2016
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Knik, Alaska, is located in Upper Cook Inlet. Technically, in early records, Knik was not a single settlement, but a group of villages or seasonal camps. A Russian missionary named Hegumen Nikolai (1853) recorded five seasonal Knik village camps that he ministered to. The Dena’ina of this area lived fairly nomadic lives, moving from hunting camp to fishing camp as the seasons changed.
Generally, Russian Orthodox missionaries visited the Cook Inlet area twice a year to teach the faith, perform confession, communion, baptize, perform last rites and funerals. The first trip was a summer trip to Tyonek, Kustatan, the five seasonal Knik camps and two seasonal Susitna camps before the fish run. The second trip took place in March and they went to Seldovia, Aleksandrovsk and Ninilchik and Kenai. According to sources I’ve read, Dena’ina means “people”. Some people call it Tanaina, but that is an English form of the word Dena’ina.
1883
Twenty nine children,
under the age of 8 died of the flu in Kenai. The next year, according
to Russian Priest Hieromonk Nikita, the epidemic continued, killing
children and adults in other villages. Pregnant women were very hard
hit by this flu and 100% of the women who had the flu when they gave
birth, died soon after.
1893
Old Knik (present day
Knik town) had only 3 residences and 1 trading post in 1893. The rest
of the residents were scattered within six miles of the village.
Father Bortnovskii (1880’s) recorded that the villagers of Tyonek only stayed
in the village for 4 months out of the year (fishing and hunting the other
8 months).
1885
Russian Priest, Hieromonk
Nikita, visited Tyonek. He tried to record births at the village but had
the following to say: “Given the uncooperative and cunning nature of the
Kenaitze, this is a hard and depressing procedure”. (Note from me:
perhaps this might explain why some researchers cannot find their families
birth records within the Russian Orthodox records (?).
July 19, 1885
The Priest baptized
an adult Mednovtsy (Copper River) Native “who was converted from paganism
and received the name of Nikolai after his godfather.
Vladimir Stafeev, a Russian,
who first worked as an agent for the RAC at St. Nicholas Redoubt (Kenai)
in the 1860's, married a Dena'ina woman who was the daughter of a toion.
He worked at St. Nicholas Redoubt and Tyonek as an agent for the ACC trading
post from 1884-1888. In 1887, in Tyonek, he traded with three Mednovtsy
Natives; two of them were Bychanishta and Kechigiugunuglin. He baptized the
men and renamed them Pavel and Karp, two Dena'ina from Tyonek acted as godparents
(Pavel Shitachka and Karp Nukhdichugin).
1888
White man named Aleksandr
Ryan comes to live in the Kenai area.
1889
Russian Priest, Nikolai
Mitropol’skii, said it was not easy communicating with the Mednovtsy people.
To do that, his Russian language had to be translated into the Knik tongue,
then someone who could speak both Knik and Mednovtsy had to translate it
from the Knik tongue to the Mednovtsy tongue. Of course, all replies
had to go through the two translators in reverse as well. That summer,
many Mednovtsy came to Knik and the Priest married the couples as they came.
He estimated there were 500 Mednovtsy who lived in the Copper River area.
1888
Tyonek has 130 residents,
including children.
1891
Three white men, living
in Knik, hanged a Mednovtsy Native because he had killed a white man five
years before. Russian Priest, Nikolai Mitropol’skii, stated that one of
the white men went by the name of Miller.
1891
The flu is epidemic
at Ninilchik, people are so ill, that there isn’t sufficient help to
bury the bodies.
1894
Russian Priest, Aleksandr
Iaroshevich, writes that there are few people living in Knik. He said that
most people who were considered Knik residents, actually lived in various
locations scattered in a radius of 6 miles around Knik. Knik village
was located up river, 12 miles from it’s chapel.
ACC agent at Knik in winter
of 1894 was A. Krison. Another man named George Palmer was also in Knik that
winter (listed as a miner). On 12/19/1894 Father Aleksandr Iaroshevich
wrote in his hournal that George Palmer took Pelagaia Chanilkhiga, a local
Kenaitze girl, as his concubine.
