, Iliamna, Kasigluk, Kipnuk, Kokhanok, Koliganek, Kongiganak, Kotlik, Kwethluk, Kwigillingok, Levelock, Lower Kalskag, McGrath, Manokotak, Marshall, Mekoryuk, Mountain Village, Nagamut, Naknek, Napaimute, Napakiak, Napaskiak, Newhalen, New Stuyahok, Newtok, Nightmute, Nunam Iqua, Nunapitchuk, Ohgamiut, Oscarville, Paimiut, Pilot Station, Pitkas Point, Platinum, Portage Creek, Quinhagak, Russian Mission, St. Marys, St. Michael, Scammon Bay, Sleetmute, South Naknek, Stebbins, Stony River, Togiak, Toksook Bay, Tuluksak, Tuntutuliak, Tununak, Twin Hills, Umkumiute, and Upper Kalskag.
Recommended Resources
A campus of the Yupiit School District, Akiachak School is located in Akiachak, Alaska, a Yup'ik Eskimo village with a fishing and subsistence lifestyle, twelve miles northeast of Bethel along the Kuskokwim River. The school calendar, staff portal, office hours and contacts, breakfast and lunch menus, school report card, registration schedules, and policies, and an overview of its academic and athletics programs are set forth, along with news, announcements, and district information.
https://akiachak.yupiit.org/
The federally recognized Alaska Native tribe is located in the city of Akiak, Alaska, originally known as Akkiagamute. Akiak is a Yup'ik village within the city, relying on subsistence and fishing activities. The website discusses tribal sovereignty, tribal support, economic independence, federal recognition, news, and events. Its culture, history, demographics, general services, and community contacts are available through a third-party link on the site.
https://akiaknativecommunity.org/
Located in Akiak, Alaska, the school is a campus of the Yupiit School District. It primarily serves a Yup'it Eskimo population about twenty miles northeast of Bethel on the Kuskokwim River. The school's address, a school calendar, staff portal, and a link to a school report card prepared by the Alaska Department of Education are provided, along with the school's breakfast and lunch menus, an overview of its academic and athletics programs, news, and administrative staff contacts.
https://akiak.yupiit.org/
Presented by the Lower Kuskokwim School District, headquartered in Bethel, Alaska, this website represents and discusses the district's Yup'ik language immersion programs. These programs are designed to provide the benefits of proficiency in the Yup'ik language and culture while achieving academic growth and mastery of the regular subject area curricula. The charter contract, parent handbook, bylaws, admission and attendance policies, and eligibility policies are set forth.
https://ayaprun.lksd.org/
Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, Calista Corporation is a regional Alaska Native corporation that manages land and resources for the benefit of its shareholders. Its goal is to create economic opportunities for Alaska Native communities in Southwest Alaska, particularly those from the Yup'ik and Athabascan tribes. Established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, Calista was created to settle aboriginal land claims and now manages several industries for its shareholders.
https://www.calistacorp.com/
Chevak is an Alaska Native community in Western Alaska. English and Cup'ik are the primary languages, and residents are passionate about their language, traditions, and heritage. The student population spans pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade, and the student-teacher ratio is 13:1. The community is shown on a map, and a profile of the community is provided on the website, along with photographs, office contacts, and an overview of its programs for students and the community.
https://www.chevakschool.org/
College Gate Elementary School, in Anchorage, Alaska, claims to be the first Urban School in the United States to offer an Indigenous language. Its Yup'ik Immersion Program began in 2019 with only a kindergarten class, adding another grade each year until it offers Yu'pik language immersion in K-5th grade. Program days are split into two parts, an English class and a Yup'ik class by grade level. At mid-day, these groups flip so that those who began in Yup'ik will go to English in the afternoon.
https://www.asdk12.org/Page/14104
Established in 1971 as part of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Emmonak Corporation's shareholders are largely Yup'ik Eskimo people. Headquartered in Emmonak, Alaska, the corporation's holdings and subsidiaries are stated, with links to company websites, and its personal data form, applications for monetary assistance, and a stock last will and testament for shareholders may be downloaded from the site, which names its board of directors and provides office contacts.
https://emmonakcorporation.com/
The school district, headquartered in Mountain Village, Alaska, serves the Kusilvak Census Area and operates schools in Alakanuk, Emmonak, Hooper Bay, Kotlik, Marshall, Mountain Village, Nunam Iqua, Pilot Station, Russian Mission, and Scammon Bay. Additionally, high school juniors and seniors may apply to spend 9-week sessions at Kusilvak Career Academy, a residential career and technical education program in Anchorage. A calendar of events and contacts are posted.
https://lysd.org/
Nunapitchuk is a small village in the Bethel Census Area of Alaska. The Native Village of Nunapitchuk is a federally recognized tribe in southwestern Alaska. It is home to about 680 residents, mostly Indigenous people of the Central Yup'ik culture. The Native Village of Nunapitchuk serves as the tribal government in Nunapitchuk, Alaska. The office address, telephone and fax number, administrative staff directory, and the name of the tribal administrator are featured.
http://yupik.org/
The Nunakauiak Yup'ik Corporation is an Alaska Native village corporation based in Toksook Bay, Alaska. Its mission focuses on sustainability, honoring tradition, and responsible land ownership, which are significant to the Yup'ik people, who value sharing resources within their community and replenishing what they use. The corporation also emphasizes Yup'ik culture, language, and customs. Its leadership, subsidiaries, land ownership, and contacts are included.
https://www.nunakauiakyupikcorp.com/
The school is a campus of the Yupiit School District and is situated in Tuluksak, a Yup'ik Eskimo village on the south bank of the Tuluksak River at its junction with the Kuskokwim River. Featured are an introduction to the village, a school schedule and calendar of events, a staff directory, and resources for parents, students, and staff. The school's location is shown on a map, and office contacts are provided. Breakfast and lunch menus, and its academic and athletics programs are noted.
https://tuluksak.yupiit.org/
Born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, Jennifer Angalak Wood is an artist of Yup'ik, Irish, and Italian descent. Her family's Yup'ik side comes from Tununak, on the Bering Sea coast. Her inspirations include historic masks, stories, and time spent in Tununak, although she usually adds modern materials and concepts to her work. She uses her art to connect with her Yup'ik heritage. Several of her carvings are featured on the website, including prints, paintings, and drawings.
https://yupikjen.com/
YMC is charged with promoting the safety of women through education and advocacy, which it hopes to accomplish through organizing community efforts to end violence against women and children within Yup'ik villages, strengthening traditional Yup'ik beliefs and teachings, and advocating for the rights of all people to live without fear, threat, violence, and oppression. Its mission, communities, events, resources, and the organization's address, hours, and contacts are provided.
https://www.yupikwomen.org/
Formed by Akiachak, Akiak, and Tuluksak community members in 1985, the Yupiit School District is headquartered in Akiachak, Alaska, and operates school campuses in Akiachak, Akiak, and Tuluksak. Links to the subdomains for each of these schools are provided, and the district's school board, superintendent, business offices, and Yupiaq education coordinator are introduced, with contacts and information. A calendar of events and job opportunities are featured.
https://www.yupiit.org/
Subtitled "The Way We Genuinely Live: Masterworks of Yup'ik Science and Survival," the website highlights 19th and 20th-century tools, containers, weapons, watercraft, and clothing created and used by the Yup'ik people, exploring the scientific principles and processes that have allowed them to survive in the sub-arctic tundra of the Bering Sea coast. The site draws on more than 200 objects from the collections of 13 museums, exhibiting traditional Yup'ik tools and processes.
https://www.yupikscience.org/
