The Kodiak Archipelago () is an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

(group of

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

s) south of the main land-mass of the state of

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

(

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

), about by air south-west of

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

in the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska ( Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the ...

. The largest island in the archipelago is

Kodiak Island Kodiak Island (, ) is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the Un ...

, the second-largest island in the United States. The archipelago has a length of about and a width of about , from the Barren Islands on the north to Chirikof Island and the Semidi Islands group on the south. The archipelago contains of land. The Kodiak Archipelago contains about 40 small

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s, numerous streams and many species of land and marine animals. Much of its land is forested. The Kodiak Island Borough includes all of the Kodiak Archipelago and some lands on the mainland. The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge encompasses a large percentage of the land in the archipelago.

Islands in the Kodiak Archipelago

* Afognak – second largest island * Aiaktalik Island * Ban Island * Barren Islands – most northerly ** Ushagat Island ** Nord Island ** East Amatuli Island ** West Amatuli Island * Chirikof Island – most southernly *

Dark Island Dark Island, a prominent feature of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, is located in the lower (eastern) Thousand Islands region, near Chippewa Bay. It is a part of the Town of Hammond, New York, Hammond, in St. Lawrence County, New York. A histori ...

* Geese Islands *

– largest island in the archipelago *

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

* Marmot Island – most easterly * Near Island * Raspberry Island * Semidi Islands – most westerly ** Aghiyuk Island ** Anowiki Island ** Chowiet Island ** Kateekuk Island ** Kiliktagik Island * Shuyak Island * Sitkalidak Island * Spruce Island ** Nelson Island * Sundstrom Island * Trinity Islands ** Tugidak Island ** Sitkinak Island * Two-Headed Island * Uganik Island * Ugak Island * Whale Island * Woody Island

Holocene archaeology

"The archaeological record contains several seemingly abrupt changes suggesting population replacements to some, but the current view, followed here, is that there has been long-term cultural continuity." Ames, Kenneth M. "Tempo and Scale in the Evolution of Social Complexity in Western North America: Four Case Studies." North American Archaeology. Ed. Pauketat, Timothy R. and Diana Dipaolo Loren. Malden: Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2005. pp56-78. (Ames et al., p. 61) The Late Holocene contains four cultural periods: the ''Early Kachemak'', the ''Late Kachemak'', the ''Koniag'', and the ''Alutiiq''. Each period will be broken down by time period, also including the significance of each. # Early Kachemak (1850–500 BC) = The period is marked by the shift in mobility patterns: residential foragers to logistical collectors. Dwellings were small in size. Technology and subsistence activities were made more efficient. More efficient ways of processing food were introduced. Material remains include toggling harpoons, netweights, ground slate points, nets, ulus (chopping knife). The Ocean Bay people were the first to inhabit the area. They were considered to be a maritime people, but exploited both marine and terrestrial resources, including mammals and fish. Their only hunting kit included hooks, lines, harpoons, and lances with chipped stone points. By the Middle Holocene, more specialized tool kits were introduced. Originally living in small, dispersed settlements, the small 2-3m tents were replaced by small pit houses around 2000 BC. # Late Kachemak (500 BC – AD 1200) = The period is marked by large populations. Logistical patterns of mobility kept increasing, and community sizes increased, having up to ten dwellings. Storage facilities are also introduced. Mortuary practices are considered to be elaborate, and the finding of labrets suggest that social differentiation increased. Craft specialization increased as well. # Koniag (AD 1200 – European contact) = The population reached its peak. Houses and settlement sizes continued to increase, suggesting the development of social ranking. Architecture started to become more elaborate and storage features kept increasing in size. Shift in location toward the coast suggests better access to marine resources, specifically to whales. "There is also evidence of intensified salmon fishing, food production and processing specializations, exchange, and investment in carpentry". (Ames et al., p. 62) # Alutiiq (Modern) = These islands are the original or traditional homes of the Alutiiqu (previously Koniag) peoples. The coastal environment provided excellent productivity for these people, as the terrestrial environment seemed somewhat low or lacked natural resources.

References

{{authority control Archaeological sites in Alaska Landforms of Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska Archipelagoes of Alaska Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean