King George

[Mike Cleven]

>From: terry glavin <transmontanus at GULFISLANDS.COM>

>not sure which posts established when, but the british/canadian presence in
>the athapaskan-speaking country immediately to the east of the tlingit
>country was quite significant by the 1840s. also fort stikine was
>established by agreement with the russians. the tlingits were armed with
>british muskets when they attacked and burned the russian ostrog archangel
>(later new archangel, later sitka). incidental anecdote i've always liked:
>the hawaaian king kemehameha offered to send troops to assist the russians
>in their difficulties with the tlingits, but the russians sensibly declined
>and established peace terms with the tlingits.

An unfortunate error on the part of the Russian foreign ministry; actually
more likely the local governor/manager of the Russian America Company.  (How
the hell did Kamehameha hear about this anyway??; probably via HBC Kanakas,
unless some of same were in the employ of the RAC).  The reason I say this
is that in times not too farther on down the road, the Russians passed up on
a British deal to "give" them Hawaii in exchange for Russian America; Russia
would have wound up with Honolulu and a major warm-water base and raison
d'etre (in imperial if not moral terms) and the British would have not had
to deal with Yankee imperialism thereafter; and Alaskan First Nations would
probably be dealing with the same terrus nullius absurdity that is the
sweeping substance of Delgamuukw et al.......

Whether or not the probable acquisition/cooptation of the Hawaiian Kingdom
by the Russian Empire would have been of benefit to the Russians in the long
run is another issue; it is doubtful it would have been of benefit to the
Hawaiians or their kingdom; but you'd probably have a pretty interesting
coconut bortsch available in Waikiki these days, and much sunnier (perhaps
White rather than Red) Russians than we're used to.....

>
>also find that term "ahtna" interesting. probably associated with the term
>that apparently recurs throughout the athapaskan country as a'na (southern
>carrier) a'nay (tsilqot'in) etc. i believe it can be generally translated
>as
>"foreigner" (i.e. `so chaps. who are those fellows downriver from your
>villages?' ` `they're the a'na' etc.)

Fraser's journals mention a people _thought_ to be the Chilcotins as the
"Atnahs", which I was originally going to comment on but thought better of
mentioning.  Because it _might_ have been the Stuwix....

>
>can anyone out there elaborate on this?

I could, but it's just after Orthodox Easter and there's enough fireworks
associated with crucifixion in the part of the world I'm in
(Santorini/Thira; although on Easter I was in a little 'burb called
Khalkoutsi on the Gulf of Euboea)

MC
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