Ethnographic Research on Social Change and Native Alaskan Spirituality in the Upper Kuskokwim Region of Alaska

该项目调查了阿拉斯加上库斯科温河地区的历史和当代精神和宗教形式。重点是尼古拉的阿萨巴斯坎村，在那里俄罗斯东正教是主要的宗教习俗。研究尼古拉的历史宗教传统和村民与当地环境的传统关系，不仅有助于更好地理解他们的精神实践，而且有助于更好地理解人与环境的关系在更广泛的宗教和灵性研究中的地位。这项研究为其他对研究农村和土著背景下的宗教运动感兴趣的人提供了一个很好的比较基础。与此同时，它有助于了解和欣赏北美北部历史上的阿萨巴斯坎文化和生活方式，以及村民今天面临的挑战，因为他们继续遭遇戏剧性的社会变革。该项目的目标是更好地理解阿萨巴斯坎社区当代生活中灵性的意义和重要性。重点社区是尼古拉，但也包括社区成员有亲戚的周边地区，以及工作、学习、娱乐、生存活动和访问的旅行。研究将通过参与社区活动和观察实践和社区事件来进行。还将进行正式访谈，回答有关当地历史和习俗的具体问题。首要问题如下：上库斯科夫金地区的人民是如何将新的和旧的精神和宗教思想和习俗结合起来的？今天，哪些想法和做法对该地区不同的个人和群体有意义？它们的不同含义是如何形成的？拟建的研究项目对受俄罗斯东正教影响的北极圈地区，包括阿拉斯加东南部、阿留申群岛、俄罗斯远东和西伯利亚地区的研究人员具有很强的比较价值。考虑到有充分证据表明后苏联地区精神和宗教的突然复苏，本研究为西伯利亚和俄罗斯远东地区土著社会的研究人员提供了一个有价值的比较视角。

The project investigates historical and contemporary forms of spirituality and religion in Alaska's Upper Kuskokwim River region. The focus is on the Athabascan village of Nikolai, where Russian Orthodoxy is the predominant religious practice. Study of Nikolai's historical religious traditions and villagers' traditional relations with the local environment will help to provide a better understanding of not only their spiritual practices, but of the place of human-environment relations in the study of religion and spirituality more generally. The research provides a good base of comparison for others interested in the study of religious movements in rural and indigenous contexts. At the same time it contributes to knowledge of and appreciation for Athabascan cultures and ways of life in the history of northern North America and of the challenges villagers face today as they continue to encounter dramatic social change. The goals of the project are to better understand to meaning and significance of spirituality in the contemporary lives of this Athabascan community. The community of focus is Nikolai in particular but includes also the surrounding area where community members have relatives, and travel for work, study, recreation, subsistence activities and visiting. The research will be conducted through participation in community activities and observations of practices and community events. Formal interviews will also be conducted to answer specific questions about local history and practices. Overarching questions are as follows: How have people of the Upper Kuskowkim Region incorporated new and older spiritual and religious ideas and practices? What ideas and practices are meaningful to different individuals and groups of the region today? Why and how are their varying meanings established? The proposed research project has strong comparative value to researchers of the circumpolar areas influenced by Russian Orthodoxy, including Southeast Alaska, Aleutian Islands, the Russian Far East and Siberia. Considering the well-documented sudden resurgence of spirituality and religion in post-Soviet regions, the proposed research provides a valuable comparative perspective for researchers of indigenous societies in Siberia and Russian Far East.