Russian-Tlingit war. Russian-Indian war in Alaska Indians of Russian America

Christina Tuchina

Eskimos have not one, but 49 words for snow.
This is because they have a lot of it.
Film "Being John Malokvich"

According to many scientists, the development of America took place during the Ice Age through the frozen Bering Strait, which, with climate change, separated Alaska and Siberia. Settlement took place in three waves: first people went to North America, then they settled in the center of America, and in the third stage they filled South America.

The lands of Alaska were attractive for settlement, as a huge variety of fish, shellfish and marine mammals were found in coastal waters, plants suitable for food sprouted on the soils, and countless animals were found in the forests.

The first people to settle in Alaska were the Tlingit, Haila, and Tsimshian peoples. The Tlingit were the most numerous tribe and established many settlements in Alaska. They had their own language, belonging to the group of languages of the Athabaskan tribe. Fishing was considered the main occupation of all three tribes. The Indians treated fishing tools with respect, skillfully decorating them. Relations in the tribe were built on the principle of matriarchy. The tribes were independent from each other, each clan had its own deity, leader, personal name, songs and ritual dances. The Indians were pagans.

Unlike the tribes listed above, the representatives of the Athabaskans lived in more severe conditions, in the north of the continent. As a result, they hunted elk, grizzly bears, wild goats, hares, and polar partridges; they were much less engaged in fishing. They led a nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life, characteristic of hunter tribes. Despite their skillful hunting skills, the Athabaskans often went hungry. Teepees, large enough for the family and pets, were considered common houses for the Athabaskans, but the nomads built lighter dwellings. The place of residence depended on the time of year: in the winter a temporary settlement was arranged, and in the summer fishing camps, the so-called bivouacs, were organized.

In contrast to the complex social structure of the more southern tribes, the Athabaskans had a very simple division of society. However, they also had the main principles of matriarchy. The Athabaskans had various traditions and ceremonials, which they also maintained in their relations with the "pale faces". Feasts were arranged for various reasons: the first hunt, a military feat, a wedding, a funeral, etc.

The Athabaskans were also pagans. Their world was inhabited by many spirits, and they also believed in the transmigration of human souls into animals. This tribe had shamans - guardians of religious rites, as well as soothsayers and healers.

Another people who are considered indigenous to Alaska are the Eskimos, or Inuit. Their culture developed in western Alaska and was largely associated with the ocean, so much attention was paid to boats and other means of water transportation. Occupations varied depending on the region of residence of the Eskimos: hunting for marine animals (whales and seals), hunting for deer and musk deer. There was also a division of labor according to the seasons. However, despite the difference in occupations, the culture of the Eskimos was common, including national dress and traditions. Social relations were concentrated around the tribal family, while there was a division of powers in it: men were hunters, and women were engaged in raising children.

In winter, in the coldest regions, the Eskimos constructed igloos from snow blocks and wooden huts in the subarctic regions, and in summer they lived in tents made of wood and leather.

Also, among the tribes living in Alaska, more precisely, for the most part on the Aleutian Islands, the Aleuts were distinguished. The name was given by Russian pioneers, most likely, it comes from the Chukchi word aliat - island, or aliut - islanders. The name took root at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Aleuts lived in families in separate dugouts, sometimes turning into a semi-nomadic population. The villages were usually located on the coast of the reservoir and consisted of 3-4 semi-dugouts, in which from 10 to 40 families lived. The society was divided into the following groups: leaders, ordinary people and slaves - they were mostly prisoners of war who, for diligent work or courage, could become free. In their traditions and customs, the Aleuts were very similar to other peoples living in Alaska. However, among the population of the islands there were elements that were not typical for the mainland: sleds with dog teams, short and wide skis.

The main occupations of the Aleuts were hunting seals, walruses, sea lions, and whales. In sea hunting, canoes were usually used (the prototype of a modern sports kayak). They also hunted birds, which lived on the islands innumerable. They perfectly used the predominance of marine resources in their place of residence. In addition, men were able to make a large number of stone tools, while women sewed, embroidered clothes, wove baskets and mats. The usual clothing was a parka made of fur seal fur, sea otter or bird skins, which protected from wind and frost, and a kamleika was worn on top, resembling a modern raincoat. There were also headdresses appropriate for the occasion: holiday, craft or everyday life.

The Aleuts are characterized by animism: the spirits of their ancestors were revered. Shamanism was also widespread, but there was also hunting magic, which consisted in the rituals of summoning the beast, special prohibitions and protective amulets.

With the arrival of the Russians in the 40s. In the 18th century, the way of life of indigenous peoples began to change dramatically. Many converted to Christianity, began to wear Russian clothes, most of the population worked for the Russian-American Company, however, continuing to engage in traditional craft as part of their work. However, many customs and traditions have sunk into oblivion with the advent of Russian civilization.

At the moment, a total of more than 4,000 thousand Aleuts, about 40,000 Athabasks, and more than 150,000 Eskimos live in the USA and Russia, but it is worth saying that most of the Eskimos still live in Russia.

Nowadays, due to the decrease in the indigenous population, people are trying to develop attention to the culture of their peoples, for example, in Anchorage, Alaska, there is an Arctic research center that deals with the issues of the indigenous tribes of the region. I would like to hope that such unique cultures will not disappear from historical memory and will delight and surprise their descendants for a long time.

List of used sources and literature:

Eskimo people: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/192518/Eskimo
Aleuts. - http://www.indigenous.ru/russian/people/r_aleut.htm
Coast dwellers: peoples of the sea. - http://www.uarctic.org/singleArticle.aspx?m=512&amid=3216
Julia Averkieva. countries and peoples. America. General review. North America.

In the middle of the 18th century, Russian colonists reached the eastern borders of the Eurasian continent. In search of new fishing and hunting grounds, they cross the Bering Strait and land on the lands of North America. So the Russians began the development of Alaska.

First contacts with the local population and rising tensions

The first meetings with the local population, according to the documents, date back to 1741. These were numerous Tlingit tribes, they lived in clans and often waged war even with each other. These were the most formidable and warlike tribes on the entire northwest coast. From the very first meetings, small skirmishes began to occur between the colonists and local tribes.