1895
Gold was discovered
on the Kenai Peninsula and thousands of miners came to the area. The
villages of Tyonek and Knik became major supply points for these miners.
Russian-American Co. records state that 150 Indians and 40 white people lived
at Knik in 1906. Ten years later, there were 500 white people.
1897
The Dena’ina moved their
village from Old Knik (present day Knik) to New Knik. They disassembled
their St. Nicholas chapel and took it to New Knik (Eklutna) and reassembled
it. Russian Priest Bortnovskii visited the reassembled chapel at New
Knik in 1897.
1900
The possibility of the
Natives of Knik interacting with the Mednovtsy people (Copper River) is explained
in a 1900 entry by Father Ioann Bortnovskii. He says that eight Knik
Natives visited the Mednovtsy, leaving Knik on September 1st and traveled
55 days (with all of their possessions on their backs) and returned to Knik
on May 1st. He also says that on July 1st of 1900, he travels to Susitna
and stops at a summer fish camp built by Knik Natives. He learns that
many are ill but even more are starving because the salmon have not yet
reached Susitna. He says that the dogs are also starving and they
look like “moving skeletons”. Once at Susitna, he says he learns
how the “Susitna women and only the Susitna women” are skillful at handling
small boats (as skillful as the men). There are 3 stores in the area
, 2 in the village of Susitna and 1 at lower Susitna village. The agent
at the Susitna village A. C. Co. store wants to marry a Knik Kenaitze woman
with whom he has lived with for a long time and has many children. Two
Susitna men abducted a Copper River Native girl.
July 6, 1900
Russian Priest Bortnovskii
married Arthur McConahay and Mapoy, a Knik Kenaitze girl who had lived
with him for 7 years and has 4 children with him. McConahay, a local
trade agent, contributed to building the new chapel at Susitna, both in
money and advise. He also gave free food to the people who were building
the chapel in 1902.
In Susitna, Kenai, Kasilof, Knik and Seldovia the Alaska Commercial Co. is in the process of quitting business. Private stores are springing up.
1902
April 25, 1902 Priest
Bortnovskii baptized a baby named Pavel, the infant son of a white man who
is married to a Kenaitze woman at Seldovia.
April 29, 1902
Seldovia, gave last rights to a dieing man named Ivan Iakovlev
June 20, 1902 Priest
Bortnovskii mentions visiting what he calls the “1st Knik” which was a summer
nomadic camp and that only 2 Native families live near the Knik chapel.
June 24, 1902 Bortnovskii
married a local Kenaitze man at Tyonek (who had “illicitly” lived
with a white man named Harry Hicks). The Priest performed a funeral
for a Tyonek man named Peter who died that day.
June 29, 1902 Bortnovskii
performed last rights for a Kenaitze woman named Olga who was very sick
in her tent.
1905
December 15, 1905
KANGALLEN VILLAGE: Born
Feodor, son of Kenaitze Native Pavel Konstantineovich and wife Anna.
1906:
May 12, 1906
NAPAMIUT VILLAGE: Grigorii,
infant son of Vasilii Ashipiak died.
May 14, 1905
VICINITY OF NAPAMIUT
VILLAGE: Baptized Anisiia Tagian infant daughter of Makarii Chiliklanak and
lawful wife Anna. Baby was born May 3, 1906. Godparent was Natalia,
wife of Vasilii Tagnigakh of Napamiut Village. Irina, daughter of Feodosia
Iaganin was born in April of 1906. Her Godparent was Mariia Chimgak
of the Napamiut Village.
May 18, 1906
MOUTH OF STONEY RIVER:
Marva, infant daughter of Epifanii and his lawful wife Marfa Ivanov.
The Godparent was Mariia the wife of Sergie Andreanov.
May 24, 1906
KANGALLEN VILLAGE: Baptism
of Ekaterina daughter of American Grigorii Mikhailovich Hobson and
his lawful wife Tatiana Konstantinovna . The Godmother was Mariia Vladimirovna,
wife of a Kenaitze named Ivan Konstantinov. Baptism of Feodor, son of Kiril
Tokhteion and his wife Agafiia. Godfather was Kirill I’akovlevich.
