History :

 There are two histories in Kaktovik: the people's history, which lives within the lives and culture of the Kaktovikmiut, and the history that was brought about by outside forces.  The people's history is in our culture and the stories we pass down from one generation to another.  It is on this land we call home and within the animals we harvest. This history is most apparent when visiting Kaktovik.  It becomes clearer the more time one spends here, talking with people and taking in all that this place has to offer.

The second history is the story of what has happened to this place at the hands of outsiders.  This history is difficult to see inside Kaktovik, but continues to have an enormous impact on our way of life.  The Kaktovikmiut do not write history, so we generally have little use for written history, especially that which comes from other people who attempt to explain this area we call home.  Much of what is considered the recent history of this place actually happened somewhere else and without our knowledge.  Keeping in mind both of these histories and what purposes they aim to serve, here is a brief outline of the modern history of this place from the Kaktovikmiut perspective.

In the mid1800s, British traders began to press into what is now Alaska, setting up posts along the Yukon and Mackenzie Rivers.  As a result, the United States government became concerned with this encroachment and decided to make a deal with the Tsar of Russia.  The deal was to purchase what is now the state of Alaska.  From a native perspective this exchange was elusive, because up to this point in time we Kaktovikmiut had never seen Russians, let alone ceded our land to them.  Without our knowledge or consent, it appeared that our land had been appropriated by an outside force, and then subsequently appropriated by another.