Happy Alaska Day, everyone! On this day in 1867, the transfer of Alaska from the Russian Empire to the United States formally took place. The deal to purchase Alaska had been made at the end of March that same year, but it took that long for the official commissioners to arrange for the formal transfer and arrive in Sitka for the lowering of the Russian flag and the raising of the American flag with 37 stars (a new star had only recently been added due to the statehood of Nevada).
There are still Russian holdouts in residence in Alaska. Some of them even attend our schools here on the Kenai. In a lot of ways, they live in a sort of time-capsule. Holding to the Russian Orthodox religion, using the Julian calendar, and speaking Russian at home, they are largely from families who never directly experienced the rise and fall of the communist Soviet Union. In many ways, they remind me of the Mennonite communities that I lived near in Southwest Michigan. They do not fully shun modern technology like the Amish, but they keep themselves distant from much of modern American life. Just today (of all days), I learned that some of them even refuse to wash from the same sinks out of fear of being contaminated by filthy Americans.
There are native organizations who do not like that Alaska Day is a holiday as it represents a transfer of power that did not consult them in the matter. Sadly, in many ways the transfer led to an increase in abuses against the native populations that has still not been fully addressed, so I can understand why they might be bitter and frustrated. Still, for me, I am quite glad that Alaska was made a part of the United States as it is a place that I deeply love.
There are still Russian holdouts in residence in Alaska. Some of them even attend our schools here on the Kenai. In a lot of ways, they live in a sort of time-capsule. Holding to the Russian Orthodox religion, using the Julian calendar, and speaking Russian at home, they are largely from families who never directly experienced the rise and fall of the communist Soviet Union. In many ways, they remind me of the Mennonite communities that I lived near in Southwest Michigan. They do not fully shun modern technology like the Amish, but they keep themselves distant from much of modern American life. Just today (of all days), I learned that some of them even refuse to wash from the same sinks out of fear of being contaminated by filthy Americans.
There are native organizations who do not like that Alaska Day is a holiday as it represents a transfer of power that did not consult them in the matter. Sadly, in many ways the transfer led to an increase in abuses against the native populations that has still not been fully addressed, so I can understand why they might be bitter and frustrated. Still, for me, I am quite glad that Alaska was made a part of the United States as it is a place that I deeply love.
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