Baptised, Elizaveta, daughter of Pavel Konstantinov and wife Anna.
Godmother was a Kenaitze maiden named Agafiia Ivanovna. Baptised Maria,
daughter of Vasilii Ivanovich and Evlalia. Godmother was a maiden named
Alexandra Ivanovna Kal’tita.
May 29, 1906
NUKACHAOGMIIUT VILLAGE:
Baptised Agnia, daughter of Native named Lazar Klimentov Achimati and wife
Evgeniia. The baby was born mid-April. Godparent was Pelageia
Ivanov, wife of Kiril Klimentov.
1907
The Russian Orthodox
church started the St. Nicholas Temperance Society at Seldovia. The
Natives could take an oath saying they wouldn’t drink for a certain amount
of time. This list is important because it gives us names we wouldn’t
normally have access to:
January 21, 1907
Ekaterina Mishakoff
took an oath for the rest of her life.
Paros Danilova and Anna
Shangai took an oath for 1 year.
February 19, 1907
Iosif Z. Oskolkoff quit
his membership because his oath had expired.
February 26, 1907
Afanasii Almanakh arranged
a supper for the society members.
March 4, 1907
Iakov Oskolkoff took
an oath for 1 year.
Agripina Bakhov took
an oath for the rest of her life
Petr Bakhov took
an oath for 1 year
Vasilii A. Demidov took
an oath for 1 year
March 11, 1907
Matrena Ltultish took
an oath for the rest of her life.
Aleksandr Abakhchi renewed
his oath.
Maria Abakhchi took
an oath for the rest of her life.
Tatiana Knukhuutil took
an oath for 2 years
Nikolai Mishakoff took
an oath for 2 years
Lukia Mamalia
took an oath for 2 years
Tatiana Viadro took
an oath for 2 years
Nikolai Soloviev took
an oath for 2 years
Engenii Man took an
oath for 2 years.
Anastasiia Baktuit took
an oath for 1 year.
Anna Sorokovikov took
an oath for 1 year
Akilina Kiiu took an
oath for 1 year
Feodor Chulgin took
an oath for 1 year
1907
January 29, 1907 Vlasii
Anakhupak died in Aleksandrovsk Village.
April 2, 1907
KENAI
Joseph Tugubik quit
the membership because their oaths had expired
Afanasii Almanakh quit
the membership because their oaths had expired
Aleksei Mednovsky
quit the membership because their oaths had expired
April 8, 1907
Akakii Kanitak died
in Seldovia.
Nikolai Tishdilusion
took an oath for 1 year.
Peter Vedro took an
oath for 2 years
Aleksei Knikov took
an oath for 2 years
Alexandra Knikov took
an oath for 2 years
Nadezhda Mednovsky took
an oath for 2 years
Simeon Chickalusion
took an oath for 3 years
Anna Bakhov took an
oath for the rest of her life.
April 18, 1907
Anna Ivanov took an
oath for 1 year.
April 19, 1907
Aleksandr D. Daryn took
an oath for 2 years
Stepan Knushdul took
an oath for 2 years
April 21, 1907
Iosif Z. Oskolkoff took
an oath for 10 years.
Afanasii Almanakh took
an oath for 1 year.
Maxim Knukhuutil took
an oath for 3 years.
Grigorii P. Oskolkoff
took an oath for 5 years
Feodor Kvasnikov took
an oath for 1 year.
April 22, 1907 Aleksei
Mednovsky renewed his oath for 1 year.
April 23, 1907 Philip
Wilson took an oath for 1 year.
April 30, 1907
Pavel Kalifornskii took
an oath for 3 years.
Nikonor Ltultish
took an oath for 3 years.
May 10, 1907
Mikhail Balashov took
oath for 5 years
Anisiia Balashov (his
wife) took an oath for 5 years
Timofei Balashov took
an oath for 5 years
Aleksei Berestov took
an oath for 5 years
May 13, 1907
Evgeniia Agina took
an oath for life.
