Aleutian Islands and Aleut Settlement, a History After the war, William S. Laughlin began a multi-year, interdisciplinary program on Umnak Island. About the same time. Bank II began surveying and testing sites all along the Aleutian chain. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a flurry of excavation activity on Akun, Atka, and Amchitka. Since the 1970s archeological work in the Aleutians has consisted mainly of surveys and inventories of prehistoric and historic sites. Aleut adaptations, economic strategies and interactions with other organisms have received increasing attention. This thesis is an attempt to synthesize the available archeological excavation and survey data for the Near Islands, the westernmost islands of the Aleutian chain. As in most of the recent work done in the islands, an ecological framework has been adopted for the synthesis. In consequence the environment is the critical element in the discussion which follows. Without understanding the complex marine environment of the Aleuts, other, less tangible aspects of their lives, religion, politics, history, and social life will remain incomplete. Analyzing the relationship between the environment and site size and distribution, I hope to address the following questions