How did Russian colonizers use the name Aleut for more than one Indigenous group in Alaska?

Russian colonizers blurred ethnic distinctions in the Gulf of Alaska by applying the term "Aleut" to multiple, culturally distinct Indigenous groups. While the name correctly refers to the Unangan (or Unangas) people of the Aleutian Islands and the western Alaska Peninsula—who speak the Aleut language—the Russians also used it to label the peoples of Kodiak Island and neighboring mainland areas.12

These latter groups were not ethnically or linguistically identical to the Unangan; they traditionally spoke Pacific Yupik, also known as Sugpiaq or Alutiiq. Because of this colonial naming practice, many Indigenous people from Kodiak and Prince William Sound were long identified as Aleut in historical records, despite their distinct heritage. Today, these groups often identify as Sugpiat or Alutiit, the latter being a name derived from the Russian-introduced term.12