because. it's the secret incursion into the country. against the invasion by means of. tradition the language tell you this is the best to compete. and culture. the thing is that the have the dozens are still unaware of what's going on in their minds still asking too much. i don't know any but alaska the great. on our cheap.

wealthy british style. spot on the. market why not come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with months cars are run no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune in to cause a report on r t. a telemarketer broadcasting. d.c. coming up today on the big picture.

more news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. for addition to. the i'm. once it was a part of russian territory there are still reminders to this day children wearing russian national costumes people having russian names and many orthodox churches are standing here but more than one hundred forty years ago it became the u.s. territory though some americans still don't know about. the scandal asking i have

no idea about that stuff like that i don't know anything about that alaska it's cold. it was cold a box of ice a polar bear garden and war russia but in the language of the indigenous peoples the word alaska means the great land. sven haakanson is steering his boat out of the narrow bay of kodiak island as ancestors have lived here since time immemorial. over the thousands of years they to solve this seascape each sign they put out to sea to hunt. but they use their canoes with a couple of paddles instead of comfortable motor boats with powerful engines in the past yes it was very very difficult to hunt as an individual you need to group in

order to. in order to actually capture for example you look at the sea lines over here in order for you to hunt one of those in the several people. on a summer jane seven hundred forty one scores of oh you need it's of the land settled on a hunting expedition in canada as they spotted odd looking ships on the horizon. those big sailboats malone's to an expedition led by russian explorers daring and sure. that was how kodiak island made its appearance on russian maps the first colonists were. guided by those maps landed on the island more than forty years later seventy four the city of kodiak was the capital of russian america for fifteen years. streets to serve as a reminder of that time. many of them still bear the names of russian travelers and

merchants. there is still the street name a shell a call who all found good with this why not tell you the poor me first russian permanent settlement in alaska and then there's still a coffs son in law were sawn off named after nikolai result. was representing the government of russia and also the russian american company. the russian american founded in seventy nine. primarily with the hunting and the selling of sea others in the large colonies on the alaskan coast. this building was used as a warehouse from here in the for went to russia and to china this c.r. pill has the sickest for. the most furs per square inch this is the animal itself the sea otter this animal was what caused

the fur gold rush to alaska i rush. russian traveler. first came to alaska two thousand and nine he organized an expedition to retrace the steps of his fellow countryman. the ghost in was the first ever european to reach alaska's hinterland. this unexplored land and establish contact with you have regional people. look at p. . well welcome to block off normally just as their ancestors welcomes agustin two hundred fifty years ago their homes may have changed a lot but their attitude to russians remains the same. question over clearly we welcome the talk of a noisy east into places that it once served as places of as a ghost can expect to. tell the russians many of the local people said they had

russian ancestors. when the russians came to alaska the lives of the indigenous people changed. many of them began to work for the russian american company jobs involved hunting for sea otters fishing and taking part in the building of new settlements russian priests and monks visited alaska and baptized the locals and people with the dogs for russian men married local girls. yes no russian men had local women and their children were called creole. creoles were well educated they held top players in the russian capital to ship as well as in the colonial administration you know asco i would guess he's going to become prime. surrender how concern the lives a life entirely different from his ancestors to him putting out to sea is more like

fun than work. sven is proud of his traditional bathhouse he sees it as a symbol of successive generations and imbedded russian traditions. when the russians came. the thing that is similar are the rocks and the he and the steaming the washing inside of anya and that's something that we've been doing for centuries and it's a tradition where the now we have a wooden house which is a russian banja which just adapted to it i mean i grew up taking wine yes for that . sven sees telling the history of. people as a mission he cheery it's a museum which is one of the principal tourist attractions of kodiak island when futurists visited during low season local people come here to when the russians actually took over our claimed alaska for russia spirit don't simulate of one of sens friends together with his family is listening to his story although his

name is of russian origin he doesn't know a single word of the language spoken on the other side of the bering strait nor does he know much about where his last name comes from earth and what my mom told me. her. or her grant going in there underneath your honor and they couldn't say are a lot. of russian. screw jones simul of doesn't need to speak russian services in the orthodox church in kodiak city are held in english. father in a chance he was born in new england it's a place that is far away from here he has no russian roots nevertheless he decided to serve as an orthodox priest in alaska but it was

a long story. it's a story of growing up in a christian church protestant sure but always wanting the seeking out for face a for experience it is and finding that it is a young man and eventually answering the call and the priest flips. the church were father in the county sears stands with the first church in the new world used to be alaska is still predominantly orthodox u.s. state. russians and and the priest said then came didn't force us to not speak our language they didn't force us to not follow our traditional ways of living and we did you know start practicing our all the religious practices but pretty much everything else stayed the same hunting language but then in doing the american period. when the americans came they wanted to civilize us.