Irina Mamchak
took an oath for life.
Grigorii Anakhukak
took an oath for life.
Evgeniia Mamchak
took an oath for life.
Marfa Mamchak took an
oath for life.
Ljubov Abapak
took an oath for life.
Sofia Anakhupak took
an oath for life.
Elisaveta Mamchak took
an oath for life.
Andrei Agikjia
took an oath for life.
Timofei Maltsev took
an oath for life.
May 14, 1907
Peter Nossikii, a Japanese
took an oath for life.
Paraskoviia Nosskaia
took an oath for 1 year
Illarion Ljuka took
an oath for 1 year.
June 10, 1907
Flor Fomin expelled
from Temperance Society for breaking oath.
Alex Ryan expelled from
Temperance Society for breaking oath.
September 17, 1907
Sofia Wilson took an
oath for 2 years
Vasilii Petrov
took an oath for 2 years
Simeon Yunisin took
an oath for 2 years.
October 8, 1907
Twelve people violated
their oaths to the Temperance Society andwere expelled:
Feodor Malia
Lukiia Malia (his
wife)
Evgeniia Mann
Maxim Knukhutil
Tatiana Knukhutil (his
wife)
Pavel Morfei
Mikhail Kasilofsky
Alkdsei Kaviak
Victor Inchidishin
Vasilii Indchidishin
Stepan Kustatanosky
Daria Oskolkoff.
1907
Father Bortnovskii quit
and was replaced by Father Pavel Shadura.
End of October 1907
KANGALLEN VILLAGE:Child
born, Konstantin, son of Kenaitze Native Vasilii Ivanovich and wife Ivlaliia.
December 26, 1907
KANGALLEN VILLAGE: Child
born, Agafiia, daughter of Trifon Vasiliev Broder and wife Mria of the Vonzai
Village. Godmother was Mariia Simeonovna from Vonzai.
December 27, 1907
KANGALLEN VILLAGE: Child
born, Evfimii, son of Kenaitze Native called Nikolai Konstantinovich and
his wife Aleksandra.
1908-9:
William McKeon of Seldovia
married a Dena’ina widow named Anna Nanitak.
Malcolm McNeil of Knik
married Dena’ina woman named Anna Chickalusion.
William Hughes of Knik married Dena’ina
woman named Maria Stepanova of Susitna village.
Andrei Tolchok, a Dena'ina from Seldovia married Marfa Tapani a resident
of Aleksandrovsk
Posto Laverne a Philippino
married Olga Nikanoroff of Kenai.
Hans Siversen of Minnesota
married Dena’ina woman Yenlu Nudlash Brooks from Old Nondalton.
Jack Kinney (1868-1933) gold prospector in Mulchatna District in 1909, married
Elena Balauta from Qeghnilen.
Father Shadura, in a letter, talks about his reasoning for letting 2 young girls get married before the respectable age of 16. He does not say who they married, but says the girls were: Ekaterina Mishakoff age 14 and Olga Vaiudulchik age 15 of Kenai. He says he let the girls get married because they already had children and because the girls parents gave permission for them to marry.
1911
Matt Hute, a white man,
wanted to marry a young girl that will not become 16 until 1912. Father
Shadura tells him he must wait.
1927-1929
Nikolai Kalifornskii
of Kenai was the church warden (elected by the people instead of appointed
by the church). He was the father of Peter Kalifornsky.
1930’s: Savva Stephan was put in charge of maintaining a chapel at Tyonek.
1933
June 17, 1933
Tyonek is moving to a new village site. All of the icons, alter etc.
had to be re-blessed because they were damaged and fell down during
the earthquake.
1934
August 20, 1934
Father Shadura cleaning chapel at Eklutna. He says it’s the first
church service in the chapel since 1912, although the village had raised
the ceiling and put on a new roof in 1933.
Miscellaneous Info:
August 2, 1878
Father Shishkin traveled
to Chikak Village, a small Kenaitze village 8 hours from Lake Iliamna.
