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Alaska is die grootste staat in die Verenigde State, maar is ook een van die ylbevolkste state. Die staat is die tuiste van 741 000 mense. Onder hulle is inheemse Alaskane, immigrante, avontuursoekers en werkers in die oliebedryf van ander dele van die land. Die staat huisves ook ‘n gemeenskap wat bekend staan as die “Russiese Ou Gelowiges”. Hulle het byna 50 jaar gelede uit Rusland na Alaska gekom. Hulle het ‘n dorpie op Alaska se Kenai-skiereiland gebou. Die dorpie heet Nikolaevsk met ‘n ryke geskiedenis.
Nikolaevsk (Nikolski) is ‘n klein, unieke nedersetting in die noorde van Amerika, naamlik Alaska. Sensusdoeleindes as ‘n afsonderlike eenheid aangewys is met slegs sowat 328 inwoners,. Alaska is ‘n groot land met yl bevolking. Dit is op die Kenai-skiereiland geleë en is in 1968 deur ‘n groep Russies-Ortodokse persone gestig. Hulle voorouers het uit die USSR gevlug nadat hulle geweier het om hervormings in die Russies-Ortodokse Kerk te aanvaar; hulle het as vlugtelinge in China en Brasilië gaan woon voordat hulle later in die Verenigde State van Amerika aangekom het en hier in Alaska tot ruste gekom het. Volgens die bewoners is dit rustig hier en het ‘n ware gevoelvolle geskiedenis waarop hul nasate trots kan voortbou. Die kinders hier moet leer om hul tradisies, kultuur en geskiedenis te bewaar, niemand gaan dit vir hulle doen nie.
Op die stadium en datums wat genoem word, was Rusland nog deel van die USSR Sowjetunie en het eers op 12 Desember 1991 onafhanklik geword. Sien ook: GOS-lande. Min mense besef nie dat al daardie lande wat deel van die Sowjetunie was, gebuk gegaan het onder reëls wat deur die Sowjetunie se kommunistiese regering ingestel is nie. Was nie net Rusland nie. Rusland was ook onderdruk al dink baie nie so nie. Baie oud soldate in Suid-Afrika sien die USSR as Rusland as een. Mens kan hulle nie kwalik neem nie, want daar was vir almal vir ons gelieg. Nie oor kommunisme nie, maar oor wie die USSR was en wie daaragter sit.
Op die eiland word die Russiese kultuur en tradisies lewendig gehou en verseker sal dit nie maklik doodloop nie. Die Oud-gelowiges het in die 17de eeu van die Russies-Ortodokse Kerk afgestig. Hulle het afgestig om beswaar te maak teen veranderinge in die kerk wat deur die patriarg afgedwing is. Die patriarg is die biskop met die hoogste rang in die Russies-Ortodokse godsdiens. Kommunisme en vervolging het ondraaglik geword, hulle het na China en Suid-Afrika uitgewyk, maar later besef daar is ook kommunisme wat hulle onderdruk. Dis hoe hulle in Alaska opge-eindig het. Sommige van die vlugtelinge is ook in ander state in Amerika.
Die drag van hierdie Russiese gemeenskap laat mens sterk herinner aan die Boere volk en hul tradisionele drag, veral gedurende die Trek ens elfs daarna. Die kappies wat gedra is vir die erge son wat toe op hulle neergedaal het , is vir beskerming gedra. Die lang baarde en ander ooreenkomste tree nogal sterk na vore tussen die Boere volk en die Russe. 
In Alaska bid die “Ou Gelowiges” (Old Believers) steeds in ‘n antieke taal genaamd Oudkerk-slawies (Oud bulgaars) en die oudste bekende Slawiese skryftaal. Die ouer geslagte praat Russies vlot. Fefelova sê egter dat die jonger geslag Engels verkies. Sommige van die kinders praat goed Russies; hulle het binne die gesin goeie Russies gepraat. Maar húlle kinders praat nie Russies nie. Wanneer hulle na hul ouma toe gaan, kan hulle nie verduidelik wat hulle nodig het nie. Dit is moeilik. Dit is werklik jammer vir die kleinkinders.
Wanneer hulle klaar gebid het, lees die vader vir hulle stories voor – alles in Engels. Want die kinders… verstaan nie ‘n woord Russies nie. Dit is jammer dat daardie mense nie in staat is om hul kinders behoorlik Russies te leer nie. Hoe meer tale ‘n mens kan leer, hoe beter is dit vir almal. Kommunikasie is broodnodig vir almal van ons. Hier is nie baie werksgeleenthede nie. Die mans in die dorpie verdien ‘n inkomste deur te visvang, en soms deur vissersbote te bou. Die dorpie was eens bekend vir hierdie bote.
