The part of the United States which is now known as Alaska has been colonised by several European powers in its history. Surprisingly, perhaps, one of these is Russia, which actually played a significant role in the history of Alaska. Contact with the local Native Americans did not always turn out very well for the indigenous groups in the area though.
One of the Native groups who came into damaging contact with the Russians were the Aleuts, who suffered considerably from their lack of resistance to European diseases. Almost 80 per cent of the original inhabitants of the Aleutian Isles were killed by diseases, and there was also significant conflict with other Native groups too. Contact between the Russians and the Natives was not always disastrous though, and in some areas the two groups interacted reasonably well.
The first Russian colony was established in Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island, with the expedition led by the explorer Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, in 1784. This did not well for the local indigenous people, with the Russians killing many hundreds of the local Koniag people. By 1788, there were several Russian settlements in place, especially in the area of mainland adjacent to Cook Inlet.
Much of the economic motivation for this colonisation was the presence in the area of sea otters with very high quality furs. There was a shortage of sailors and ships which hampered Russian exploitation of this resource though. Despite this hindrance, the Russians did manage to reach Yakutat Bay in 1794, and had built a small town which came to be known as Slavorossiya there by 1795.
In 1795, Alexandr Baranov had sailed into Sitka Sound, and claimed it for the Tsar of Russia. Hunting parties followed soon after, and by the early 1800s a huge majority of the otter skins the Russian-American colonies were producing came from this area. The settlement of Arkhangelsk would also be established by Baranov, though Tlingit Native Americans would destroy this settlement in 1802.
It would be rebuilt though, and go on, with its new name of Sitka, to be an important town once the Americans had established hegemony over the region. By the mid-19th century, there were still only around 700 Russian settlers in Alaska, a tiny amount in such a large territory. American influence in the region began to grow, and the Tlingits continued to be aggressive towards the Russians.
Although the Russian presence did not last long in Alaska, and is hard to detect in many places, they did leave behind one significant legacy. This was the presence of the Russian Orthodox religion, which would maintain a missionary presence in the area until the 19th century. The sacred texts of the faith were translated into Aleut at a very early stage in the missionary process.
The Russians actually played a reasonably significant role in the history of Alaska. Although they left little tangible sign of their presence, beyond the lingering presence of their religion in some places, they were an important part of the colonial era. Sadly, they also contributed to the decline of the Native American population in the region, with the diseases and conflict that they brought resulting in the deaths of large numbers of indigenous people.
One of the Native groups who came into damaging contact with the Russians were the Aleuts, who suffered considerably from their lack of resistance to European diseases. Almost 80 per cent of the original inhabitants of the Aleutian Isles were killed by diseases, and there was also significant conflict with other Native groups too. Contact between the Russians and the Natives was not always disastrous though, and in some areas the two groups interacted reasonably well.
The first Russian colony was established in Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island, with the expedition led by the explorer Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov, in 1784. This did not well for the local indigenous people, with the Russians killing many hundreds of the local Koniag people. By 1788, there were several Russian settlements in place, especially in the area of mainland adjacent to Cook Inlet.
Much of the economic motivation for this colonisation was the presence in the area of sea otters with very high quality furs. There was a shortage of sailors and ships which hampered Russian exploitation of this resource though. Despite this hindrance, the Russians did manage to reach Yakutat Bay in 1794, and had built a small town which came to be known as Slavorossiya there by 1795.
In 1795, Alexandr Baranov had sailed into Sitka Sound, and claimed it for the Tsar of Russia. Hunting parties followed soon after, and by the early 1800s a huge majority of the otter skins the Russian-American colonies were producing came from this area. The settlement of Arkhangelsk would also be established by Baranov, though Tlingit Native Americans would destroy this settlement in 1802.
It would be rebuilt though, and go on, with its new name of Sitka, to be an important town once the Americans had established hegemony over the region. By the mid-19th century, there were still only around 700 Russian settlers in Alaska, a tiny amount in such a large territory. American influence in the region began to grow, and the Tlingits continued to be aggressive towards the Russians.
Although the Russian presence did not last long in Alaska, and is hard to detect in many places, they did leave behind one significant legacy. This was the presence of the Russian Orthodox religion, which would maintain a missionary presence in the area until the 19th century. The sacred texts of the faith were translated into Aleut at a very early stage in the missionary process.
The Russians actually played a reasonably significant role in the history of Alaska. Although they left little tangible sign of their presence, beyond the lingering presence of their religion in some places, they were an important part of the colonial era. Sadly, they also contributed to the decline of the Native American population in the region, with the diseases and conflict that they brought resulting in the deaths of large numbers of indigenous people.
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