american archaeologist david mcmahon is exploring the remains of russian legacy on alaska. these are lead seals they would have been used by employees of the russian american company but around bales of her this is one of the most important finds of his career some of the objects were found at the site of the first russian settlements others on the ocean floor so these are this is. the ship strains this together with russian callie. david mcmahon raised many remains of the russian ship kodiak from the depths of the ocean the ship belonging to the russian american company sank near the shores of kodiak island in eight hundred sixty i strayed was very lucrative because the coal miners in california needed for their drinks so even if. they would still make

a good profit the ship was leaving and it hit a rock everyone got off the ship but because of the ice on board the ship stayed afloat for several days before sank. the archaeologist dived twenty five meters deep to explore the remains of the ship the kodiak was one of a dozen ships keeping the lines of communication with russia open similar ships regularly sailed the length of the north pacific many saw the ship wreck as a symbol of the russian american company who was in dire straits. at the beginning of the eight hundred sixty s. the company reached the edge of bankruptcy that caused a debate on whether alaska could be sold the vast territory was inhabited by eight hundred colonists and the very most this number was well below what russia needed to control and defend it. those factors lead to serious discussion

about the potential sale they were held in an atmosphere of secrecy only harmful officials knew about them really do. america was not particularly in the faraway territory a russian envoy to washington eduardo steckel was told to do his best to convince the u.s. government that it would gain enormous benefits by acquiring alaska. steckel had the support of u.s. state secretary william seward who was in favor of a u.s. territorial expansion. finally in eight hundred sixty seven after lengthy negotiations alaska was sold to the united states for the price of seven point two million dollars. on october the eighteenth three hundred sixty seven of the russian flag was lowered in the former alaskan capital of sitka. in its stead america's colors were raised.

today happy alaska day is one of the major holidays of the forty ninth state. during the bright show the residents of citgo reenact the procedure of handing over the flag from russians to americans. in eight hundred sixty seven at the ceremony for placing the russian colony under u.s. control was much more modest. the american government was weary of accusations that they had wasted a lot of money headlines and splashed across the newspapers scoffed at the purchase describing it as nothing more than a box of ice. rumor even headed that of the seven point two million dollars paid some two hundred thousand was given to senators in the form of kickbacks. when opinion but opinion put it on their side deliberate steps were taken out of. swain some senators towards a hitch free ratification of the treaty. after alaska came under

u.s. control the russian american company lost its influence and the russian settlers were offered a choice either return to. russia or live in the reservation like settlement of ninilchik. what became of the money earned in the us was shrouded in mystery. that the officials are urging claimed that the whole payment reached russia and was spent on the construction of railways. rumors persisted however that the ship carrying the gold received for the sale of alaska had sunk in the pacific. culture is that so much of an oldish visit israel at the time of the mark when the battle for libya is a so-called humanitarian intervention there so noble and straightforward must enter a big. change for.

the. first. business. geary and school golf was born and raised in alaska like many alaskans he refers to other states as the lower forty eight gary is sure that americans have a poor impression of the forty nine most people in the lower forty eight don't know that alaska is part of america some believe it's still piped to russia but many believe that it's own country and they wonder what kind of money they're going to have to use when they're here and what language we speak and those kind of things i have actually had people compliment me on you sound just like in america. gary

a school called has lived in the small settlements of check on the peninsula since birth there are more than twenty schools close here his grandfather knew only a few english words gary however doesn't speak russian my grandfather passed away a couple of decades ago and my grandmother. passed away soon after that just some distance from here my father is buried in and most of my relatives in one day i will be to. right after the peninsula was sold to the americans the village was built on the seashore. boys of the russian american company who refused to move to russia has been banished here by the us government one of the older buildings is right down below it doesn't have a window in it. than the old log dovetail design with the dovetail corner there are several other buildings that are better throughout here including sheds that were used for fishing the older ones that were built as as old as the late eighteen

hundreds all the residents of ninilchik are related to each other one way or another. this is irene she died in one nine hundred eighty five one of the most successful people born in india is that lehman who is a distant relative of gary a school called four years ago he was the lieutenant governor of alaska first because he's only passing through today and has decided to stay with his uncle and aunt their ancestors were russians and they still use russian words in their everyday lexicon. through the insurance was married for. a few hours later he will visit his father at a nursing home in the town of sold. i tell him i tell my father that everything.

doesn't see that russian heritage simply as a distant episode in the history of his native state he remembers well that when he was a child far more people spoke russian than english i've talked about with my brothers about the russian herds and we often joked about it and when we get within about ten miles of the we're doing what we call speaking that will take we start talking like my father telling some of the stories it is still a varied. part of my heritage. mourn a rise in soldotna around lunchtime he visits his father at the local nursing home he says a few phrases in russian. nicko i. was no conspiracy. nick lehman can't remember names and faces clearly last year he had a stroke. right wingers and it was the. us he.

