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March 2007
By Alice and Pat Petrivelli
Photo © Gabrielle
LeDoux
Dr.
Lydia T. Black has been a respected friend to the Aleut
people since her first visit to Alaska. Her connection
to Aleut people began when she translated the records
kept by various Russian clergy and officials, providing
access to the written history of the relationships between
Aleuts and Russians.
She
went on to research all aspects of Aleut history and
culture. Her depth of commitment to the Aleut people
was evident in the many areas in which she was involved:
> She testified when the Aleuts fought to regain
their rights to hunt sea otters.·
> Among her many publications is a book entitled
“Aleut Art” that catalogs ancient cultural
artifacts, making them accessible to current and future
generations.
> At the request of Patrick Pletnikoff and the Aleutian
Pribilof Islands Association, she gathered documents
used for the hearings on the WWII relocations of Aleuts
to Southeast Alaska.
> She responded to many requests for genealogy research,
tracing family lines through church records.Dr. Black
made many friends in the villages that she visited while
conducting her research activities. Above all, she respected
the Aleut people and their culture; this respect was
mutual. She will be missed by all of the friends she
leaves behind
Abridged
obituary of Dr. Lydia T. Black
Dr. Lydia T. Black,
an anthropologist whose research restored to Alaskan
peoples important features of their history and culture,
died on March 12, 2007, in Kodiak, Alaska. She was 81.
Dr.
Black’s research of the Russian period in Alaska
revealed aspects of Native Alaskan culture and history
that had been lost or forgotten. Her book Aleut Art
is representative of her career in this respect as it
provides a comprehensive look at both the techniques
used to create and the symbolic meaning of a variety
of pre- and early contact Aleut arts & crafts.
Dr. Black’s
most recently published book was “Russians
in Alaska, 1732-1967,” a concise and accessible
history of the Russian period in Alaska. She was the
author of at least an additional 66 books and articles
appearing in diverse publications, was a contributor
to various exhibits and conferences on the Arctic, and
she appeared in several documentaries.
She served as chairwoman
of the international committee for the birthday bicentennial
exhibit celebrating Saint Innocent of Alaska in 1996.
In 2001, Russia awarded her the Order of Friendship,
honoring her contribution to promoting cross-cultural
understanding between Russia and America. In addition,
she was the recipient of the Alaska Anthropological
Association’s
Lifetime
Achievement Award in 2000 and Alaska’s Governor’s
Lifetime Achievement Award for the Humanities in 2005.
Dr. Black is survived by her four daughters, Anna Treiber
of Appleton, WI; Maria McEvoy of Houston, TX; Elena
Black of Dennis, MA; Zoe Pierson of Kodiak, AK and by
six grandchildren with three great-grandchildren.
A
funeral service of Orthodox rite took place at Saint
Paul Lutheran Church, Kodiak, Alaska on March 17, 2007.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that memorial
contributions be made to Saint Innocent’s Academy,
P.O. Box 1517, Kodiak, AK 99615.
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