The first serious armed conflict happened in 1792. Russian colonists, led by Alexander Baranov, landed on Hinchinbrook Island, where they had a skirmish with the Tlingit. There was no winner in this clash, as the Indians were forced to retreat, and the Russians did not dare to remain on this island and returned to Kodiak Island.

By the beginning of the 19th century, the Russians settled on the island of Sitka, where they soon concluded a truce with the local Kiksadi clan. At that time, it was beneficial to both sides, the Russians received new fishing grounds and territory for the construction of a fort, and Kiksadi received support in the confrontation with hostile tribes. Unfortunately, this truce did not last.

Oddly enough, the difference in approaches to the extraction of furs between the Russian colonists and the English or American traders was a prerequisite for the growth of tension. The Russians preferred to thoroughly develop the area, establish new settlements and forts, independently extract animal skins, and their Anglo-American competitors simply bought the skins from the Indians, exchanging them for cloth, alcohol, weapons and ammunition. It was extremely important for the militant Indians to obtain weapons and ammunition. Since the Russians did not want to sell weapons to the locals, the Indians bought them from the Americans and the British. In addition, the active extraction of skins by the Russians led to the impoverishment of hunting grounds, which affected the level of extraction of skins by the Indians. They, in turn, did not disdain to rob Russian prospectors and take away their furs. The decisive factor was the conclusion of peace between the Indian tribes, after which Kiksadi no longer needed an alliance with the Russians. In 1802, a council of Indian tribal leaders decided to go to war.

War of 1802 - 1805

The first Indian attack was extremely unsuccessful. Their attack on the Yakuta fishing party, after a series of continuous attacks and skirmishes, ended in a truce, which the Indians themselves asked for. But driven by a thirst for revenge and instigated by the Anglo-Americans, the Indians waited until the main part of the fishing party left Fort Mikhailovsky, and the other, leaving women, children and a small guard, went hunting. Taking advantage, the Indians attacked the fort with many times superior forces. Everyone who was there was killed, including women and children. After that, they guarded the detachment returning from the hunt. Next came the turn of a small party of Vasily Kochesov. She was also destroyed when she returned from hunting. In the same year, the Indians managed to track down Ivan Urbanov's party, which left Fort Mikhailovsky shortly before the attack.

In 1804, Alexander Baranov, together with a detachment of 650 people, returned to Sitka. With him, he brought a whole fleet of ships and laid siege to the Indian settlement at the mouth of the river. A long confrontation led to the fact that the entire tribe of Indians left, and the Novo-Arkhangelsk fortress was founded in its place. The last round of this war was the destruction of Fort Yakutat by the Indians in August 1805. And in the fall, a peace agreement was concluded.

This war significantly weakened Russian America and made it impossible for the Russian colonists to advance further, both inland and south along the coast. In addition to human and material losses, there was significant financial damage, and the threat from the Indian tribes remained, despite the peace agreement, until the sale of Russian Alaska to America.

Russo-Indian War in Alaska

On September 16, 1821, the Russian Empire officially confirmed its exclusive rights to Alaska. It is believed that the Russian settlers were not too zealous in the development of Alaska, however, there are many interesting facts that indicate the opposite.

1. From Ivan the Terrible to Alaska

It is believed that Russian people first appeared in Alaska in the 18th century, and they were members of the expedition of Pavlutsky and Shestakov from the ship St. Gabriel. I was looking for the North American coast and Vitus Bering. But the Russian traveler Jakob Lindenau, who explored Siberia, wrote back in 1742 that the Chukchi “go to Alaska by boats” and “from that land they bring wooden dishes similar to Russian ones.”

In 1937, scientists found an ancient settlement in Cook Inlet off the southern coast of Alaska. The researchers found that Russians lived in the huts, moreover, it was more than three centuries ago. It turns out that our ancestors arrived in America under Ivan the Terrible.

But the Americans themselves go even further. In the history of the state of Alaska, it is reported that the first people came here from Siberia about twenty thousand years ago. They came because at that time there was an isthmus between North America and Eastern Eurasia, located where the Bering Strait is today. By the appearance of the first Europeans, indigenous peoples formed from the settlers - the Eskimos, Aleuts, Athabaskans, Haida, Tlingit, etc.

2. "Pizarro Russian"

Merchant became the first ruler of Russian lands in America Alexander Andreevich Baranov.

There would be no happiness, but misfortune helped. His ship crashed off the coast of Alaska. Baranov himself, along with the surviving members of the team, rowed on the wreckage for a long time and eventually sailed to Kodiak Island.

Baranov began the development of Alaska and ruled here for 28 years. With his direct participation, such Russian settlements as Fort Ross and Novoarkhangelsk were erected, where Alexander Andreevich subsequently transferred the capital of Russian America from Irkutsk. Baranov's energy was truly inexhaustible. Thanks to him, Alaska began to trade with the Hawaiian Islands and even China! He founded a shipyard, began to mine coal, built a copper smelter.

Baranov himself proudly called himself "Russian Pizarro". However, the unspoken title "Father of Alaska" suited him better. Paul I himself awarded Alexander Andreevich with a nominal medal for hard work and services to the fatherland.

3. Russian-Indian war

Even earlier than Baranov, Russian researcher Grigory Ivanovich Shelikhov was engaged in the development of navigation between the Kuril and Aleutian ridges.

When he set out to establish a village on the same island of Kodiak, they began to dissuade him, since the locals had killed several dozen Russian hunters not long before. The Eskimos also offered resistance to Shelikhov himself. But he did not listen to anyone, he founded the village, after which he made a real massacre. According to various sources, from 500 to 2500 Eskimos were killed during clashes with the natives. More than a thousand people Shelikhov took prisoner.

Baranov faced similar problems. Once the Tlingit Indians, who were famous for their militancy and terrified other tribes, cut out a Russian settlement. Of the eighty people, only one survived. The Russian Pissarro responded two years later, waiting for reinforcements from the Krusenstern expedition. The clashes took place within the framework of the Russian-Indian War (it turns out that there was one), which lasted from 1802 to 1805. In battle, the Tlingit looked creepy. They wore elk cloaks and beast-like helmets. But how could this scare a Russian peasant who went to bear!

Actually, on the site of one of the destroyed Tlingit settlements, Alexander Andreevich founded Novoarkhangelsk (later Sitka). The conquered Indians presented Baranov with a golden helmet as a sign of peace.

