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[waves crashing]
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[man chanting in Indigenous language]
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[dramatic music playing]
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[chanting ends]
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[pensive music playing]
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[birds chirping]
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[dog barking in distance]
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There's our first fish.
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[pensive music playing]
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Yup'ik culture is living life with nature,
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with God and God's blessing and bounty.
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[Morris] God is everywhere.
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God is everywhere,
the God of the universe.
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Ellam Yua, God of the universe,
he's everywhere.
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And he holds all of life.
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The fish that we eat,
it's clean, it's healthy.
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The fish that we eat,
it's clean, it's healthy.
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The berries that we're gonna pick,
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the rain is coming down
so that we can have berries
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that we don't have to go and buy.
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We can just pick berries in the tundra.
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And in the tundra, it's therapeutic.
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The church is out there.
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[Fisher] And when we're out in the
wilderness, all we see is truth around us.
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All we see is truth around us,
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truth life, and gift of life,
and the blessing around us.
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Sometimes it can be harsh.
The truth can be harsh.
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And it's healing.
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Just be out in the wilderness.
Go out-- Out to be with God, you know?
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Just be out in the wilderness.
Go out-- Out to be with God, you know?
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You don't have to say anything.
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[Morris] If I'm gonna go hunting
out into the wilderness,
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I need to know how to be quiet.
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[pensive music playing]
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I need to know how to observe
and to listen.
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If I didn't know
how to be quiet in the wilderness,
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the animals would not come
and give themselves to me, to the hunter.
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I am living in the footsteps of those
who walked the path before us.
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Everything that we have,
we cannot say it's our own.
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Even in our own, the wisdom
that we have, it's not our own.
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It was given to us by our elders
because they shared verbally
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It was given to us by our elders
because they shared verbally
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and taught verbally of how we should live,
sharing with one another.
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Love being the Yup'ik word, kenka,
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kenka, being the major teaching
in everything.
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[Indigenous hymn playing]
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[Fisher] When we receive fish,
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the berries, they help
share that gift of life,
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that gift from Christ, that gift of life.
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It helps us to understand also the--
How more fully that Eucharist is,
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the communion is, the meaning of that,
to be connected,
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to receive the body and blood of Christ,
who is a source of life.
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That's life in orthodoxy in the village.
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[Indigenous hymn continues]
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[emotional music playing]
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So what are a bunch
of Russian Orthodox monks doing in Alaska?
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You know, what's that all about?
Well, Alaska is halfway across the world.
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But Alaska is also a place where
the Russian Empire has hunters, traders,
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there's a whole
Russian-American company there.
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{\an8}And so a number of monks
from Valaam Monastery
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{\an8}and the Konevets Monastery
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{\an8}were asked by the church
to go over as missionaries
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{\an8}to take care of the spiritual needs
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of these Russian-American
company employees,
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but also to bring the gospel
to the natives over there.
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Anyway, so they travel,
and they leave in December of 1793,
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and it took them nine months to cross
from Western Russia, St. Petersburg,
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all across Russia, Siberia, Kamchatka,
to the Pacific Ocean,
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boarding a ship,
heading over across the Bering Sea,
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which is a really rough area.
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which is a really rough area.
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Um, it was very dangerous.
And they ended up on the island of Kodiak.
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[Oleksa]
When the missionaries came to Kodiak,
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they encountered Baranov
exploiting native labor,
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forcing men, even at gunpoint,
to go out and hunt for him.
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{\an8}And Alexander Baranov
is not pleased with their arrival
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{\an8}because he knows the jig is up.
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{\an8}The way they've been treating
the Kodiak Alutiiq people
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{\an8}is no longer going to be a state secret.
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And in fact, within six months,
the monks are writing letters
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back to the authorities in Siberia,
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complaining about the criminal activities
of the Russian-American company.
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Forcing people to hunt
for fur at gunpoint.
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"You're gonna starve this winter.
Your children will be crying from hunger
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if you don't get out there
and deliver the goods."
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That was the policy for the years
before the monks arrived,
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and the monks became whistleblowers.
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The Vala monks took six or seven months
of just listening to stories
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The Vala monks took six or seven months
of just listening to stories
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before they began preaching at all.
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{\an8}They were really heroic in the sense
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{\an8}that they identified with
the Alaskan Native peoples,
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{\an8}they baptized thousands of converts,
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and the people willingly
came to the monks
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because the monks
were on their side,
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as opposed to the oppressive, abusive,
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and even criminal activities
of Alexander Baranov,
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Ivan Kuzkov and Nikolai Rezanov.
