One of the highlights of our stay in Palmer was our visit to St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Eklunta, AK. Eklunta is a small tribal village with about 40 natives. The old church was built in the early 1800s and has a cemetery with native spirit boxes over the grave sites. There is a new church built around the 1900s. The cemetery with its brightly painted spirit houses is quite charming.
When the Russians came to AK they did the typical purging of cultural traditions and religious beliefs. Most natives became orthodox and melded their beliefs with the church's views and one manifestation resulted in spirit boxes. The natives believe that the spirit stays on earth for a while after death and the houses provide a place for them to dwell. Since the spirits only need them for a short time the houses are not maintained and are left to rot. This is a very special place for me and I am really quite drawn to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment