WEDNESDAY,
JUNE 26:
After breakfast we drove into town. First thing on the agenda was a performance
by the native Tlingits. Was traditional song, drums,
and dance. Was similar to the
performance we saw in Wrangell at the Chief Shakes house, but more polished and
coherent. In the traditional way, it
included all ages – small children up through elders. Nice performance.
Went
inside the St. Michael’s Cathedral, the Russian Orthodox church in the middle
of town. The original built in the early
1840’s burned in 1966, but the townspeople rushed in to save the priceless
Russian icons. The church was rebuilt to
resemble the original, and the original icons are housed there.
This is still an active Orthodox congregation. The first bishop here was a very learned and
astute and devout man; he was able to gently convert many of the Natives, in no
small part because they recognized that he took a real interest in their
culture. He learned their language and
translated some of the scriptures into their own language. Unlike some other
early missionaries to Native Americans, like in the Southern California
missions, he only wanted those who genuinely believed to be baptized and join
the faith. He was later canonized in the
Orthodox church (named Bishop Innocent), and his influence remains.
Then took our time walking over to another
venue for the New Archangel Dancers, enjoying views of Totem Square, Pioneer House (1st home for the elderly in Alaska), and the Sitka Channel as we walked.
The New Archangel Dancers is an all female, all volunteer dance organization which performs
traditional Russian folk dances. Their
name is from what the Russians officially called the town they founded – New
Archangel. They began over 40 years ago
when a handful of women residents wanted to learn this art form, the way it may
have been practiced over 100 years earlier when Russians, Estonians,
Moldavians, and Fins lived here. They
asked the men in their lives if they would join them; receiving a resounding
NO, they resolved to dance both the male and female parts. They started out with a dozen or so dancers
and a repertoire of 4 dances; back in 1969, the resident Russian Orthodox
bishop helped them construct the dances he remembered from his childhood. Now, they have a troupe of 30, and numerous dances
and perform around the world. The men
stay home and take care of the home front!
They were fabulous, and so much fun to watch. From what we saw today, Russian folk dancing
is a lot more lively and complicated and sophisticated than American.
An added treat during intermission was a man who
told the story of how Alaska’s state flag came to be: a contest was opened to
all Alaskan school children. An Aleut
named Benny who lived in a mission orphanage designed the winning entry: blue background for the blue sea and sky;
gold stars for the stars he saw at night, and for the gold rush history; the
Big Dipper configuration because this constellation means the bear, and
symbolized Alaska’s strength; and the North Star because Alaska was the
northernmost state, and also it symbolized his own hopes for himself. When the first parade was held with the new
State flag, Benny was Grand Marshall. A
touching story. Then he sang the Alaskan
state song for us. Very beautiful.
And what a venue! Right on the harbor. When the back curtains are drawn, there’s no
backstage – just gorgeous views.
Next we went and toured the Russian Bishop’s
House. This was also built in the early 1840’s,
and is a prime example of colonial Russian architecture. This is the original (restored), and one of
only 4 structures built during Russian American colonization which still exist
in the U.S. Built of native spruce logs,
it was insulated with gravel, sand, and sawdust, and Russian newspapers were
used to seal seams & cracks in the walls.
The main floor was used as a school for Tlingit and
Aleutian children, as well as a seminary for training Native clergy. The living quarters for the Russian Orthodox
bishop were on the 2nd floor, and were where he oversaw his
far-reaching diocese, reaching from northern California thru Alaska to Kamchatka.
As befitted his station, his home was furnished lavishly with goods
shipped from Russia and around the world.
For example, a set of gorgeous mahogany chairs was crafted in Russia so
as to be broken apart for shipping and then re-assembled upon arrival in New
Archangel. The house also contained fine
china from England and tea from China.
Maybe more than any other building in Russian America, it was meant to
symbolize the strength and viability of the Orthodox church in this part of
Russia’s empire. The house was actually
used as the bishops’ residence until the late 1960’s. Sitka has a very rich, diverse history, and
has done a fantastic job of preserving it and sharing it. I think the town has something like 22
buildings on the National Historic Registry.
To appropriately fit in with our multi-cultural day
thus far, we ate a late lunch/early dinner at a Mexican restaurant in
town. Not great, but not bad, either. The mud pie dessert was excellent!
Unhooked
the bikes from the truck, and rode a couple of miles towards the northeast end
of town, where the Sitka National Historical Park is located. It was nearing 5:00, so the Visitors Center was closed . . . we knew that it would
be, but wanted to get a feel for where it was, as we’ll come back tomorrow. We ran into a couple in the parking lot who
recognized us from the ferry (well, actually, recognized our recumbent
bikes). It’s been fun how we run into
folks we’ve seen before – either in another camping place, or on the ferry, or
just around town. This couple is seeing
Alaska in a tent. They’re retirement age
too, though I think younger than us, but have been in a tent for 4 weeks, and
have 15 more to go! I can’t even imagine!
On the way, passed the Sheldon Jackson campus. This was a school founded in 1878 by
Presbyterian missionary and educator Sheldon Jackson. It went through several incarnations, but,
until it closed in 2007 due to financial issues, was the oldest continuously
operated educational institution in Alaska. Began as a training school for Tlingits, then
was a mission school for elementary children, a boarding high school, a junior
college, and finally a four-year liberal arts college. Was a shame it had to close, with such a rich
history. And such a beautiful campus in
such a gorgeous location! We dubbed it the Pepperdine of the North.
But it
was ceded to the Alaska Arts Southeast organization, and they run fine arts
camps for kids throughout the summer, so it is being put to good use. I had a special interest in this place, as my
good friend Joan B. lived and taught her for one year long, long ago. I believe it was during its boarding school
phase.
Pedaled
back to town. Intended to go to a free
concert in one of the local clubs as part of Sitka’s annual summer music
festival. But every seat was taken, and
Bill said the acoustics were terrible anyway.
Whaddya expect for free? We hope
to catch a couple of other events, though.
Stopped
to get groceries – a good-sized grocery store, with a good selection. Came home and took Pappy for a nice walk up
past the ferry terminal around to a small harbor and dock. Saw across the street where a bear had
knocked over a huge garbage bin and strewn garbage back to the woods. Was this the same bear who knocked over the
dumpster here at our RV park and left garbage everywhere?? Bill tracked it to across the street and into
the woods. He must have been on a
rampage!
Was a
lovely evening – the air felt just right.
Was a fine day . . . once the clouds broke up around mid-morning.
