03 — Sitka and the Tlingit
The harder mission field of the colonial capital: Veniaminov’s 1834 transfer to Sitka and his patient, largely fruitless early approach to the independent Tlingit; and the smallpox epidemic of 1835–1838, handled soberly with named scholarly mortality ranges, and the contested question of how it shifted Tlingit attitudes toward Orthodoxy.
Tradition: Russian Orthodox / American (canonized 1977)
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| novo-arkhangelsk.md | The 1834 move to Sitka; the Tlingit (Kolosh) and the colonial background of the 1802–04 Battle of Sitka; the near-absence of early conversions. |
| smallpox-and-the-turning.md | The 1835–37 epidemic, with named mortality ranges (Gibson, Fortuine); Russian vaccination and Veniaminov’s role; and the sober, contested account of the shift in Tlingit attitudes. |
See Also
- 02 — Unalaska and the Unangan — the very different, receptive Aleut field he came from
- 04 — The Scientist-Missionary — the Tlingit-language and building work at Sitka
- 06 — Missiology and Method — the non-coercive method and its limits among the Tlingit
- Master README — the full collection