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And it's taken now two centuries
to uncover what really happened,
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and to expose the misdeeds
of the Russian-American company officials,
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uh, which the Church has known because
St. Herman canonized 50 years ago,
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was already exalted as an intercessor
and defender of the oppressed.
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And the people realized that he's the one
who kind of risked his own life
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for their-- For their security,
for their safety.
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The other monks had done the same,
but they had perished pretty much
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in the calamities
that occurred over the years.
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in the calamities
that occurred over the years.
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Ultimately, the only monk that was
left out of the 10 was Father Herman.
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And he was not safe.
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They tried to kill him
three times in Kodiak.
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So he moved to a nearby island,
Spruce Island, Yelovoi.
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[pensive music playing]
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[Andrew] The exact date that
St. Herman moved to Spruce Island
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is actually unknown.
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He moved here in his first winter,
he spent alone.
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{\an8}He built a barabara,
which is kind of a half-earthen dwelling.
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{\an8}And he spent his first year in seclusion.
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The first challenge
that any of us face
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living in a remote place like this,
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it's, you know, you have
your physical hardships of survival,
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it's, you know, you have
your physical hardships of survival,
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but more important and more difficult
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are the internal challenges
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that a person faces
living in a remote location.
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St. Herman had already been fully trained.
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He was practicing noetic prayer.
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It is a prayer of the heart,
continually repeating the prayer of Jesus.
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He was experienced.
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He was not young.
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And so he already had that stability
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when he came out here
so he could focus his thoughts.
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He had a focused mind
and a focused heart.
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He was here to practice prayer,
to come closer to God.
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And then the unexpected event,
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when people began
to give him their orphans,
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{\an8}and evidently, he discerned
that this was God's providence.
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{\an8}And so he accepted that.
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{\an8}And so he accepted that.
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{\an8}People remember St. Herman as someone
who was lively and had a sense of joy.
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[Hochmuth] But my mom remembered him.
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{\an8}They referred to him
as small grandpa. Yeah.
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[both speaking in Indigenous language]
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{\an8}He made cookies for the children.
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{\an8}Those are the stories
that I heard growing up.
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[Oleksa] They called him Grandpa
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because, of course,
the last 20, 30 years of his life,
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he had a long white beard, [chuckles]
and they didn't have that many elders.
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But calling him Grandpa, Apa,
was a sign of affection,
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but also of reverence,
because elders are the respected,
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they're the encyclopedia
you go to for information.
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It's only the elders
who have lived long enough
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in the traditional tribal culture
to have become a real person.
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The ancient name for the Alutiiq,
Sugpiaq, means real people.
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The Yupiq, the ending "piq"
or "piaq," means "real."
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The Inupiaq of the North Arctic Ocean,
the shore, the real people.
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The Inupiaq of the North Arctic Ocean,
the shore, the real people.
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But you don't--
You're born as a potential real person,
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but it takes a lifetime
to actually become one.
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-It takes a while to become that kind,
-[pensive music playing]
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that patient, that hospitable,
that humble.
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I just know he had love
in his heart for all of us.
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Yeah, he's remembered by a lot of us.
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I keep him in my bedroom.
[chuckles]
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So I always say good night to him.
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[Andrew] Father Herman
writes a beautiful letter
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back to his abbot Nazarius,
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and he goes on to kind of give
a rather poetic description
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of wild Alaska
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and that at the same time
of being so far in this distant land,
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that he's keeping fondly
in his memory and heart
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that he's keeping fondly
in his memory and heart
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the brothers back at Valaam Monastery.
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And then he names
Monk's Lagoon, New Valaam.
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And the landscape,
if you look at pictures of either place,
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it does look very similar.
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So he hasn't been lost
in the sense of isolation.
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I think he loved the beauty of the spot.
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And today, we marvel at Monk's Lagoon,
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and of course, there's something more
than just the trees,
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the moss, the forest,
the waves, the birds, and the fox.
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There's a special kind of grace there,
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but I think he was seeing that place
as a place of beauty
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and finding inspiration in that.
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[Oleksa] His prayerful presence
on that island sanctified the island.
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There's this sense,
this palpable sense of sanctity
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that one man saying his prayers
in the wilderness has given us, really,
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that one man saying his prayers
in the wilderness has given us, really,
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as a spiritual inheritance.