4. "The Apostle of Alaska"

Despite the truce, tensions between the Russian settlers and the Indians remained. Missionaries from the Russian church helped smooth it out. The most famous of them is Father Innokenty Veniaminov, who was nicknamed the "Apostle of Alaska."

Father Innokenty became famous for the fact that he read sermons not only in Russian, but also in Tlingit. "The Apostle of Alaska" studied and compiled the alphabet of the Aleuts, opened a school for children.

The Indians were quite willing to accept Christianity. Moreover, this made them equal to the Russian settlers, and the same Aleuts could no longer be used as cheap labor. Officially, serfdom did not exist in Alaska, but the Russians treated the Indians as if they were forced servitude. Therefore, the same Baranov at first opposed the too rapid churching of the natives.

From the Aleutian Islands, Father Innokenty moved to Alaska, where he began the Christianization of the Indians from the Koloshi tribe. Veniaminov translated the Gospel of Matthew into the languages of the locals, including the Kodiaks.

5. No beavers, no whales

As you know, in 1867 Alaska was sold to the United States of North America for $7.2 million. Is it big money? It turns out that for the Russian Empire it was mere pennies. Alaska was sold for about 11 million rubles, while Russia's GDP was 400 million rubles a year.

You are even more surprised by the deal when you find out that, according to the same Baranov, only beavers in the first decade of the 19th century in Alaska were mined for 4.5 million rubles. And the annual whaling off the coast of Alaska, according to Russian researcher Novikov, brought 8 million dollars.

Nevertheless, the Russian press of the time called the deal very smart. Although even its supporters grumbled that the importance of the treaty "will not be understood immediately." It seems that they still do not understand.

The development of the lands of Alaska by Russian colonists began at the end of the 18th century. Moving south along the mainland coast of Alaska in search of richer fishing grounds, Russian parties of hunters for sea animals gradually approached the territory inhabited by the Tlingit, one of the most powerful and formidable tribes of the Northwest coast.

The Russians called them Koloshi (Kolyuzhs). This name comes from the custom of Tlingit women to insert a wooden plank - kaluga - into the cut on the lower lip, which made the lip stretch and sag.

“More evil than the most predatory animals”, “a murderous and evil people”, “bloodthirsty barbarians” - in such expressions the Russian pioneers spoke about the Tlingits. And they had their reasons for that.

By the end of the XVIII century. The Tlingit occupied the coast of southeastern Alaska from the Portland Canal in the south to Yakutat Bay in the north, as well as the adjacent islands of the Alexander Archipelago.

It was tribal, clan ties that were the most significant and strong in Tlingit society.

The first clashes between the Russians and the Tlingit date back to 1741, later there were also small skirmishes with the use of weapons.

In 1792, an armed conflict took place on Hinchinbrook Island with an uncertain result: the head of the party of industrialists and the future ruler of Alaska, Alexander Baranov, almost died, the Indians retreated, but the Russians did not dare to gain a foothold on the island and also sailed to Kodiak Island. Tlingit warriors were dressed in wicker wooden kuyaks, elk cloaks and animal-like helmets (apparently made from animal skulls). The Indians were armed mainly with cold and throwing weapons.

If during the attack on the party of A. A. Baranov in 1792 the Tlingits had not yet used firearms, then already in 1794 they had a lot of guns, as well as decent stocks of ammunition and gunpowder.

Treaty of Peace with the Indians of Sitka

Russians in 1795 appear on the island of Sitka, which was owned by the Kiksadi Tlingit clan. Closer contacts began in 1798.
After several small skirmishes with small detachments of kiksadi, led by a young war leader Kotlean, Alexander Andreevich Baranov concludes an agreement with the leader of the Kiksadi tribe, Scoutlelt, on the acquisition of land for the construction of a trading post.

Scoutlelt was baptized and his name became Michael. Baranov was his godfather. Scoutlelt and Baranov agreed to cede part of the land on the coast to the Russians and build a small trading post at the mouth of the Starrigavan River.
The alliance between the Russians and the Kiksadi was beneficial to both sides. The Russians patronized the Indians and helped them protect themselves from other warring tribes.
On July 15, 1799, the Russians began building the fort "St. Michael the Archangel", now this place is called Staraya Sitka.

Meanwhile, the Kiksadi and Deshitan tribes concluded a truce - the hostility between the Indian clans ceased.

The danger to the Kixadi was gone. Too close contact with the Russians is now becoming too burdensome. Both the Kiksadi and the Russians felt this very soon.
Tlingit from other clans who visited Sitka after the cessation of hostilities there, mocked its inhabitants and "boasted of their freedom." The biggest quarrel occurred on Easter, however, thanks to the decisive actions of A.A. Baranov, bloodshed was avoided. However, on April 22, 1800, A.A. Baranov departed for Kodiak, leaving V.G. Medvednikov.

Despite the fact that the Tlingit had rich experience of communicating with Europeans, relations between Russian settlers and natives became more and more aggravated, which ultimately led to a protracted bloody war. However, such a result was by no means just an absurd accident or a consequence of the intrigues of insidious foreigners, just as these events were not generated by the only natural bloodthirstiness of the “ferocious ears”. The Tlingit Kuans brought other, deeper causes onto the warpath.

Background of the war

Russian and Anglo-American merchants had one goal in the local waters, one main source of profit - furs, sea otters.

But the means to achieve this goal were different. The Russians themselves mined precious furs, sending parties of Aleuts after them and founding permanent fortified settlements in the fishing areas. Buying skins from the Indians played a secondary role.
Due to the specifics of their position, British and American (Boston) merchants acted in exactly the opposite way. They periodically came on their ships to the shores of the Tlingit country, conducted an active trade, bought furs and left, leaving the Indians in return for fabrics, weapons, ammunition, and alcohol.

The Russian-American Company could not offer the Tlingit practically any of these goods, which they valued so much. The ban on the sale of firearms among the Russians pushed the Tlingit to even closer ties with the Bostonians. For this trade, the volume of which was constantly growing, the Indians needed more and more furs. However, the Russians with their activities prevented the Tlingit from trading with the Anglo-Saxons.
The active fishing of the sea otter, which was carried out by Russian parties, was the reason for the impoverishment of the natural resources of the region, depriving the Indians of their main commodity in relations with the Anglo-Americans. All this could not but affect the attitude of the Indians towards the Russian colonists. The Anglo-Saxons actively fueled their hostility.
Every year, about fifteen foreign ships took out 10-15 thousand sea otters from the possessions of the RAC, which was equal to four years of Russian fishing. The strengthening of the Russian presence threatened them with deprivation of profits.

