You’ll can find out more about our Russian experience in Alaska on the other blog when it’s posted. It’s about the closest thing to being in Russia I will probably ever get. Pictures will be included.
The main purpose of this blog post is to inform you about the communities of Old Russian Believers that reside on the Kenai Peninsula. But before I do that, let me backtrack a little and let me tell you how we came about discovering this unique group of Alaskan residents.
Sam and I had seen a few unusually dressed people in and around the Homer area. What set them apart was their traditional style of clothing. Women were dressed in long skirts or dresses with scarves on their heads. Men wore long collarless shirts with a sash around their waist and wore beards that were sometimes down to their waists. They spoke a language that I was guessing was Russian.
I was very curious about these people since I knew nothing about them and had heard nothing about them. While on a local boat tour of the area, the guide suggested a few things to do while in the area. One was to drive all the way up Katchemack Bay and walk down a steep switchback road to an Old Believers community and the other was to eat at the Samarov Cafe north of Homer.
After finding out that these people called themselves “Old Russian Believers”, I was able to start my search.
The Old Believers split from the church in the 17th century when Patriarch Nikon ordered a number of reforms to Russian Orthodoxy. Many of the changes were minor – the number of fingers used in the sign of the cross, the spelling of Jesus’ name, the number of times “hallelujah” is said in prayer – but the Old Believers considered any change to the rites sacriligous and refused to go along. As a result, the Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated them and the tsars persecuted them. Many left Russia so they could pass the old rites down to their children in peace. The Revolution forced many of the remaining Old Believers out for good as the Soviets tried to squash their religion.
In 1945, about 300 Old Believers left Siberia to become big-game hunters in Manchuria, China. That country too became communist. After time, they sought another new home. Several South American countries took in the Old Believers along with Australia. These governments didn’t interfere with their religion but many families found it difficult to make a living.
In the early 1960’s many came to the United States and established themselves in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Soon they came to feel that the American culture was having too much influence on their children. This time, they looked north to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.
The pioneer families built the village Nikolaevsk and worked in the lucrative commercial fishing industry. The early settlers tried to limit their interaction with outsiders so they could better keep the old rites. They even erected a sign that stood at the end of the dirt road “Village of Nikolaevsk – Private Property – Road Closed”.
Today the sign is gone, the road is paved and the village is more welcoming to outsiders. You will see late model cars parked in driveways of modern looking homes with satellite dishes on roofs. Western civilization has caught up with them in the wilds of Alaska. The villages in the area are just like regular towns with the exception of access to some villages being limited to four wheel drive or four wheelers.
Yet, the most conforming of the Old Believers can’t dismiss all the fruits of Western civilization as harmful. Villiagers talk with pride about village owned fleet of modern fishing vessels with the latest electronic equipment. Public schools boast excellent schools where all subjects are taught in English. Russian is still taught but most of younger residents prefer speaking in English.
This new openness was sped by a religious split in the village about 20 years ago. Some of the villagers decided to reinstate the priesthood into their religion. Their priests had died out centuries ago. With Russian Orthodox bishops practicing with the reformed church, there was nobody to ordain new clergy according to the old rites.
But the group found an Old Believer bishop in Romania in the early 80’s and brought back the priesthood. It was a move that created a rift in the community. Many of the priestless Old Believers, called bezpopovtsy, moved away from Nikolaevsk to establish new communities deeper in the Kenai Peninsula.
It’s hard to get exact numbers of Old Believers in the United States. Residing in Alaska are approximately 1,500 believers. The largest population is still living in Oregon with smaller populations in Canada, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.
Children are everywhere in the villages. Each family has 10 or 15 offspring. It isn’t unusual for a girl to get married at 14 or 15. Marriages in Nikolaevsk have to be approved and blessed by the “Batiushka” – the little Father. There are problems with young Russian village men who are in the habit of getting drunk and driving their pickup trucks at high speeds across Homer. Nikolaevsk women have found jobs in Homer, some have chosen to leave the community altogether and have moved into the real world.
Old Believers are adapting their culture to their surroundings in order to survive. Education is becoming more important. They say they will not fade into the American population. They have developed a sense of becoming integrated without conforming into the American population so they will not die away.
Socially they are polite and highly hospitable but they still have the sense that they are socially separated.
Be sure to check out our real Alaska/Russian experience at http://adventures-kim-sam.blogspot.com .