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[Hochmuth]
I always feel so good when I go there.
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It's so beautiful.
You could just feel the peace.
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Mm-hm.
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-[Carlson] It's holy. The place is holy.
-[Hochmuth] Mm-hm.
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[Carlson] All his prayers, you know,
you feel them.
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After all this time he's been gone
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and you still are able to experience
and witness his prayers.
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[Oleksa] After his death, they built
a chapel over Father Herman's grave.
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It had become a pilgrimage site.
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{\an8}People went there to pray,
to ask for his intercessions.
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{\an8}"Father Herman pray to God for us,
my child is sick."
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[Andrew]
He just shone and by his personal life,
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not necessarily even going anywhere,
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living in Kodiak and then coming out
here in Spruce Island,
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living in Kodiak and then coming out
here in Spruce Island,
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but living the gospel in a way
that changed other people's life,
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and that they could see the life of Christ
reflected through him.
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-That's the legacy that we have today.
-[pensive music playing]
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It's this internal gift
that St. Herman gives us.
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[Hochmuth] I'm so proud of him.
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He came and bring orthodoxy to Alaska.
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Because of his love and speaking
and trying to protect us,
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and all the persecution he went through,
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you know, and then his sacrifice,
his journey, just crossing all of Russia,
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and here this little guy just...
[speaking Indigenous language] you know.
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[both laughing]
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[Oleksa] He remains alive
among his people
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as a living presence
whose intercessions continues to heal
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and comfort them in time of joy
and in time of sorrow.
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[Hochmuth]
"From this day forth, from this hour,
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[Hochmuth]
"From this day forth, from this hour,
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from this minute, let us learn
to love God above all else."
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St. Herman of Alaska.
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[dramatic music playing]
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The most moving aspect of his life to me,
we are familiar with his miracles.
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We've known people whose lives
have been changed in a miraculous way.
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But when we think of St. Herman,
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we think of someone
who is warm-hearted, simple, and loving.
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[pensive music playing]
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[Andrew] Of course, it's kind of a cliché,
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but they call Alaska
the last frontier, right?
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but they call Alaska
the last frontier, right?
232
00:19:03,310 --> 00:19:06,355
It's a frontier where-- That's always open
233
00:19:06,438 --> 00:19:11,068
because there's like basically
an immeasurable amount of land.
234
00:19:16,156 --> 00:19:18,909
There's this, like, elemental power.
235
00:19:19,493 --> 00:19:23,705
On one hand, the image of chaos,
236
00:19:23,789 --> 00:19:29,169
but then on the other hand,
it's an image of power and God's power.
237
00:19:29,253 --> 00:19:33,006
And I've had many experiences
being out in the ocean,
238
00:19:33,090 --> 00:19:36,426
and you just get the sense
that you're in God's hand,
239
00:19:36,510 --> 00:19:38,220
in that mighty expanse.
240
00:19:38,303 --> 00:19:40,472
You're in something much greater than you.
241
00:19:46,937 --> 00:19:52,818
And I think that part of life
where we're no longer controlling
242
00:19:52,901 --> 00:19:57,072
and calculating every facet
is very attractive,
243
00:19:57,155 --> 00:19:58,907
especially in the world we live in.
244
00:20:00,701 --> 00:20:04,830
A freedom to be not in control.
245
00:20:11,044 --> 00:20:15,465
We have one impulse, I think,
to always be in control.
246
00:20:15,549 --> 00:20:18,343
And in some ways, that's needed
247
00:20:18,427 --> 00:20:22,806
to control circumstances
and the environment.
248
00:20:22,890 --> 00:20:27,060
But I think it's part
of that great mystery of life
249
00:20:27,144 --> 00:20:31,690
we can experience
in Alaska to be not in control.
250
00:20:32,524 --> 00:20:37,446
And that's similar to, I think,
to the experience of God.
251
00:20:37,529 --> 00:20:39,615
It's something unexpected.
252
00:20:41,617 --> 00:20:46,872
When grace comes, it's often not
when we've done all the things
253
00:20:46,955 --> 00:20:50,209
that we think we should have done
to receive grace.
254
00:20:50,292 --> 00:20:52,544
It's at a time when we didn't expect it.