Thus, the predatory fishing of the sea animal, which was launched by the Russian-American Company, undermined the basis of the economic well-being of the Tlingit, depriving them of their main commodity in profitable trade with the Anglo-American sea traders, whose inflammatory actions served as a kind of catalyst that hastened the unleashing of the imminent military conflict. The rash and rude actions of Russian industrialists served as an impetus for the unification of the Tlingits in the struggle to expel the RAC from their territories.

It was planned with the onset of spring to gather soldiers in Khutsnuva and, after waiting for the fishing party to leave Sitka, attack the fort. The party was to lie in wait in the Dead Strait.
Hostilities began in May 1802 with an attack at the mouth of the Alsek River on the Yakutat fishing party of I.A. Kuskov. The party consisted of 900 native hunters and more than a dozen Russian industrial hunters.

The attack of the Indians, after several days of skirmishing, was successfully repulsed. The Tlingit, seeing the complete failure of their warlike plans, went to negotiations and concluded a truce.

See the continuation on the website: For Advanced - Battles - Russian-Indian War 1802-1805 Part II

Russian sloop of war "Neva", which took part in the Battle of Sitka

The plan of the Kolosh fortress Shisgi-Nuvu (“Fortress of the Young Tree”), compiled by Yuri Lisyansky after the Battle of Sitka

Russian-Tlingit war 1802-1805 (Russian Indian War) - a series of armed conflicts between Russian colonists and Tlingit Indians for control of the island of Sitka (now the state of Alaska, USA).

background

For the first time, Russian industrialists encountered the Tlingits in 1792 on Hinchinbrook Island, where an armed conflict took place between them with an uncertain result: the head of the party of industrialists and the future ruler of Alaska, Alexander Baranov, almost died, the Indians retreated, but the Russians did not dare to gain a foothold on the island and also sailed to Kodiak island. Tlingit warriors were dressed in wicker wooden kuyaks, elk cloaks and animal-like helmets (apparently, from animal skulls).

Tlingit uprising

Confrontation

In November 1802, the six-gun brigantine “St. Elizabeth", which stopped the Indians from further assault on the Russian colonies. At the beginning of May 1803, Baranov sent a galliot “St. Alexander Nevsky" in Yakutat to Ivan Kuskov, where there was a significant Russian garrison. Kuskov dissuaded Baranov from a hasty punitive expedition for a year.

In the winter of 1803/1804, the Indians attacked two Russian reconnaissance detachments in the Copper River basin.

Battle of Sitka

In 1804, Baranov moved from Yakutat to conquer the Sitka. In his detachment there were 150 Russians and 500-900 Aleuts on their kayaks and with the ships "Ermak", "Alexander", "Ekaterina" and "Rostislav". In September, A. A. Baranov reached Sitka. Here he discovered the brig "Neva" Lisyansky, who made a round-the-world voyage. The Indians built a wooden fortress, in which about a hundred fighters settled. The Russians, having fired at the settlement with naval guns, began an assault, which, however, was repulsed. During it, Baranov was seriously wounded in the arm. However, the siege continued. Realizing the futility of resistance, the Indians left their fortress. On October 8, 1804, the Russian flag was raised over the native settlement. The construction of a fort and a new settlement began. Soon the city of Novoarkhangelsk grew up here. The loss of the Russian coalition amounted to about 20 people.

Fall of Yakutat

On August 20, 1805, the Eyak warriors of the Tlahaik-Tekuedi (Tlukhedi) clan, led by Tanukh and Lushvak, and their allies from among the Tlingit of the Kuashkkuan clan burned Yakutat and killed the Russians remaining there. Of the entire population of the Russian colony in Yakutat in 1805, according to official data, 14 Russians “and many more islanders” died, that is, allied Aleuts. The main part of the party, together with Demyanenkov, was sunk in the sea by a storm. About 250 people died then. The fall of Yakutat and the death of Demyanenkov's party became another heavy blow for the Russian colonies. An important economic and strategic base on the coast of America was lost.

results

As a result of Indian attacks, 2 Russian fortresses and a village in Southeast Alaska were destroyed, about 45 Russians and more than 230 natives died (approximately 250 more from Demyanenkov's party became indirect victims of the conflict in Yakutat). All this stopped the advance of the Russians in a southerly direction along the northwestern coast of America for several years. The Indian threat further fettered the RAC forces in the area of arch. Alexandra did not allow the systematic colonization of Southeast Alaska to begin.

Relapses of confrontation

Relapses of the war continued after 1805.

So, on February 4, 1851, an Indian military detachment from the river. Koyukuk attacked the village of Indians who lived at the Russian loner (factory) Nulato in the Yukon. The loner herself was also attacked. However, the attackers were repulsed with damage. The Russians also had losses: Vasily Deryabin, the head of the trading post, was killed and an employee of the company (Aleut) and an English lieutenant Bernard, who arrived in Nulato from the British military sloop Enterprise to search for the missing members of Franklin's third polar expedition, were mortally wounded. In the same winter, the Tlingit ( Sitka ears) staged several quarrels and fights with the Russians in the market and in the forest near Novo-Arkhangelsk. In response to these provocations, the chief ruler, N. Ya. Rosenberg, announced to the Indians that if the unrest continued, he would order the “Kolosha market” to be closed altogether and interrupt all trade with them. The reaction of the Sitkinites to this ultimatum was unprecedented: on the morning of the next day, they made an attempt to capture Novo-Arkhangelsk. Some of them, armed with guns, sat down in the bushes near the fortress wall; the other, having placed prefabricated ladders to a wooden tower with cannons, the so-called "Koloshenskaya battery", almost took possession of it. Fortunately for the Russians, the sentries were on the alert and sounded the alarm just in time. An armed detachment that came to the rescue threw down three Indians who had already climbed onto the battery, and stopped the rest.

