Where The Russians Once Ruled

We descended on to Sitka, Alaska today. Almost every town or city in the United States can trace its formation back to a European conquest or occupation. English, Spanish, French, and German, are common heritages, but few can claim Russian roots. Sitka, however, is one of these rare exceptions. It is only accessible by air and sea. It is an island; there are no bridges connecting it to neighboring lands.

The Russians arrived in Sitka in 1741 via sea explorations spurred by dozens of Russian fur traders lured by the abundance of otter, seal, and blue fox. The boatload of pelts that could be harvested in a few weeks or purchased from native Indians for cloth and trinkets could be sold for a fortune back home. This easy flow of money inspired the Russians to establish the Russian-American company. They subdued the Indians after continued battles and settled in Sitka for the next 50 years.

But by 1967 the Russian government in Sitka was in a dire financial state because of the widespread and indiscriminate slaughter of animals for pelt. They negotiated with the U.S. and sold Alaska for 7.2 million dollars.

Guided by a native Tlingit Indian, we walked through the forests of Sitka today stopping by rivers where salmon swim upstream to spawn. This was the reason why there were dozens of American Bald Eagles circling the sky or resting by the river banks,--they were keeping vigil for their favorite meal--fresh salmon. The eagles were large--the scary kind of large--with wingspans of up to six feet wide.

Our guide taught us survival tricks, which is mandatory teaching to all Alaskan children, given that their entire backyard are temperate rainforests. It is too easy to get lost.

We were introduced to the greatest living totem pole maker after the forest trek. Tommy Joseph, a Tlingit Indian, charges $1,000 per foot of a hand-carved totem pole. He uses only red cedar logs and old-fashioned carving tools, which the Indians have used for centuries.

We also visited a weaving center where Indian ceremonial cloaks were woven. The government of Sitka has created a foundation for the preservation on the Tlingit culture and traditions. They have erected Indian clan halls, academic schools, and also trade schools for Indian arts and crafts. The curriculum includes the teaching of the Tlingit language starting in the first grade.

We walked through town and saw the famed Russian Orthodox Church, St. Michael's Cathedral. It is onion-domed and sits right in the middle of town. All Alaskan cities are replete with long staircases. As people mostly travel on foot in a terrain of steep inclines, staircases are the most logical solutions. With a steady diet of seafood and endless stairs to climb, it isn't any wonder why there are no obese Alaskans at all.

Sitkans claim that they offer the best fishing in the world. They said that John Wayne came up every summer to fish until he died and just last year, Brad Pitt took Angelina Jolie here on a gigantic yatch to go fishing.

Hundreds of Indians whose families had migrated to the other states have returned after these centers were founded. Today, the Tlingit community in Sitka is thriving. After being massacred by the Russians, after the survivors were driven out of their land, after being annihilated by typhoid and tuberculosis brought by the white man from overseas when they attempted to return a dozen years later, they are finally home.

Sitka's population is tiny--8,000 people. They say everybody knows everybody else's business here. The land is vast and green; the lifestyle--clean and quiet. I fell in love with it, completely. It must be the probinsyana in me; I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life there.