The Russian Church and Native Alaskan Cultures

Preserving Native Languages

Soon after the founding of Russian America, attempts were made to learn Native languages. As early as 1805 Nikolai Resanov of the Russian American Company compiled a dictionary of some 1200 words in six Native Alaskan languages. The greatest proponent of multilingualism was Father Ioann Veniaminov. He created an alphabet for the Aleut language, and, with the help of the Aleut Toien (Chief) Ivan Pan'kov, wrote and published in 1834 an Aleut catechism, the first book published in an Alaskan Native language.

As Bishop Innokentii, Veniaminov encouraged the study of Tlingit and a variety of Aleut-Eskimo dialects such as Atkan and Central Yup'ik, most successfully through his Creole protege, the priest Iakov Netsvetov. The latter, in turn, trained other Native and Creole priests such as Innokentii Shaiashnikov and Lavrentii Salamatov, who continued his work well into the American period.

With the American purchase of Alaska in 1867, the understanding of Native languages declined, although notable efforts to translate Tlingit were made. Ironically, in the sunset of Russian influence in Alaska, more translations (about fifteen) were published than in the "Golden Age" of the 1830s - 1860s (about eight), but many of these were reissues of earlier pioneering studies.

Photograph copyprint from a lithograph, cropped. [Innokentii [Ioann Veniaminov], Metropolitan of Moscow. Biographical File, Prints and Photographs Division (75)

Holograph letter. To the Unalaska Ascension Church priest Grigorii Golovin from the Sitka Archangel Church priest Ioann Veniaminov regarding the Aleut Gospel, April 19, 1835, pp.36 (recto,verso), 37 (recto) (36 recto photocopy). B37, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (76)

Holograph letter. To his Eminence Innokentii, Bishop of Irkutsk, Nirchinsk, and Iakutsk, and Cavalier, from the priest, Ioann Veniaminov, of the Sitka St. Michael the Archangel Church, a humble report, April 5, 1837, pp.3,4 (3 photocopy). D339, Alaskan Russian Church Archives (77)

Holograph letter. [From Archimandrite Feoklit, San Francisco, to Archimandrite Anatolii, Minneapolis], August 27, 1899. D341, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (78)

Holograph letter. To his Eminence, the Most Reverend Nikolai, Bishop of Aleut and Alaska, from the former pastor of Nushagak Sts. Peter and Paul missionary church Rev. Vladimir Modestov, a request, September 28, 1898, pp. 1,2 (2 photocopy). D191, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (79)

Manuscript copy. A list from the instructions of his Eminence Innokentii, Archbishop of Kamchatka, to the Iakutsk Ecclesiastical Consistory, from May 24, 1862, for #890, 1865, p.1. D339, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (80)

Printed book. A summary of Christian teachings in the Aleut Lisyev language, by Ioann Veniaminov. St. Petersburg, 1840, title page. General Collections (81)

Holograph pamphlet. Aleut primer, by Reverend Ioann Veniaminov, ca. 1845, pp.1,2. D346, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (82)

Printed book. Aleut primer, by Ioann Veniaminov. Moscow: The Synodal Typography, 1846, p.l. General Collections (83)

Printed book. Grammatical essay on the Aleut Lisyevsk language, by Ioann Veniaminov. St. Petersburg: Academy of Sciences Typography, 1846, pp.51,52. General Collections (84a)

Photocopy of grammatical chart. From, Grammatical essay on the Aleut Lisyevsk language, by Ioann Veniaminov. St. Petersburg: Academy of Sciences Typography, 1846, opposite p. . General Collections (84b)

Printed book. Notes on the Kolosh [Tlingit] and Kodiak [Eskimo] languages, by Ioann Veniaminov. St. Petersburg: Academy of Sciences Typography, 1846, titlepage. General Collections (85a)

Photocopy of grammatical chart. From, Notes on the Kolosh [Tlingit and Kodiak [Eskimo] languages, by Ioann Veniaminov. St. Petersburg: Academy of Sciences Typography, 1846, opposite p.30. General Collections (85b)

Photograph. Father Iakov Netsvetov. From a mural in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Washington, D. C. Interpretive Programs Office (86)

Holograph book. Russian-Aleut Dictionary, by Reverend Iakov Netsvetov, ca.1835-1843, pp.206,207. C2, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (88)

Computer image and biography. [Typological portrait of the Reverend Innokentii Shaiashnikhov]. Interpretive Programs Office (89)

Holograph document. Performance Evaluation [of Innokentii Shaiashnikov by Rev. Netsvetov for 1847], pp.4 (recto), 5 (verso). B30, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (90)

Holograph book. [The Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark], translated into Aleut by Reverend Innokentii Shaiashnikov, ca. 1872, pp.166,167. C1, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (91)

Holograph book. [Acts of the Apostles], translated into Aleut by Reverend Innokentii Shaiashnikov, ca.1872, pp.25 (verso), 26 (recto). C1, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (92)

Computer image and biography. [Typological portrait of the Reverend Lavrentii Salamatov]. Interpretive Programs Office (93)

Holograph journal. Journal of the priest Lavrentii Salamatov, August 16, 1861 to June 1, 1862, [p. 19]. D45, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (94)

Photocopy, opening passage, St. John's Gospel. From [Gospels of Sts. Mark, Luke, and John], translated into the Aleut-Atka dialect by Reverend Lavrentii Salamatov, 1861, p.121. C2, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (95)

Holograph pamphlet. Russian-Aleut Primer [and prayer book] for Aleut Youth, translated by Reverend Lavrentii Salamatov, ca. 1862, pp.11 (verso), 12 (recto). C2, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (96)

Computer image and biography. [Typological portrait of the Reverend Il'ya Tyzhnov]. Interpretive Programs Office (97)

Holograph report. Opinion of the Kodiak [Eskimo] about my translations compiled in their language, January 22, 1846, by Il'ia Tyzhnov, pp.2,3. B35, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (98)

Printed book. Aleut-Kodiak [Eskimo] primer, by Il'ya Tyzhnov. St. Petersburg: The Synodal Typography, 1848, pp. 8, 9. General Collections (99)

Computer image and biography. Konstantin Larionov. Interpretive Programs Office (100)

Holograph pamphlet. Notes [on the Kodiak-Aleut (Eskimo) Language], by Konstantin Larionov, ca. 1865, pp.10,11. C2, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (101)

Holograph pamphlet. Kodiak-Aleut (Eskimo) primer [and prayer book], by Konstantin Larionov, ca. 1865, cover. C2, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (102a)

Photocopy, calendar days and weekday symbols, in Russian and Eskimo. From, Kodiak-Aleut (Eskimo) primer [and prayer book], by Konstantin Larionov, ca. 1865, pp. 28 (verso), 29 (recto). C2, Alaskan Russian Church Archives, Manuscript Division (102b)

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