The following general terminology is both respectful and historically accurate. Alaska Natives collectively refers to the special status of the Native peoples of Alaska, whether they are of Inupiat Eskimo, Yup’ik Eskimo, Aleut, Alutiiq, Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida, or Tsimshian heritage. (A native Alaskan is anyone born in Alaska.) Eskimo has been used historically to group Alaska Natives throughout the Arctic coastal region, but it is more correct to identify the specific languages and cultures of Inupiat or Yup’ik.
