Description
Book SynopsisTraces the series of events which culminated in the 1802 and 1804 Battles of Sitka, a turning point in the history of the Tlingit people of southeast Alaska and, ultimately, in the history of America.
Trade ReviewI highly recommend this book as well as the earlier volumes in the 'Classics of Tlingit Oral Literature' series. It represents thorough, punctilious scholarship that reflects both multicultural and multidisciplinary perspectives. Even readers who do not study Northwest Coast traditions should examine it as a model for ethnohistorical presentation.
* Journal of Folklore Research *
A quarter-century in the making, it is well worth the wait . . . . Some of the Russian documents appear in translation and print for the first time, as do most of the welcome Tlingit voices, which finally present their point of view to readers.
* Alaska History *
The monograph is well designed, illustrated and printed by the University of Washington Press. I highly recommend it both for students of Alaska studies and those interested in the Russian-Tlingit relations of the Russian-American period in Alaska.
* Juneau Empire *
It needs to be stressed that the editors totally succeeded in finding their own way of dealing with this heavily studied topic . . . . they have created an excellent reader that will serve as a resource not only for those who are interested in Tlingit history and Russian America but also for instructors and students who may want to explore Russian imperial, Pacific Northwest, American West, and Native American history.
* H-Net *
I think that this is the type of work that Franz Boas, the founder of American anthropology, dreamed of seeing one day. Not only is this book a bi-cultural interpretation of two historical events, it is also filled with insights, explanations, and information that the rest of us, as anthropologists and historians, must stand back and admire.
* Arctic *
A richly detailed book comprised of Tlingit oral narratives, Russian manuscripts and other historic documents that took more than 20 years to complete.
* Juneau Empire *
The color plates and figures are beautiful and the coverage is comprehensive, making this a model record of motivations, attitudes, and perceptions as well as events.
* Book News *
Presents documents setting out works of Tlingit oral history in parallel with Russian and other documents referring to the same events, the two 'battles' of Sitka that took place in 1802 and 1804 . . . a most impressive work of scholarship.
* Polar Record *
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Russians in Tlingit America: New Perspectives on the Baranov Era, 1792-1818
Section I -- The Prelude: First Encounters of Russians and Tlingits
Section II -- The First Battle Encounter: Prince William Sound, 1792
Section III -- The First Settlement in Tlingit Territory: Yakutat, 1796
Section IV -- The Russian Push into Southeast Alaska before 1799
Section V -- The Founding of Old Sitka, 1799
Section VI - The Battle of 1802 at Old Sitka
Section VII - Baranov Returns: The Battle of 1804 at Indian River
Section VIII - And Life Goes On: 1805-186, 1818
Section IX - Bilingual Texts
Appendixes
Gazetteer
Glossary
References
Index
Color Plates
Maps and Charts
Figures
