Well…sort of!

One of the things we love about Alaska is the wonderful cultural diversity of its people. Here in Kodiak, one afternoon’s activities brought us face to face with several cultures that are very new and fascinating to us.

First stop today was a shop filled with wonderful Japanese imports.

I drooled over the beautiful sushi and tea sets, Superboy marveled at the gorgeous engraved samurai swords, and Jbug delighted in the many lovely jade Buddas. I was keeping an eye out for small, inexpensive items to purchase for our continent boxes and I think I have a few ideas. I will likely go back tomorrow and make some surprise purchases.

Next stop: we wandered into a Thai grocery. What a fascinating place! Just walking down the aisles and looking at the food items is an education in cultural diversity! The woman in the shop noticed us “ooh”-ing and “ah”-ing over everything and came to talk with us about the different foods we saw, many of which were (quite logically) seafood related. Many varieties of seaweed, squid, shrimp, exotic fruits and root products…just marvelous! We were in an adventurous mood and up for trying something new, so the kind shopkeeper helped us to pick out a few items to try. Superboy chose a bag of tiny dried shrimp in the shell, JBug chose a jar of coconut gel cubes in syrup, and I picked out a can of jack fruit, sugar palm, and some dried pickled mango.

The shopkeeper advised that the dried shrimp were often used for adding flavor to scrambled eggs and that some roasted, mashed eggplant would add nutrition to the dish as well, so we picked up a lovely little purple eggplant to go! She also advised that the coconut gel cubes and the fruit were excellent in milkshakes, so we popped over to the grocer for some vanilla ice cream and an extra gallon of milk! Tonight’s dinner should be an adventure in eating!

Our next stop: The Alutiiq museum.

This lovely museum houses artifacts and cultural items of the native Alutiiq people of the Kodiak Archipelago. We learned that this culture has existed here on these islands for well over 7 thousand years! Wow! Since they have no written history, we know very little about them and so archaeological evidence is very important, along with their rich oral history. Sadly, this culture, like so many indigenous cultures is slowly fading from existence as the elders die and their knowledge is not passed on to the next generation. Luckily, there are a few who are working hard to see that it does not die out altogether. JBug was very inspired by their short documentary on the Horseshoe Cove Archaeological site and is excited to learn more about archeology. “When we find these things, we have to take care of them, and learn from them, Mommy!”   Well said, JBug!

Though not quite so ancient as the Alutiiq culture, Kodiak also has a long history of Russian settlement. Alexander Baranov established a trading post at St. Paul Harbor in 1792. Kodiak became the first capital of Russian America and was a major fur trading center for many years. Around town are many reminders of this Russian heritage. Among them is our last stop, the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox church. It was founded in 1793.

Don’t let the humble exterior fool you! This place is gorgeous!

We had never been inside a Russian Orthodox Church before, so we were not sure what to expect, but this place was just amazing!

The icons all around the wall were so beautiful!

(sorry my photos do not do them justice)

Candles were everywhere, and there was the impressivly decorated reliquary housing the relics of St Herman himself!

(front view with carvings)

(top view)

Here are just a few of the many fascinating icons, some with relics attached.

St Herman of Alaska

St Innocent, Apostle to Alaska:

St Peter the Aleut:

And this absolutely glorious icon made of silver:

It was all so jaw-droppingly beautiful!

All in all we had quite the world-wide experience, all with a simple walk around town!

Having seen so much today, we decided to leave the rest of our world travels for tomorrow, when we visit the Mexican import store, the Baranov Museum of Russian culture (to view their amazing collection of matreshka dolls), and the US Coast Guard base!

And for now: Camiku Tang’rciqamken! (Alutiiq for “see you later”)