Fefelov is in Brasilië gebore en het saam met sy gesin na die VSA gekom toe hy drie jaar oud was. Hy praat vlot Russies en Oudkerkslawies, en leer kerkliedere vir die kinders. Hy kyk egter ook na die aandnuus in Engels en beskou homself as ‘n Amerikaner. Vroue in Nikolaevsk dra ‘n *sarafan* – ‘n tradisionele Russiese rok. Hulle maak die rokke self. Die mans het lang baarde en dra Russiese hemde. Denis sê mense in die naburige dorpe is gewoond daaraan om die “Ou Gelowiges” in hul tradisionele drag te sien.
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/russian-culture-still-alive-in-rural-alaska/3977418.html
Nikolaevsk (Nikolski) is a small, unique census-designated place with roughly 328 residents located on the Kenai Peninsula en was founded in 1968 by a group of Russian Orthodox people. Their ancestors fled the USSR after refusing to accept reforms to the Russian Orthodox Church, living as refugees in China and Brazil before arriving in the United States.
Mother Irina Fefelova is a member of the Old Believers church. She is the widow of Kondrat Fefelov, an Old Believers priest. She said the introduction of communism in the USSR made it difficult for the Old Believers to continue their traditions and lifestyle. The kids speak Russian well, they spoke good Russian in the family. But their kids do not speak Russian – they come to the grandma, and can’t tell what they need. It’s hard. It’s such a pity for the grandchildren. Now, when they finish praying, Father starts reading them stories – all in American.
There is not much work opportunities Men in the village earn money by fishing, and sometimes by building fishing boats. The village was once famous for these boats. Fefelov was born in Brazil. He came to the U.S. with his family when he was three years old. He speaks fluent Russian and Old Church Slavnoic, and teaches children church songs. He also watches the evening news in English, however, and considers himself an American. Women in Nikolaevsk wear sarafan – a traditional Russian dress. They make the dresses themselves. The men have long beards and wear Russian shirts. Denis says people in nearby towns are used to seeing the Old Believers dressed in their traditional clothing.
At this stage particularly, the Russias were still part of the USSR (Soviet union) and only became independent on 12 December 1991. Refer to CIS countries. Most people do not realise that all those countries in the Soviet union suffer from rules made by the Soviet union. Even in South Africa, our border wars in Angola, Rhodesia, Mozambique, Botswana and others, were fights against the Soviet Union and other world leaders and countries. They supported the communists heavily. Boris Yeltsin served as the President of the newly independent Russian Federation in 1992 (having taken office as President of the Russian SFSR in July 1991).
History
Nikolaevsk is the location of a settlement of “Old Believers,” who emigrated from Russia to avoid persecution and for the freedom to practice their traditional religious beliefs. The Tolstoy Foundation provided funding for the first settlers around 1968. As growth occurred on the Kenai Peninsula during the 1980s and 1990s, several settlements have developed in the area.
https://www.explorenorth.com/library/communities/alaska/bl-Nikolaevsk.htm
Razdolna, Voznesenka and Selo, the other prominent Old Believer villages are having a better off time speaking Russian with their children at home than Nikolaevsk, a sad but true fact. Fefelov, owner of the Samovar Café, goes on to talk about how funding had been cut, the Russian program in the Nikolaevsk school went from 1 hour lessons, down to 25 minutes a day, barely enough to help these children develop the skills they need. Issues of this nature may not seem like a big deal, but students come from Anchor Point to learn Russian in the Nikolaevsk School, expecting to become bilingual. The question remains of who will continue on with the traditions from their village, since the adolescents here really don’t have any degree of interest.
“Our village has our special Russian culture, people here want to save traditions, especially with clothes and they keep religion, how this religion was before. This is like a big family here,” explained Fefelov who used to be an electrical engineer in Russia but moved to Nikolaevsk after marrying her husband.
https://www.pravmir.com/nikolaevsk-alaska-russian-culture-in-danger-of-becoming-extinct/
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Rusland in Alaska
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NocCFn5nBZU
Alaska – the 49th and most Russian state of America. Russians sold it to the USA as an exhausted territory in the 19th century. Later, when oil and gold reserves were discovered here, Russian migrants started coming back. I traveled to Alaska to visit Old Believers communities and meet with indigenous people who practice Orthodox Christianity and look for their relatives in Chukotka. Let’s see how Alaska has changed since the sale and how locals feel about the Russian heritage.
Hier is ‘n klein gemeenskap wat Russe is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vGlT67raE0
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Bering Strait: Alaska – Lynne Cox
Bering Seestraat, Alaska
Diere in Alaska
Alaska USA
Seward Alaska – Whales by Brad Rich
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