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

Since the expeditions ofVANSTONE: TIKCHIK VILLAGE 2251830 and 1832 traveled by way of theupper Nushagak, it is probable that they had no direct contact withTikchik. More important than any isolated meetings, however, isthe fact that the exploration of Bristol Bay and the Nushagak River,together with the founding of Alexandrovski Redoubt, later to becalled Nushagak by Anglo-Americans, played a vital role in openingup the interior regions of southwestern Alaska to the fur trade. KolmakovskiRedoubt continued to be supplied from Alexandrovskiuntil 1845, and the route from the headwaters of the NushagakRiver, across the divide and down the Holitna or Hoholitna to theKuskokwim became a heavily traveled route with supplies going upriverinto the Kuskokwim country and furs proceeding in the oppositedirection (see Oswalt, 1963, chap. 1 ; Chernenko, 1967). AlthoughTikchik was not on the direct route of these regular journeys betweenthe Kuskokwim and Alexandrovski Redoubt, the settlement couldnot fail to have been brought within the influence of the trading postand to have been drawn increasingly into the flourishing fur tradethat was rapidly developing throughout southwestern Alaska.In 1841 the first Russian Orthodox Church north of the AlaskaPeninsula was established at Alexandrovski Redoubt and missionariesbegan to penetrate the Nushagak River country. Althoughlittle is known concerning the exact nature of their contacts with theEskimos of the interior regions, an early reference to Tikchik occursin the vital statistics of the church at the redoubt. In 1847 twoTikchik men, one 35 years old and the other 50, probably visitors toAlexandrovski, are listed as having been baptized. Residents of thesettlement continue to be mentioned more or less regularly in thestatistics until 1882 and there is some indication that it may havebeen visited by a missionary as early as 1850 (Alaska Russian ChurchArchives, vital statistics, Nushagak, 1843-1931). Aside from commentsconcerning Vasiliev's probable visit to Tikchik in 1829, theseare the only references to the village during the Russian period thathave come to light.The significance of Russian activities in the lives of the inhabitantsof Tikchik may be determined only within the general frameworkof Russian expansion into interior Alaska. It is clear from thesources that the primary purpose of Russian penetration was theextension of the fur trade. We have assumed that the TikchikEskimos were rapidly drawn into this trade and it is likely thatshortly after initial contact they began making annual trips to themouth of the Nushagak River to exchange their furs for trade goodsat Alexandrovski Redoubt.