SITAISAQ

Sitaisaq, Brevig Mission

Brevig Mission, known in Inupiaq as Sitaisaq, is an Inupiaq community located on Port Clarence on the Seward Peninsula of western Alaska. Long before the village became a permanent settlement, Inupiaq families in the area lived seasonally, traveling throughout the region to hunt seals, walrus, caribou, fish, and birds while gathering berries and plants from the land. The people of the area maintained strong trade and family connections with neighboring communities such as Wales, King Island, Little Diomede, and even Siberia across the Bering Strait.

During the late 1800s, the U.S. Government introduced reindeer to western Alaska after declining whale populations and changing conditions affected traditional food sources. In 1892, the Teller Reindeer Station was established near the present-day village site. Sámi herders from Norway were brought to Alaska to teach reindeer herding practices to Alaska Native communities. Reindeer later became an important part of the local economy and daily life, providing meat, clothing materials, and transportation.

Norwegian Lutheran missionary Rev. Tollef L. Brevig arrived in the region in 1894 as a pastor and teacher. He traveled between villages by dog team and helped establish a Lutheran mission at the current village site in 1900. The settlement first became known as Teller Mission and was later renamed Brevig Mission in honor of Rev. Brevig. Over time, families settled permanently around the mission, school, and trading areas, helping shape the community that exists today.

One of the most devastating events in the village’s history occurred during the 1918 influenza pandemic. Brevig Mission became internationally known in medical research because many victims of the 1918 pandemic were buried in the permanently frozen ground near the village. In 1997, scientists, with permission and cooperation from local leaders and families, exhumed remains from the mass burial site to study preserved influenza tissue. The research helped scientists better understand the deadly 1918 influenza virus and contributed to future influenza and pandemic studies worldwide. The work also brought attention to the importance of respecting cultural values and local decision-making when conducting research in Alaska Native communities.

The local tribe is the Native Village of Brevig Mission. The City of Brevig Mission officially incorporated in 1969. During the following decades, the community continued developing local government, housing, transportation, water systems, and school services while maintaining strong cultural traditions. Subsistence activities remain central to life in the community. Hunting, fishing, berry picking, sewing, carving, and sharing traditional foods continue to play an important role for many families today.