The Northern Fur Seal Curriculum

Northern fur seals have played an important economic and biological role in the history of Alaska and the United States that is often overlooked. Historically, Alaska was home to over 90% of the world’s population of northern fur seals with the majority found on the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. Unangax (Aleut people) have inhabited Alaska’s Aleutian Islands for thousands of years, and their history is intertwined with that of the commercial fur harvest. The goal of this integrated curriculum is to increase knowledge of northern fur seals and Unangax culture and history through lessons and activities designed for varying grade levels and teachers with little or no background knowledge