In November 1855, another incident occurred when several natives captured Andreevskaya alone in the lower Yukon. At that time, its manager, the Kharkov tradesman Alexander Shcherbakov, and two Finnish workers who served in the RAC were here. As a result of a sudden attack, the kayaker Shcherbakov and one worker were killed, and the loner was looted. The surviving RAC officer Lavrenty Keryanin managed to escape and safely reach the Mikhailovsky redoubt. A punitive expedition was immediately dispatched to find the natives hiding in the tundra who had ravaged the Andreevskaya loneliness. They sat down in a barabora (Eskimo half-dugout) and refused to give up. The Russians were forced to open fire. As a result of the skirmish, five natives were killed, and one managed to escape.

Russian-Tlingit war 1802-1805

The first Europeans to visit Alaska on August 21, 1732 were members of the St. Gabriel" under the command of surveyor M. S. Gvozdev and navigator I. Fedorov during the expedition of A. F. Shestakov and D. I. Pavlutsky in 1729-1735.

From July 9, 1799 to October 18, 1867, Alaska with its adjacent islands was under the control of the Russian-American Company.

Alaska was inhabited in those days by Aleuts, Eskimos, Athabaskans.
And in the south of Alaska - three native peoples Tlingit (Tlingit,) Haida (Haida) and Tsimshian (Tsimshian). Or in common parlance - the Indians.

In the period 1794-1799. Russian fishing parties penetrated deeper and deeper into Alaska, establishing support bases there and conducting predatory fishing. In 1794, Yegor Purtov and Demid Kulikalov were sent to the south at the head of a party that included 10 Russians and more than 900 local residents. Meetings and negotiations with the Tlingits of Yakutat-kuan ended with the export of twelve amanats, both men and women, to Kodiak. There they were baptized by priests from an Orthodox mission that had just arrived in the colony. They became, formally, perhaps, the first Christians among the Tlingit. In 1795 A.A. Baranov on board the ship "Olga" visited Yakutat and Sitka.

The predatory fishing of the sea animal, which was launched by the Russian-American Company, undermined the basis of the economic well-being of the Tlingit, depriving them of their main commodity in trade, which accelerated the unleashing of an imminent military conflict. The rash and rude actions of Russian industrialists served as an impetus for the unification of the Tlingits in the struggle to expel the RAC from their territories. This struggle turned into an open war against Russian settlements and fishing parties, which the Tlingit waged both as part of extensive alliances and by the forces of individual kuans and even clans.
The most famous battle - the Battle of Sitka on October 1-4, 1804 was the largest military clash between the Russians and the American natives allied to them on the one hand and the Tlingit Indian tribe (whom the Russians called Koloshi) on the other. The reason for it was the destruction by the Tlingit in June 1802 of the first Russian settlement on the island of Sitka - the Mikhailovskaya Fortress, founded by the Russian-American Company three years earlier.
Of all the Indian tribes of North America, the Tlingit had the most sophisticated and sophisticated weapons and armor, including iron daggers and spears, as well as helmets and shells made of alder wood, which often turned out to be impervious even to rifle bullets.
In 1972, by decision of the US authorities, "in order to perpetuate the Tlingit and Russian past of Alaska," the Sitka National Historical Park was created on the site of the Battle of Sitka. In memory of the dead Tlingit, a totem pole was erected on the site of their fortress, in memory of the dead Russians - a monument on the shore where the Russian landing force landed. In September 2004, on the 200th anniversary of the battle, the Indian and Russian descendants of its participants took part in the traditional Tlingit Rite of Lamentation, and the next day the Kiksadi clan held a reconciliation ceremony, marking the formal end of two centuries of enmity.

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Moving south along the mainland coast of Alaska in search of richer fishing grounds, Russian parties of hunters for sea animals gradually approached the territory inhabited by the Tlingit, one of the most powerful and formidable tribes of the Northwest coast. The Russians called them Koloshi (it comes from the custom of Tlingit women to insert a wooden plank - kaluga, into the cut on the lower lip, which made the lip stretch and sag). "Angier than the most predatory beasts", "a murderous and evil people", "bloodthirsty barbarians" - in such terms the Russian pioneers spoke about the Tlingits. And they had their reasons for that.

The Tlingit country was divided into territorial divisions - kuans (Sitka, Yakutat, Huna, Khutsnuvu, Akoy, Stikine, Chilkat, etc.). In each of them there could be several large winter villages, where representatives of various clans (clans, sibs) lived, belonging to two large phratries of the tribe - Wolf / Eagle and Raven. These clans - Kiksadi, Kagwantan, Deshitan, Tluknahadi, Tekuedi, Nanyaayi, etc. - were often at enmity with each other. It was tribal, clan ties that were the most significant and strong in Tlingit society.
The first clashes between the Russians and the Tlingit date back to 1741, later there were also small skirmishes with the use of weapons.

In 1792, an armed conflict took place on Hinchinbrook Island with an uncertain result: the head of the party of industrialists and the future ruler of Alaska, Alexander Baranov, almost died, the Indians retreated, but the Russians did not dare to gain a foothold on the island and also sailed to Kodiak Island. Tlingit warriors were dressed in wicker wooden kuyaks, elk cloaks and animal-like helmets. The Indians were armed mainly with cold and throwing weapons.

If during the attack on the party of A. A. Baranov in 1792 the Tlingits had not yet used firearms, then already in 1794 they had a lot of guns, as well as decent stocks of ammunition and gunpowder.
Russians in 1795 appear on the island of Sitka, which was owned by the Kiksadi Tlingit clan. Closer contacts began in 1798.

After several minor skirmishes with small detachments of kiksadi, led by the young military leader Katlean, Alexander Andreevich Baranov concludes an agreement with the leader of the kiksadi tribe, Scoutlelt, to acquire land for the construction of a trading post.

The alliance between the Russians and the Kiksadi was beneficial to both sides. The Russians patronized the Indians and helped them protect themselves from other warring tribes.

On July 15, 1799, the Russians began building the fort "St. Michael the Archangel", now this place is called Staraya Sitka.

Meanwhile, the Kiksadi and Deshitan tribes concluded a truce - the enmity between the Indian clans ceased.

The danger to the Kixadi was gone. Too close contact with the Russians is now becoming too burdensome. Both the Kiksadi and the Russians felt this very soon.

Tlingit from other clans who visited Sitka after the cessation of hostilities there, mocked its inhabitants and "boasted of their freedom." The biggest quarrel occurred on Easter, however, thanks to the decisive actions of A.A. Baranov, bloodshed was avoided. However, on April 22, 1800, A.A. Baranov departed for Kodiak, leaving V.G. Medvednikov.