He said there are 36 people in the village. He says that 27 of the
residents have syphilis and some of them are children. The village
has no doctor or medicine. No one seems to know where the illness
originated.
April 24, 1882
Father Shishkin traveled
to Mulchatna Village on the Mulchatna River. He says there were 27
Kenaitze in the village.
March 8, 1888
Father Shishkin traveled
to Kichik Village near Iliamna. He not only finds the residents of
the village but finds another group of Kenaitze villagers from the Mulchatna
River area that had been waiting for him to come to Kichik for a month.
Together, there were 176 people. Father Shishkin tried to convince
the Mulchatna Kenaitze to move from the Mulchatna River to the Kichik
area where hunting and fishing were better. The Mulchatna Kenaitze
agreed that they should move. to somewhere closer to Lake Iliamna.
July 24, 1890
Father Shishkin visited
Iliamna Village. The Priest performed a service for the villagers
who died of influenza in the fall of 1888 until February of 1889. Twenty-one
people died of influenza. He also visited the village of Kichik where
16 had died from influenza.
February 9, 1895
Father Shishkin visited
Iliamna Village. The village was founded by Savva Riktorov who was
the trade agent for the Russian (RAC) Co. which delivered supplies from
Kenai to Nushagak. Savva Riktorov’s sons (7 alive and 2 dead) remain
in the village. Savva Riktorov had 2 wives (1 legal wife and 1 common
law wife). Four sons were born to the legal wife and 4 other children
to the 2nd wife. Mikhail Riktorov (Savva’s brother) works as the agent
for the A. C. Co. The brothers still speak Russian.
Native Residents of Iliamna
Village in 1895
Kosma Riktorov age 57
Dariia (wife) age 28
Barbara (daughter) age
4
Vasilii Riktorov
age 51
Mary (wife) age 41
children:
Mikhail age 26
Stefan age 21
Paraskeva age 15
Gavriil Riktorov (adopted
son) 5
Evfim Riktorov age 53
Agafiia (wife)
age 37
children:
Ioann age 23
Barbara age 11
Widow Dariia Tuknikhliushen age 100
Widow Vassilissa Riktorov
age 38
children:
Mikhail Rictorov II
age 19
Mikhail Rictorov I
age 17
Sofiia age 16
Lukeriia age 2
Simeon Tagnakhtukhta
age 35
Evokiia
(wife) age 28
children:
Ekaterina age
5
Nikita age 6
Agafiia age 2
Kirill Kiltkide age 32
Mary (wife)
age 23
Anna (daughter)
age 4
Mikhail Buitokha age 75
widower
Kirill Buitokha
age 35
Stefanida L’kudkhugtut age 22
Barbara (daughter) age
6
Aleksei L’kagliaga age 43
Akilina (wife)
age 28
Sofia (daughter) age
5
Zakharii Ivanov age 38
Anastasiia (wife)
age 28
children:
Marfa age 6
Evfimii age 5
(male)
Paraskeva age
2 (female)
Nikolai Grigoriev age
43
Marfa (wife) age 20
Marfa (daughter) age
4
Grigorii (son) age 2
Ioann Tugnukadilen age
26
Ekaterina (wife)
age 21
Ioann Tkil’kide age 44
Mary (wife) age 38
children:
Ignatii age 7
Zakharii age 1
Feodor Konal’tukta age
36
Dariia (wife)
age 35
children:
Stefan age 16
Zinovii age 1
Evdokiia Konal’tukta
age 18
Pataskala (daughter)
age 1
Widow Stefanida Bakun age 50
Panteleimon (son) age
29
Grigorii Zakharov age 24
Savva Kibul’kahk age 23
Nikolai L’kagliago age 21
Andrei Koidul’kil age
40
Anna (wife) age
38
children:
Gerasim age 18
Mikhail age 10
Nikolai age 7
Ekaterina age 4
Paraskeva age 2
Mary wife of Fred Roehl
age 32
children:
Sergei
(no age given)
Mary
(no age given)
Sofia
(no age given)
Feodor age 8
Vladimir age 6
Vasilii age 2
Mary, wife of Christian Nelson
age 38