255
00:20:53,754 --> 00:20:57,549
So I think also, again,
going into Wild Alaska,
256
00:20:57,633 --> 00:21:00,511
something that's bigger than us, um,
257
00:20:57,633 --> 00:21:00,511
something that's bigger than us, um,
258
00:21:00,594 --> 00:21:05,724
touches on that when we're in something
that's of a greater power than ourselves.
259
00:21:06,141 --> 00:21:12,481
Um, we then discover who we are,
not when we're completely in control.
260
00:21:12,564 --> 00:21:13,857
[bells ringing rhythmically]
261
00:22:03,657 --> 00:22:04,741
[Gray] He's an amazing fellow.
262
00:22:06,034 --> 00:22:11,790
He's described as being big,
husky, strong, an imposing figure.
263
00:22:12,583 --> 00:22:19,590
But his other contemporaries also call him
gentle, kind, humorous, magnetic.
264
00:22:19,673 --> 00:22:25,512
And this individual has changed
the history of Alaska,
265
00:22:25,596 --> 00:22:27,890
let alone the history
of orthodoxy in Alaska.
266
00:22:29,850 --> 00:22:32,436
So initially,
St. Innocent was parish priest,
267
00:22:32,519 --> 00:22:36,440
young fellow, newly ordained
in Irkutsk, Siberia.
268
00:22:36,523 --> 00:22:39,568
That was gonna be his future.
That was his vocation, he felt.
269
00:22:39,651 --> 00:22:42,362
It was just a simple life
of a priest and a pastor.
270
00:22:42,446 --> 00:22:44,781
The stories that he had heard
as a seminarian
271
00:22:44,865 --> 00:22:48,118
and as a young priest
coming back from Alaska,
272
00:22:48,202 --> 00:22:51,205
uh, that it's a wild place,
very rough and rugged,
273
00:22:51,288 --> 00:22:56,960
uh, the temperatures and the winds
and all, and the people that were there.
274
00:22:57,044 --> 00:23:01,965
So initially, when he heard this,
he had no desire to become a missionary.
275
00:22:57,044 --> 00:23:01,965
So initially, when he heard this,
he had no desire to become a missionary.
276
00:23:02,049 --> 00:23:07,262
And then another story kind of was
circulating amongst the folks in his town,
277
00:23:07,346 --> 00:23:09,056
-[pensive music playing]
-from folks who'd been there,
278
00:23:09,139 --> 00:23:10,682
that the folks
living in the Aleutian chain
279
00:23:10,766 --> 00:23:13,894
have a tremendous spirituality,
a tremendously deep spirituality,
280
00:23:13,977 --> 00:23:16,688
one not unlike our own
Orthodox spirituality,
281
00:23:16,772 --> 00:23:18,273
which was really a surprise to him
282
00:23:18,357 --> 00:23:20,317
because that was very unlike
the stories that he'd heard
283
00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:22,611
about the folks living in
the Aleutian chain before that.
284
00:23:22,694 --> 00:23:25,239
And so this idea of them
having this tremendous spirituality
285
00:23:25,322 --> 00:23:27,282
resonated with him.
286
00:23:27,366 --> 00:23:31,411
And as time went on,
he realized that there was a call,
287
00:23:31,495 --> 00:23:33,956
a deep call to go to Alaska.
288
00:23:34,540 --> 00:23:36,834
But why? He had everything
he had hoped for
289
00:23:36,917 --> 00:23:38,877
all of his life there
as a parish priest.
290
00:23:40,045 --> 00:23:42,422
But this call got louder and louder.
291
00:23:42,506 --> 00:23:44,591
And eventually he came home
from church one day
292
00:23:44,675 --> 00:23:46,885
and came to his wife, Catherine, and said,
293
00:23:46,969 --> 00:23:51,890
"I'm really feeling that God is calling us
to go to Alaska to become missionaries."
294
00:23:54,268 --> 00:23:57,104
So he and his family are living in Alaska,
295
00:23:57,187 --> 00:24:01,191
and he's got this entire parish
of the entire Aleutian chain,
296
00:23:57,187 --> 00:24:01,191
and he's got this entire parish
of the entire Aleutian chain,
297
00:24:01,275 --> 00:24:03,318
many hundreds of miles.
298
00:24:03,402 --> 00:24:05,237
And so how does he get
from island to island?
299
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:06,363
Boat and kayak.
300
00:24:06,446 --> 00:24:09,157
He's traveling all up
and down the Aleutian chain.
