Russian Alaska and a Creole Priest

One struggle I was looking for in the journals of St. Jacob is racism. St. Jacob was half Russian, half Alaskan native. And in much of the world’s history during this colonial era, racism is thoroughly embedded. I did find one reference of such an issue from Governor Chistiakov in Sitka, when St. Jacob, his wife, and father first arrived, the governor being described by Archpriest Michael Oleksa as “racist, opposing, and attempting to prohibit Russian-native marriages". Even then, mentioned in the same source, this governor was known to be anti-clerical. Meaning: he already did not like this priest coming around in the first place, much less his native lineage.

There are copious examples of St. Jacob serving alongside other clergy when he had an opportunity, which would seem to suggest that such an animosity did not actually exist. Before leaving Novoarchangelsk (Sitka) for his assignment on the island of Atka in the Aleutian Chain, he concelebrated often:

"March 25: On the Feast Day of Annunciation of the All Holy Theotokos, I, together with Father Aleksei [Sokolov] concelebrated the Liturgy. During this 5th week of Lent I performed services for those people who were observing the fast."

Then, in the days immediately following:

"March 29: On Friday I confessed several persons who had fasted and on the following day they joined in the Holy Mysteries. During the Passion Week we concelebrated the services jointly with the priest, Father Aleksei [Sokolov]."

"April 14: On the Day of the Bright and Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ we concelebrated the Liturgy jointly with Father Aleksei [Sokolov]; the next two days I celebrated the services by myself.

Near the end of his life, he returns to Sitka. He is buried at the steps of the church where he was serving, a church built into the wall protecting Sitka, with a door to the Tlingit people outside and the Russians inside. That fact both sounds honorable and dubious at the same time. I had to wonder: was that an honor or was it the humble ending of a beloved priest. Sadly, looking to his journals (at least those translated into English) for more information about the conditions in Sitka those last months of his life, no information is to be found. The journals abruptly go silent as he sails into Novoarchangelsk/Sitka harbor.

What I can say is that he did not write anything that I have found, so far, about racism against him, for being half Russian and half Native American.

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