Tikchik village: a nineteenth century riverine community in ... - Cluster

VANSTONE: TIKCHIK VILLAGE 223tern, as well as other river systems in southwestern Alaska, took placeat some unknown time during the prehistoric period when the peoplepresumably moved inland from the Bering Sea coast. It was theiralready-acquired salmon fishing technology and the variety and abundanceof these fish that made the Eskimos able to exploit effectivelyan inland environment like that along the Nushagak River and itstributaries.The first well-documented contact between Yupik-speaking peoplesand Europeans took place in 1818 when a Russian party wasdispatched from Kodiak Island to make a thorough exploration ofthe territory to the north of Bristol Bay. The party appears to havebeen under the direction of Petr Korsakovski, an employee of theRussian -American Company, and its major aim was to establish aredoubt at the mouth of the Nushagak River. Most of the expeditionproceeded from Kodiak to Cook Inlet and traveled overland toIliamna Lake in the spring of 1818. From there the route led downthe Kvichak River to Bristol Bay and along the coast to the mouthof the Nushagak. Some of the party, including Fedor Kolmakov, ofmixed Russian and aboriginal Siberian ancestry, were left there toconstruct a fortification while the rest, under Korsakovski himself,went on to explore the mouth of the Kuskokwim River with the aidof another section of the expedition which had proceeded to thatpoint by boat. When they returned, Korsakovski found that thework had been completed. The redoubt was named Alexandrovski,perhaps in honor of the Tsar, and Kolmakov, who had been put incharge, had already established trade relations with the Eskimos livingin the neighborhood (Berkh, 1823, pp. 46-48; Tikhmenev, 1939-40, pt. I, pp. 300-302; Chernenko, 1967, p. 16).Since Kolmakov was an energetic trader, he was extremely usefulin spreading the Russian -American Company's influence in the generalarea of Alexandrovski Redoubt. However, information aboutthe people of the interior was very difficult to obtain. Consequently,the company decided to send an overland expedition under the leadershipof Ivan Filippovich Vasiliev to explore the country north of theredoubt, to make geographical and ethnological observations, and toestablish trade relations with the Eskimos. Vasiliev set out from theredoubt in June of 1829 and ascended the Nushagak River. He wasaccompanied by three Russians, six Aleuts from Kodiak Island, andten "baptized Aglegmiuts" whose loyalty was seemingly assured bykeeping their families as hostages at the redoubt (Zagoskin, 1967,p. 280).