lost but even. that's my son nick lehman's condition sometimes makes him imagine he's not it's old old news nursing home but in the old settlement of real check where everyone has a boat where christmas is celebrated in early january rather than in december and where people in nearly every home speak russian. don't stop being where you are so that's progress in a way i want to not have this problem. i would think for working on a group of. lehman is one of the few people here who still remember the russian era of the land its former legacy is gradually being forgotten much in the same way as old people's memories fade away i'd like to teach my children about their heritage we've shared it it's caught on especially with our oldest child our son and i think the best way we can do it is to talk about it serves some of the stories and maybe even some of the way in which i want them to understand herb very

rich cultural heritage. if it makes you think. fraser is one of the most popular teachers at school don't know high school. he used to teach english to russian children in the russian town of money which today he teaches russian in alaska none of the children in his class has a slavic name all of them are americans who've decided to learn the language that was once dominant in this part of the world you're the one caring briana what. i hear there are you know this thing that. done. not that. gauri season self as a representative of the new wave of russian settlers of alaska who fears he makes

himself at home the russian legacy is everywhere. today there are at least about seven hundred. names place names on the map of all of that that conspicuously russian for example. from reboot cell dog or from cell device then the presence of the churches here so you know the words. let's put it like this here in the last i will live in the presence of the past. is another russian enclave in alaska it emerged here on hundred years after the sale of the peninsula. its four hundred inhabitants trying to stick to a lifestyle reminiscent of siberia rather than america. can give you thirty people tourists came here in one thousand six to eight years and this is the first house they have built here to be a why they feel me you you know so young you know how do you choose in

a film for some reason trying to guess why there's no escape for you dressed to kill. is famous in nicholai ask and she is known for causing a stir the locals are not particularly fond of her because she is the only settler who is always ready to talk to journalists. the reason is that all believers live in the settlement and they always prefer a reclusive lifestyle. the founders of nikolai a fled in the soviet union to america to escape persecution on religious grounds in alaska the old believers trying to distance themselves from civilization much like they would do in russia and initially it was a private no doubt about that but the signs have been removed and now people can visit us they can talk to us and meet. is no longer settlements today it is even something of a tourist attraction the cafe run by the feel of is the most lucrative business in

the settlement. this is mission. big basically for. for three decades it never occurred to the old believers that someday americans might be among their neighbors they tried to escape visiting other towns but now the american houses stay near the russian once i could leave no matthew has five children he moved. seven years ago after buying one third of the local land his american dream is slowly becoming a reality the land was pretty good price the russians actions that russians are people that are here the orthodox they have a nice set of values. maintains friendly relations with matt but as the years ago by she becomes ever more apprehensive of the prospect of nikolai of

losing its status as a russian enclave and turning into just another client settlement in alaska. children in the settlement still where russian national dress but english is now their mother tongue. for growing up in a russian the village but we go through english school that learn english not as much russian i think over the time our church is going to probably go more americanized faith i believe that for vanek the play which america. the new wave of settlers who moved to alaska during the last decades came from siberia twentieth century russian destinations changed in comparison with the eighteenth century the majority preferred alaska's largest city anchorage rather than kodiak island or the can i pronounce a lot out of the cities three hundred thousand strong population five thousand are

migrants from russia. this fun group is rehearsing in a garage situated in and. anchorages suburb. is the youngest of the band everybody calls him. his perfect english hides his true or he was born in the siberian town of. children of the russians who came here in one nine hundred eighty nine or in the early one nine hundred ninety s. the girls are about twenty years old now just this russian generation has grown up in alaska they speak very good english and understand spoken russian it is indeed a new generation of music i knew i knew my parents. one of the songs of the greenberg group says there's a place where everybody's going to the place to be actually in entirely different places meant in the song but the new russian suburbs have taken the him like lines close to the heart.

russians don't see themselves as masters of alaska they see themselves as guests. of the traveler is among them he and his friends are embarking on a second expedition to the peninsula. once again they will retrace the steps of early russian explorers. team will have to go through a strenuous course of training before the second expedition and they intend to use the same gear that the early russian explorers had no motorboats only canoes. since we're repeating the historical roots of the alaskan discover a. then we want to know the actual truth and that's why we didn't have a choice of presbyterians. says vin haakanson head of the community of indigenous people living in kodiak island takes

a dim view of the desire of europeans to make very more difficult. his ancestors used to put out to sea in. keeper for. as motorboats. soon thinks giving up the perks of civilization is a foolish thing to do. yet despite embracing the modern era inwardly he still remains committed to the simple principles preached by his ancestors. we were here for thousands of years. but you know we didn't have this system of paper saying that we can claim this land because in our philosophy in our worldview. you can own land the land owns you you know how can you say you own there when you're only here for a little bit and then you got it's a whole different philosophy of owning it versus living with it.