Russian Sources on Aboriginal Alaska

Grewingk's Geology of Alaska and the Northwest Coast of America: Contributions toward Knowledge of the Orographic and Geognostic Condition of the Northwest Coast of America, with the Adjacent Islands. Rasmuson Library Historical Translation Series Volume 11. By Constantine Grewingk. Translated by Fritz Jaensch. Edited by Marvin W. Falk. (Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 2003. 242 pp., index, 3 maps, 7 plates. $24.95 paper.)

Steller's History of Kamchatka: Collected Information Concerning the History of Kamchatka, Its Peoples, Their Manners, Names, Lifestyle, and Various Customary Practices. Rasmuson Library Historical Translation Series Volume 12. By Georg Wilhelm Steller. Translated by Margritt Engel and Karen Willmore. Edited by Marvin W. Falk. (Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 2003. 298 pp., maps, illustrations, index. $27.95 paper.)

Through Orthodox Eyes: Russian Missionary Narratives of Travels to the Dena'ina and Ahtna, 1850s–1930s. Rasmuson Library Historical Translation Series Volume 13. By Andrei A. Znamenski (translator). (Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press, 2003. 346 pp., maps, illustrations, plates, index. $27.95 paper.)

The Rasmuson Library Historical Translation Series has been bringing important historic and ethnohistoric documents to the forefront of English scholarly studies for many years. These three volumes are no exception. The books extend the range of northern studies literature to regions and topics that have net been published before. From Kamchatka to the Copper River and from geology to cultural and natural history to Orthodoxy, these three volumes provide a wealth of data and insights about both the landscapes and peoples encountered by early explorers and missionaries, and also on the behaviors, ideals, politics, and histories of the observers.

Since I have conducted research in the Copper River valley in the 1980s and on the Alaska Peninsula and eastern Aleutians for the last 10 years, I found Grewingk's Geology and Znamenski's Through Orthodox Eyes especially appealing, and I wish they had been available years ago. Reading Steller's History of Kamchatka, however, is perhaps the most rewarding experience, as one is again astounded at the breadth of his knowledge of natural history and his observational abilities in describing the peoples and landscape around him. I will discuss each of these books in turn.

Grewingk's Geology is an overview. He did not visit the region but instead compiled all of the observations on the geology of the north Pacific from the accounts of other observers, some explorers and traders, scientists, missionaries, and naval officers. He attempts an explanation of various geologic phenomena and provides the first synthetic overview of the geologic history of Alaska. This book is strong in three important ways. First, it provides geographic descriptions of many of the most important landscape features along the north Pacific Rim from a multitude of previously inaccessible sources. Second, it presents all of the observations on volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis that were recorded before 1850, including descriptions of events that have not been published in English before. Third, Grewingk provides some of the earliest explanations for geology of the region, for the paleontological record of the area, and for both ecological and cultural similarities across the Bering Strait. One detail that struck me instantly was his recognition that tsunamis and eruptions are not interesting in and of themselves, but because of the impacts they have on animals, peoples, and the natural environment. For these observations alone, this book is valuable.

I remember being struck by the depth and detail of Steller's observations on the Bering expedition across the north Pacific. But Steller's History of Kamchatka goes far beyond those writings in quality and extent. The first nineteen chapters are on the natural history of Kamchatka, covering a range of topics from rivers and mountains to fish, waterfowl, and insects. The next eighteen chapters are, in essence, an ethnography of the Itelmen, with chapters ranging from their origins to religion, diet, marriage, politics, and trade relations.

Steller uses his knowledge of peoples on both sides of the north Pacific to make a very...