Aleut Resistance

The Aleuts attempted to revolt. In the winter of 1763-1764, they destroyed four Russian ships near Unalaska, killing most of the crew. The Russians responded brutally. On Unalaska, 18 Aleut villages were systematically destroyed, as well as all of the villages on Umnak. In one account, Russians bound together a dozen Aleut youth to find out how many bodies a musket ball could penetrate. The answer was nine. The Aleuts never revolted again.

Although the Aleuts were brave fighters, the Russians had the advantage of firearms, cannons, and metal weapons. Because the Aleut villages were scattered throughout the islands and located on the coastline, they were easy for the Russians to attack, and the larger Russian ships gave them a decisive naval advantage. The Russians used these advantages to turn the Aleuts into virtual slaves.

The Aleuts were also weakened by disease. The Russians, like other Europeans wherever they encountered Native Americans, brought diseases Native peoples had no natural immunity for. In Alaska, as in the rest of the New World, diseases killed more Natives than any other single cause. 

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