Booze in Russian America

[Mike Cleven]

"Forrest D. Pass" wrote:
>
> > Dave Robertson wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > (Tl)     na^w
> > > (CJ)     la^m
> > > (En)     rum; alcohol, booze
> > >
> >
> > I'm curious as to whether there were any Russian inputs into Tlinkit;
> > what struck me with the example left un-snipped above is that it's the
> > Jargon-English word for booze that's found up there; rather than a
> > derivation of, say, "vodka".  Was the Russian America Company less
> > forthcoming with unholy liquor than more southerly traders, perhaps?
> >
> > MC
>
> In her article "The Alaska Panhandle: A Russian Perspective" (Northern
> Review, No.6, pp.98-107), Alix O'Grady notes that, under treaties with
> Great Britain and the USA, foreigners were permitted to trade in Russian
> territory but "Prohibition of establishing settlements on Russian
> possessions remained in force, as did the interdiction of traffic in
> firearms and liquor with the Indians." (p.98).  I wonder if this was to
> preserve a RAC monopoly, to simply keep the natives under control, or if
> it was indicative of a prevailing Russian policy of not providing the
> natives with alcohol.

Which obviously must have gone out of control when the Yanks took over
in '67; the word "hooch" comes to mind....it was Boston traders who
broke the HBC's similar policy (which more meant that the HBC wanted to
supervise the sale of demon rum rather than let anyone else do it).  I
suspect the Russians may have simply been more, well, "orthodox" because
of the greater power and strictures of the Russian church (despite
Russia's own notoriously endemic alcoholism) and the loyalty of the
Orthodox congregation in Alaska to the power of the local priests.  BTW
was there ever any similar legacy of priestly/educational abuse in
Russian America as there was (although much later) in the British
Northwest?

MC