1835: Russian-American Company orders Native vaccinations

To protect Russians from smallpox transmission from Native peoples, the Russian-American Company, which has previously treated Native peoples brutally, mandates smallpox vaccination of Natives living near Russian settlements. Some Unangan (Aleut) agree to be vaccinated, but the Koniag and Yup’ik suspect the company’s motives and refuse. As a result, they suffer many smallpox cases and deaths. The Tlingit (or Koloshi) also question the company’s motives, but agree to be vaccinated anyway.

Theme

Epidemics

Region

Arctic, Northwest Coast