then as now: promised more delivered less

Hard to believe as late as 1867 that Alaska and even parts of Northern California were under the control of Tsarist Russia. The Inuit could be described as living in the deep and profound rural environment and had little contact with the Russian colonizers pushing eastward, and then butting heads over control of the fur trade and tipping the eco-system balance out of whack. Funny, how some thing never change: the local population, Tlinglet preferred to deal with the Americans and British because they had superior goods to trade such as guns and ammo, and better crafted knives and other implements. Christian missionaries from America regarded the Tlinglits taste for material goods as a signal they would favorably become part of the American consumption class.

Tlinglet Helmet. Read More:http://new-rus.livejournal.com/5124.html

…the Sitka Tlingit found themselves in a unique situation when they had a choice between two different versions of Christianity. Presbyterianism offered “much greater material benefits and a quicker assimilation in the dominant society,” while offering a “style of worship that did not make much sense” to the Tlingit. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, guaranteed neither material benefits nor quick acceptance by the mainstream society, but offered a style of worship consonant with Tlingit traditional spirituality. In the end, however, “Orthodoxy promised less but delivered more.” The most important promise was “respect.” For instance, an Orthodox priest, while encouraging elaborate funeral processions, did not shy away from attending the post-funeral memorial feasts in the village, something that his Presbyterian rivals blasted as “paganism. Read More:http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=3889

Really a case of trying to woo hearts and minds with monotheism mixed with goodies. Probably pitched by the Americans as they do in in Afghanistan and Iraq as freedom and liberty. The reality is that with the American modus operandi its well nigh impossible to “subordinate” and pacify the locals into willingly walking into the fold. In our present era, Coca Cola markets extensively to Alaskan first nations as part of an ongoing hegemony 150 years in the making. After the ceding of Alaska in 1867, the Americans undertook not merely trade, but a plundering of natural resources continuing to the present. These settlers of adventure, with their booze and sexual diseases helped reduce to locals in population and increase dependency.

There are some brilliant images on this site, however the text is all in Russian. Read More:http://new-rus.livejournal.com/5124.html

from an article on the web ( see link): Warriors would further confound the Russians by wearing armor of wooden rods bound together with leather thongs, large wooden hats, and MASKS representing heads of various animals to protect their faces. Russian bullets could not penetrate this thick covering.

In the 1790s, Alexander Baranov, governor-general of a Russian trading company, established the settlement of New Archangel at Sitka, Alaska. The Russians antagonized the Tlingit of the region by invading their territory to hunt sea otters, whose pelts were the most highly sought. The Indians were concerned about the extermination of the animals that were necessary for British and American trade. The Russians exacerbated the problems by kidnapping Tlingit women to serve as concubines, although some became common-law wives.
In 1802, the Tlingit made the first of several attempts to rid their land of Russians. War parties ambushed Russian-Aleut hunting and trading parties throughout their area. A large group of Tlingit also invaded and captured New Archangel, burning all its buildings, confiscating 4,000 pelts, and killing 20 Russians and 130 Aleuts. Two years later, Baranov returned, with an armada of war ships and shelled the Tlingit positions at New Archangel. After much bloodshed, Baranov and his men landed and reestablished Russian dominance in the area….

Louis S. Glanzman. Read More:http://ynevar.wordpress.com/tag/obama/

…The Tlingit’s next attempt to expel the Russians was thwarted by tribal women living at New Archangel. In 1806, 2,000 warriors in 400 boats set sail for another assault on Sitka, but Tlingit women in the fort warned Russian officials of the impending attack. Knowing that they could not withstand such an enormous force, officials invited tribal leaders to a feast at the post. Thus, the Indians’ plan to destroy New Archangel was deflected with lavish gifts and entertainment…. Read More:http://www.warandgame.info/2010_07_25_archive.html

The Tlingit did not stop their harassment of the Russians, however. By 1808, when Baranov moved the seat of company government from Kodiak to New Archangel, guerrilla attacks by Tlingit raiders was making life extremely uncertain. A year later, and again in 1813, these attacks became so serious that Baranov appealed to the Russian navy for protection. By 1818, a Russian warship was patrolling the harbor

Sitka.