Alaska Days!!

It took a whole week to celebrate Alaska Day, the celebration of America buying Alaska and 50 years this year of being a state. The whole week was full of activities to celebrate it, with lectures, performances, dinners, programs, state park activities, a ball, and on Alaska Day a re-enactment of the turnover, and a parade. We went to the Russian Bishop's house, where we played some typical games; Reese and I enjoyed playing 'graces' and actually got pretty good, throwing and catching the hoop with two sticks. We went on a tour of the house, which is one of four surviving Russian buildings, and is the oldest I believe, finished in 1843. It would have been really interesting, but we had the kiddos, and Grace just didn't appreciate not being able to touch everything. This chapel was used by the bishop of the Russian Orthodox church, and is still sometimes used currently, though most services are in the Saint Michael's Cathedral downtown.

It was interesting having Reese learn about the Russians and Americans and Tlingits at school, and discussing it at home. The Russian presence here was collectively one of extracting resources/making money, though individuals of course varied; the Russian Bishop Innocent did much work to stop abuse of Natives. Reese would tell us about, and ask questions about, the fights between the Russians and the Tlingits, and the Russians selling Sitka to America, that brought up discussions of prejudice. There seemed to be an undercurrent to the festivities, of condemnation to the Russians for selling something that wasn't theirs, which to be honest seems justified. RD and I went to the Alaska Day ball, which was incredibly wonderful to go dancing together. Most people dressed up in period costumes (1867) which was fun to see, but we both noted it was almost entirely attended by whites. Period dress and Native regalia (which is so amazing to see from the Tlingint clans) were invited to both show, but no one was in native regalia, and we could understand why. I think there is a Native perspective quite different from the white, at least in the older generation. An Alaskan Native woman who has a radio show serached for, but couldn't find, another Alaskan Native to talk about the Native perspective on Alaska Day, as possible negative reactions were feared.
It's also been interesting taking the kids to SEARHC's hospital for doct. appts.; it's Native run, and it was weird registering the kids for care as Native Americans (since they are card-holding members of the Choctaw tribe with RD) as the white mom, with the kids being obviously "white" as well. At least from the office personnel, I felt some distancing of us from being part of the SEARHC-served community. What makes it more complicated, and is similar to Galena, is the dominance of whites in the physician/medical professional areas of the hospital. In Galena there was open hostility to the "white professionals" that came in, especially in the surrounding villages. Living there really helped me get a different worldview, see mine from a different angle, and gain a better understanding of questions and debates of prejudice and stereotyping that are so easy to cliche and brush aside. I think for most of my life, I assumed other ethnicites wouldn't feel any differences, since I didn't realize being 'white' was a part of my identity, and how I interacted with the world would therefore be similar for a woman my age. I think assuming other's experience is similar to mine is typical and automatic, but more and more I realize how someone else's identity affects how they interact with and see the world, just like me. It's been a fascinating perspective and experience to be a minority in something besides religious beliefs.