Russian and Anglo-American merchants had one goal in the local waters, one main source of profit - furs, sea otters. But the means to achieve this goal were different. The Russians themselves mined precious furs, sending parties of Aleuts after them and founding permanent fortified settlements in the fishing areas. Buying skins from the Indians played a secondary role.

Due to the specifics of their position, British and American (Boston) merchants acted in exactly the opposite way. They periodically came on their ships to the shores of the Tlingit country, conducted an active trade, bought furs and left, leaving the Indians in return for fabrics, weapons, ammunition, and alcohol.
The Russian-American Company could not offer the Tlingit practically any of these goods, which they valued so much. The ban on the sale of firearms among the Russians pushed the Tlingit to even closer ties with the Bostonians. For this trade, the volume of which was constantly growing, the Indians needed more and more furs. However, the Russians with their activities prevented the Tlingit from trading with the Anglo-Saxons.

The active fishing of the sea otter, which was carried out by Russian parties, was the reason for the impoverishment of the natural resources of the region, depriving the Indians of their main commodity in relations with the Anglo-Americans. All this could not but affect the attitude of the Indians towards the Russian colonists. The Anglo-Saxons actively fueled their hostility.

Every year, about fifteen foreign ships took out 10-15 thousand sea otters from the possessions of the RAC, which was equal to four years of Russian fishing. The strengthening of the Russian presence threatened them with deprivation of profits.

In the winter of 1802, a great council of leaders took place in Hutsnuwu-kuan (Father Admiralty), at which a decision was made to start a war against the Russians. The council developed a plan of military action. It was planned with the onset of spring to gather soldiers in Khutsnuva and, after waiting for the fishing party to leave Sitka, attack the fort. The party was to lie in wait in the Dead Strait.

Hostilities began in May 1802 with an attack at the mouth of the Alsek River on the Yakutat fishing party of I.A. Kuskov. The party consisted of 900 native hunters and more than a dozen Russian industrial hunters. The attack of the Indians, after several days of skirmishing, was successfully repulsed. The Tlingit, seeing the complete failure of their warlike plans, went to negotiations and concluded a truce.

The uprising of the Tlingit - the destruction of the Mikhailovsky Fort and the Russian fishing parties

After the fishing party of Ivan Urbanov (about 190 Aleuts) left the Mikhailovsky Fort, 26 Russians, six "Englishmen" (American sailors in the service of the Russians), 20-30 Kodiaks and about 50 women and children remained on Sitka. On June 10, a small artel under the command of Alexei Evglevsky and Alexei Baturin went hunting to the “distant Siuchy stone”. Other inhabitants of the settlement continued to carelessly go about their daily business.

The Indians attacked simultaneously from two sides - from the forest and from the side of the bay, sailing on war canoes. This campaign was led by the military leader of the Kiksadi, the nephew of Scoutlelt, the young leader - Catlian. An armed mob of Tlingit, numbering about 600 people, under the command of the leader of the Sitka Scoutlelt, surrounded the barracks and opened heavy rifle fire at the windows. At the call of Scoutlelt, a huge flotilla of war canoes came out from behind the cape of the bay, on which there were at least 1000 Indian warriors, who immediately joined the Sitkins. Soon the roof of the barracks caught fire. The Russians tried to shoot back, but could not resist the overwhelming superiority of the attackers: the doors of the barracks were knocked out and, despite the direct fire of the cannon that was inside, the Tlingits managed to get inside, kill all the defenders and plunder the furs stored in the barracks.

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There are various versions of the participation of the Anglo-Saxons in unleashing the war.

In 1802, the East Indian captain Barber landed six sailors on the island of Sitka, allegedly for a mutiny on the ship. They were taken to work in a Russian city.

Having bribed the Indian chiefs with weapons, rum, and knick-knacks, during the long winter stay in the Tlingit villages, promising them gifts if they drove the Russians from their island, and threatening not to sell guns and whiskey, Barber played on the ambitions of the young military leader Catlean. The gates of the fort were opened from the inside by American sailors. So, naturally, without warning or explanation, the Indians attacked the fortress. All defenders, including women and children, were killed.

According to another version, the real instigator of the Indians should be considered not the Englishman Barber, but the American Cunningham. He, unlike Barber and the sailors, ended up on Sitka clearly not by chance. There is a version that he was initiated into the plans of the Tlingit, or even participated directly in their development.

The fact that foreigners will be declared responsible for the Sitka disaster was predetermined from the very beginning. But the reasons for the fact that the Englishman Barber was then recognized as the main culprit lie probably in the uncertainty in which Russian foreign policy was in those years.

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The fortress was completely destroyed, and the entire population was exterminated. Nothing is being built there yet. The losses for Russian America were significant, for two years Baranov was gathering strength in order to return to Sitka.

The news of the destruction of the fortress was brought to Baranov by the English captain Barber. At Kodiak Island, he put out 20 guns from the side of his ship, the Unicorn. But, afraid to get involved with Baranov, he went to the Sandwich Islands - to trade with the Hawaiians the good looted in Sitka.

A day later, the Indians almost completely destroyed the small party of Vasily Kochesov, who was returning to the fortress from the sea lions.

The Tlingit had a special hatred for Vasily Kochesov, the famous hunter, known among the Indians and Russians as an unsurpassed marksman. The Tlingit called him Gidak, which probably comes from the Tlingit name of the Aleuts, whose blood flowed in Kochesov's veins - giyak-kwaan (the hunter's mother was from the Fox Range Islands). Having finally got the hated archer into their hands, the Indians tried to make his death, like the death of his comrade, as painful as possible. According to K.T. Khlebnikov, "the barbarians, not suddenly, but temporarily, cut off their nose, ears and other members of their body, stuffed their mouths with them, and viciously mocked the torment of the sufferers. Kochesov ... could not endure pain for a long time and was happy termination of life, but the unfortunate Eglevsky languished for more than a day in terrible torment.

