Why do some Pacific Yupik people call themselves Alutiit or Sugpiat?

The Pacific Yupik people use the terms Alutiit and Sugpiat as self-identifiers, reflecting their distinct cultural identity and their history of contact with Russian colonizers.12

Historically, Russian colonizers applied the term "Aleut" to both the people of the Aleutian Islands and the culturally distinct groups residing on Kodiak Island and the nearby mainland. While the people of the Aleutian Islands are the Unangan (or Unangas), the Pacific Yupik groups adapted this Russian-introduced label to create the name Alutiit (the plural of Alutiiq).132

Alternatively, many of these same people refer to themselves as Sugpiat (the plural of Sugpiaq), a term derived from their own language. These groups speak a form of Pacific Yupik and are distinct from the Unangan, who speak Unangam Tunuu. The use of these names serves as an assertion of their specific heritage and identity, distinguishing them from the broader, often misapplied, colonial classifications.124