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Timeline / Defining Rights and Responsibilities / 1834: Priest gains Tlingit support by offering vaccinations

1834: Priest gains Tlingit support by offering vaccinations

The Russian Orthodox priest, Father Veniaminov, moves from the Aleutians to Sitka. He is at first unpopular with the Tlingit (or Koloshi) in Sitka until he introduces smallpox vaccination, which saves many lives during the 1836 epidemic.

Theme
Epidemics
Region
Northwest Coast

Father Veniaminov

Courtesy Alaska State Library, Michael Z. Vinokouroff Photograph Collection