American Indian language Indian people Tribal genealogy

Chagudax (Hunting visor)

Chagudax (also spelled Cagudaq) is the Aleut name for a traditional type of tribal headgear worn by men, typically known as "hunting visors" or "bentwood hats" in English. The chagudax is a type of bill-shaped wooden hat, made by boiling and steaming wood and bending it into shape (hence the word "bentwood"), then painted with colorful symbols and designs. From the shape and painting of a man's chagudax, other Aleuts could tell his social status as a hunter. Chagudax visors were worn during kayak hunts. Other Aleut names for this kind of hat include qayaatxux (qayatguq) and qangiilux (qangiluq).

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Here are links to our webpages about the Aleut tribe and language:

Aleut language
The Aleut tribe
Aleut history
Aleut words
Aleut phonology
Eskimo-Aleut
Native tribes of Alaska

Here are links to more Internet resources about the Chagudax:
Chagudax Bentwood Hunting Visor
Making Bentwood: Unangax Chief's Hat
Ancient Aleut Art of Bentwood Visors
The Art of Chagudax, the Aleutian Islands Bentwood Hat

And here are a few good books about the Aleuts:
Aleut Identities: Tradition and Modernity
Aleut Identities: Tradition and Modernity
Aleut Dictionary
Aleut Tales and Narratives

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