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

该项目调查阿拉斯加库斯科维姆河上游地区历史和当代的灵性和宗教形式。重点放在阿萨巴斯坎村尼古拉，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，不仅有助于更好地了解他们的精神实践，而且有助于更广泛地了解人与环境的关系在宗教和灵性研究中的地位。这项研究为其他对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。同时，它有助于了解和欣赏阿萨巴斯坎人在北美北部历史上的文化和生活方式，以及今天村民在继续遇到戏剧性的社会变化时所面临的挑战。该项目的目标是更好地理解灵性在这个阿萨巴斯坎社区的当代生活中的意义和意义。重点社区特别是尼古拉，但也包括社区成员有亲戚的周围地区，以及工作、学习、娱乐、谋生活动和访问的旅行。这项研究将通过参与社区活动以及观察实践和社区活动来进行。还将进行正式访谈，回答有关当地历史和习俗的具体问题。主要问题如下：上库斯科金地区的人民如何吸收新的和旧的精神和宗教思想和习俗？今天，哪些想法和做法对该区域不同的个人和群体有意义？为什么以及如何确定它们的不同含义？拟议的研究项目对受俄罗斯东正教影响的环极地区的研究人员具有很强的比较价值，这些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。考虑到有充分记录的后苏联地区灵性和宗教的突然复兴，拟议的研究为西伯利亚和俄罗斯远东土著社会的研究人员提供了一个宝贵的比较视角。

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.