Photo: marfamaria.ru
Many Alaskans consider themselves descendants of Russian settlers. They go to Orthodox churches with services in Russian and know Russian anthem by heart, traveler Emin Dobardzhich from Yaroslavl said. He participated in one of the expeditions to Alaska within the framework of Russian America project of the Russian Geographical Society (RGO), Russian America newspaper informs.
The expedition members traveled on foot, canoes and sailboats along the route of Russian travelers of different ages and places of large Russian settlements. On the road, Russians recorded traces of the stay of compatriots. According to Emin Dobardzhich, there are many churches where services are held in Russian in the settlements around Sitka and on the Kodiak.
During the trip, members of the expedition communicated a lot with the locals, many of whom have Russian names and surnames. They declared that they consider themselves Russian or Russian Aleuts, although six generations have changed since the moment Alaska ceased to be part of Russia.
Emin Dobardzhich said that in one of the settlements, when locals learned that he knows how to play the piano, they asked him to sing Russian national anthem, and one of the residents sang it entirely, although he does not speak Russian. Emin Dobardzhich states that the inhabitants of Alaska have saved a lot from Russian settlers, including religion, traditions and names. However, they almost lost their language. At the same time, the traveler is convinced that the population of the former Russian land could become a cultural bridge between Russia and the United States
Russkiy Mir