In the same year, 1802: Ivan Urbanov's Fishing Sitka party (90 kayaks) was tracked down by the Indians in the Frederick Strait and attacked on the night of June 19-20. Lurking in ambushes, the warriors of Kuan Keik-Kuyu did not betray their presence in any way and, as K.T. Khlebnikov wrote, “the leaders of the party did not notice any troubles or reasons for displeasure ... But this silence and silence were the harbingers of a cruel thunderstorm.” The Indians attacked the party members at the lodging for the night and "almost killed them with bullets and daggers." 165 Kodiaks were killed in the massacre, and this was no less a heavy blow to the Russian colonization than the destruction of the Mikhailovskaya fortress.

Russian return to Sitka

Then came 1804, the year the Russians returned to Sitka. Baranov learned that the first Russian round-the-world expedition had set out to sea from Kronstadt, and he was looking forward to the arrival of the Neva in Russian America, while at the same time building a whole fleet of ships.

In the summer of 1804, the ruler of the Russian possessions in America, A.A. Baranov went to the island with 150 industrialists and 500 Aleuts in his kayaks and with the ships Ermak, Alexander, Ekaterina and Rostislav.

A.A. Baranov ordered the Russian ships to deploy opposite the village. For a whole month, he negotiated with the leaders about the extradition of several prisoners and the renewal of the treaty, but everything was unsuccessful. The Indians moved from their old village to a new settlement at the mouth of the Indian River.

Military operations began. In early October, the Neva brig, commanded by Lisyansky, joined the Baranov flotilla.

After stubborn and prolonged resistance, truce came from the koloshes. After negotiations, the whole tribe left.

Novoarkhangelsk - the capital of Russian America

Baranov occupied the deserted village and destroyed it. A new fortress was laid here - the future capital of Russian America - Novo-Arkhangelsk. On the shore of the bay, where the old Indian village stood, on a hill, a fortification was built, and then the house of the Ruler, which was called by the Indians - Baranov's Castle.

Only in the autumn of 1805, an agreement was again concluded between Baranov and Scoutlelt. As gifts were presented a bronze double-headed eagle, the Cap of Peace, made by Russians on the model of Tlingit ceremonial hats, and a blue robe with ermines. But for a long time the Russians and Aleuts were afraid to go deep into the impenetrable rainforests of Sitka, this could cost them their lives.

Thus, the armed actions of the Tlingit and Eyak in 1802-1805. significantly weakened the potential of the RAC. Direct financial damage reached, apparently, no less than half a million rubles. All this stopped the advance of the Russians in a southerly direction along the northwestern coast of America for several years. The Indian threat further fettered the RAC forces in the area of arch. Alexandra did not allow the systematic colonization of Southeast Alaska to begin.

Examples.

So, on February 4, 1851, an Indian military detachment from the river. Koyukuk attacked the village of Indians who lived at the Russian loner (factory) Nulato in the Yukon. The loner herself was also attacked. However, the attackers were repulsed with damage. The Russians also had losses: Vasily Deryabin, the head of the trading post, was killed and an employee of the company (Aleut) and an English lieutenant Bernard, who arrived in Nulato from the British military sloop Enterprise to search for the missing members of Franklin's third polar expedition, were mortally wounded. In the same winter, the Tlingit (Sitka Koloshi) staged several quarrels and fights with the Russians in the market and in the forest near Novoarkhangelsk. In response to these provocations, the chief ruler, N. Ya. Rosenberg, announced to the Indians that if the unrest continued, he would order the “Kolosha market” to be closed altogether and interrupt all trade with them. The reaction of the Sitkinites to this ultimatum was unprecedented: on the morning of the next day, they made an attempt to capture Novoarkhangelsk. Some of them, armed with guns, sat down in the bushes near the fortress wall; the other, having placed prefabricated ladders to a wooden tower with cannons, the so-called "Koloshenskaya battery", almost took possession of it. Fortunately for the Russians, the sentries were on the alert and sounded the alarm just in time. An armed detachment that came to the rescue threw down three Indians who had already climbed onto the battery, and stopped the rest.

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Tlingit.

Russian pioneers considered Koloshi bloodthirsty barbarians, "angrier than the most predatory animals." The American authorities, who bought Alaska from Russia, also had problems with this warlike Indian tribe. To calm them down, it was periodically necessary to attract ships of the navy and use artillery. The appearance of these savages had a frightening, mores - repulsive. In the past they had developed slavery.

Koloshi (Tlingit) - an Indian tribe that has been living for several thousand years in the southeast of Alaska and adjacent parts of Canada, up to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 1840s in America there were up to 14,000 souls of both sexes. Currently, about 20,000 people live in the US and Canada. The territory on which they settled has an inhospitable climate with constant dampness and rain.

The self-name of the tribe is Tlingit, which means "man". The Russians called them Koloshi, as they were indelibly impressed by the strange custom of this tribe to insert a kalyuzhka into a cut and pulled down lip - a piece of wood, shell or stone. Usually such decoration was worn by women and elders. These lip inserts were given to girls after their first month of cleansing. Kalyuzhka prevented women from talking and eating, and when chewing tobacco, which local women love very much, saliva constantly flowed from it.

In addition, the procedure itself is very painful. First, a small hole is made in the lower lip with a bear claw, where a small hairpin is inserted, which over time is replaced by a kalyushka up to 12 cm in circumference. Kalyuzhka was a sign of a good kind. The change of a new, larger kalyushka was accompanied by a family holiday with dancing in masks.

I must say that this stern people always had a great passion for dancing. Dancers in frightening masks circle around the fire to the sound of a drum, shaking their rattles. The audience clap their hands as loudly as possible.

Our compatriots, seeing the ears for the first time, were horrified. Here is a description of the ears by Russian travelers: “These people are distinguished by their strong, but extremely ugly and disproportionate physique. Their black, glossy hair hangs chaotically over prominent cheekbones. On a massive face stands out a wide and flat nose, a large mouth with thick lips. Despite their large features, their eyes are small and black, burning with wild fire. There is, however, one advantage - amazingly white teeth. But even this seemed to the pioneers a terrible sight, as the teeth sparkled on extremely dark skin.

It turns out that the ears daily smeared the face and the whole body with ocher and black soil. In addition to kalyuzhka, they sought to decorate themselves and their children in another savage way - immediately after birth, they squeezed the child’s skull with tools in the form of shoulder blades. As a result of such deformations, the nostrils of the Indians widened, the eyebrows rose upward, and the already disproportionate features of the face made an even more repulsive impression.

