�

A Study of Russian Orthodoxy on

the Pribilof Islands

Main Page

�

This pictorial essay is part of my study of the relationship between the Aleut people of the Pribilof Islands and their Church, the Russian Orthodox Church. �These images were taken during my trip to St. Paul Island in May of 1999. �These images are representative of the activities and beliefs I found there. �

I am a Master's degree student in Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. �I have been studying Alaskan Orthodoxy for the past 15 years. �It is the faith of the people which has sustained them throughout the colonialism to which they have been subject since the arrival of the Russians in 1741. �Orthodoxy has become an integral part of the identity of many of the Native Peoples of Alaska. �

It is my hope that this essay can offer a glimpse into the complex relationship between the St. Paul Islanders and their Church. �To see more of the images, click on one of the photos below.