They had another custom - to paint their faces with wide black, white and red stripes of cinnabar and soot, intersecting in all directions. Of course, travelers did not see any orderliness in this coloring, but, apparently, representatives of various tribes were able to distinguish each other from these stripes. The pectoral feathers of a bald eagle sticking out of matted hair gave them an even more frenzied look. Of course, the natives liked themselves very much.

Travelers were struck by another feature of these savages - they were absolutely not afraid of the cold and dressed the same way both in the strongest heat and in the winter cold. The climate of these places is quite severe and twenty-degree frosts are not uncommon. Even in winter, the ears walked almost naked. If they froze, they used a very strange way to keep warm - they went down to the neck in cold water. They liked to spend the night under the open sky, on the hot ashes of a fire. True, at the same time, from time to time, I had to turn on one side, then on the other, so as not to burn myself.

In the 18th century, the Koloshi did not have permanent settlements, but roamed along the coast. They traveled in large boats, which contained all their possessions, as well as material for temporary huts. Having chosen a good place, they stuck a lot of poles into the ground, filling the gaps between them with planks, and the roof was covered with tree bark. In the cold season, a fire burned in the center of the hut.

A person who dared to cross the threshold of their squalid dwelling saw an unsightly picture: ugly women looking for insects in animal skins or in the heads of men, a large common chamber pot. In addition, the shack smelled of rotten fish, blubber and all sorts of garbage.

But even more deplorable were their slaves. Rich Koloshi had many slaves and slaves, who were called kalga. Prisoners of war and their descendants became slaves. The owner of the slave had every right to kill him. If the owner died, then two slaves were killed on his grave so that he would have servants in the next world, in the world of the souls of dead people and animals.

According to the concepts of these Indians, there are different types of afterlife. There is a paradise for those who have died of old age or disease. There is another paradise for those who have been victims of violence. People drowned or lost in the forest remain on the ground. They become half-human - half-otters. The Indians also believed from the spirits that live, as they believed, on star fires. Spirits patronized lakes, rivers, glaciers, mountains and other elements. They believed that the sun and moon were alive. They have a legend that the earth rests on a giant pillar in the form of a beaver's paw, and it is held by the underground old woman Agishanuku. The main character of their myths is the raven man Yalom, who fights with the old woman, and because of this, earthquakes occur.

By the end of the nineteenth century, most of the Tlingit converted to Orthodoxy, some came under the influence of Presbyterian missionaries. After the Americans became absolute masters of Alaska, US law granted citizenship only to those who led a civilized lifestyle.

The Presbyterians organized a school for the local population, while at the same time striving to completely eradicate the local cultural traditions and language. The ancestral lands were almost completely taken away from the ears. Initially, the Indians tried to provide armed resistance, but then they accepted the proposed rules of the game.

From the end of the 19th century, the Koloshi began to engage in commercial fishing and moved to towns and cities. At the same time, a significant part of the Tlingit live in traditional villages, but according to the rules of American culture. By the beginning of the 20th century, in connection with the general process of Americanization, the institution of slavery was abolished, and shamanism fell into decline. The value of the tribal system has fallen, but extended family ties and many tribal traditions have been preserved.

In 1971, under the influence of the public defending the rights of the natives, they nevertheless returned part of the land. To manage these lands, Regional and 10 village corporations were organized. In these areas, they are actively engaged in logging and fishing.

Among the educated koloshes there are teachers, lawyers, engineers. At the same time, unemployment, alcoholism, drug addiction, and murders are high among young people. The Tlingit tend to explain this as a culture shock when confronted with new cultural values, the decline of traditional culture. No more than 700 ears speak their native language.

Of course, it is a pity when the national identity of the people is lost, but to a certain extent this benefited the Koloshi. Despite the negative phenomena, since the 1950s in Alaska, the natural increase of the indigenous population, including the koloshi, has sharply increased. A striking picture has been observed over the past three to four decades in terms of marriages - 60% are inter-ethnic. At the same time, children from interethnic marriages are generally recognized as Tlingit.

Today, among the Tlingit there are bright leaders in state bodies, one of them is Paul William (1885-1977). He started as a law school graduate and practicing attorney and became the first Tlingit to take part in the activities of the representative body of the state of Alaska, contributed to the granting of equal rights to the Tlingit, and was engaged in the settlement of land issues. One prominent leader was Frank J. Peratrovich (1895-1984), who received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska for public service. He was the first Tlingit to sit in the Alaska Senate.

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Tlingit daggers.

As weapons, the Tlingit warriors, dressed in leather and wood armor, used bows and arrows, heavy spears, clubs, as well as iron and copper daggers.

Tlingit men, not only during the war, but also in everyday life, constantly wore daggers, in a sheath made of leather, hung around the neck on a belt (blade down). The dagger was not only a weapon for them, but also an economic tool. For their daggers, along with other types of weapons, the Tlingit had a habit of giving proper names. There is evidence that before the battle, the Tlingit sometimes tied daggers to their hands, probably using part of the winding of their handle with a leather strap, so as not to lose the weapon during the battle. But here, it seems, this is not about ordinary battles, where spears were used in the first place (the dagger was a spare weapon), but about lightning raids that the Tlingit used to carry out at dawn, quickly cutting out the sleeping inhabitants of the settlements of hostile tribes and hostile clans with daggers directly in their dwellings.

The double-bladed Tlingit daggers probably evolved through gradual evolution, during which the massive carved pommel characteristic of conventional (single-bladed) Tlingit daggers once evolved into a second (short) blade. Perhaps it was the militancy of the Tlingit that became the basis for this improvement and the development of sophisticated fencing techniques with double-bladed daggers. One of the most common tricks looked like this - using the fact that the enemy, first of all, follows the main (long) blade of the dagger, the Tlingit warriors strove to inflict a shocking wound on his face with a second (short) blade with an unexpected movement, and then finish it off with the main blade. The short blade of the double-bladed Tlingit dagger was usually provided with its own leather scabbard, probably for greater safety of the wearer and greater ease of use of the dagger (its long blade) as a tool.

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Tlingit. Catalog of the Kunstkamera collections:

References: A. Zorin, A. Grinev, N. Bolkhovitinov...

Pictures and explanations by Gordon Miller: http://gordonmiller.ca/index_natives.htm