301
00:24:09,241 --> 00:24:11,201
He's learning the language.
302
00:24:11,285 --> 00:24:14,746
He's learning the culture.
He's learning the ways of the people.
303
00:24:14,830 --> 00:24:18,292
He begins to translate the gospel
into the language for them.
304
00:24:18,375 --> 00:24:20,752
He's baptizing hundreds and hundreds,
305
00:24:20,836 --> 00:24:24,423
and they say even by the end of his life,
thousands of people.
306
00:24:24,506 --> 00:24:27,968
And so I can imagine
the work that he did,
307
00:24:28,051 --> 00:24:31,638
the stick-to-itiveness
of doing this work of God.
308
00:24:34,850 --> 00:24:37,394
[Johnson] St. Innocent's vision
was a vision of love.
309
00:24:38,145 --> 00:24:41,648
{\an8}We love the people, we hear their stories,
we speak their language,
310
00:24:41,732 --> 00:24:44,484
{\an8}and we teach the faith.
311
00:24:44,568 --> 00:24:49,615
And it's going to maintain
a unique Alaskan context,
312
00:24:49,698 --> 00:24:52,784
which means it's gonna be
a little different in a Yup'ik area
313
00:24:53,452 --> 00:24:55,829
versus an Aleut area
314
00:24:55,913 --> 00:25:00,000
versus down here in the southeast
where it's a Tlingit area.
315
00:25:08,842 --> 00:25:14,431
[Ebona] The Tlingit people have been
in this country, in Southeast Alaska,
316
00:25:14,515 --> 00:25:17,768
for well over 14,000 years.
317
00:25:17,851 --> 00:25:24,107
{\an8}And they became part of this land
318
00:25:24,858 --> 00:25:29,238
in surviving in this country.
319
00:25:29,321 --> 00:25:30,697
[pensive music playing]
320
00:25:31,865 --> 00:25:36,870
The water, the trees,
the land around them, the animals.
321
00:25:37,871 --> 00:25:42,000
They viewed everything spiritually.
322
00:25:46,213 --> 00:25:50,467
So later in life, St. Innocent
was assigned to the church in Sitka.
323
00:25:52,177 --> 00:25:56,348
[Ebona] He spent a lot of time
learning the language
324
00:25:56,431 --> 00:25:59,309
because he felt
that was the best way for him
325
00:25:59,393 --> 00:26:04,690
to be able to reach out
to people in the communities.
326
00:25:59,393 --> 00:26:04,690
to be able to reach out
to people in the communities.
327
00:26:05,774 --> 00:26:09,027
He just spent a lot of time
in the villages
328
00:26:09,111 --> 00:26:11,196
to get to know the people
329
00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:17,703
and be part of the culture
of the Tlingit people.
330
00:26:30,382 --> 00:26:33,594
[Davis] I was born into the
Russian Orthodox Church.
331
00:26:34,678 --> 00:26:36,805
{\an8}My mother was Russian Orthodox.
332
00:26:37,389 --> 00:26:42,769
{\an8}My father was Russian Orthodox.
My grandfather was Russian Orthodox.
333
00:26:44,813 --> 00:26:51,695
I'm with the Raven tribe, and I'm the
chief spokesperson for the Coho people.
334
00:26:55,824 --> 00:27:01,246
I'm very happy to be a part
of the Russian Orthodox Church.
335
00:26:55,824 --> 00:27:01,246
I'm very happy to be a part
of the Russian Orthodox Church.
336
00:27:01,330 --> 00:27:06,460
Being, not part,
being in the Orthodox Church.
337
00:27:06,543 --> 00:27:09,046
[singing in Indigenous language]
338
00:27:23,018 --> 00:27:26,146
[inaudible dialogue]
[singing continues]
339
00:27:28,398 --> 00:27:30,108
[intriguing music playing]
340
00:27:30,484 --> 00:27:33,904
[Gray] In his old age, St. Innocent
was summoned back to Russia
341
00:27:33,987 --> 00:27:36,114
from his post as the Bishop of Alaska.
342
00:27:36,198 --> 00:27:39,618
He was chosen to become the leader
of the whole Russian Orthodox Church.
343
00:27:40,702 --> 00:27:44,581
So this obscure priest from Siberia
ended up changing history.
344
00:27:47,793 --> 00:27:49,503
By the time he returned to Russia,
345
00:27:49,586 --> 00:27:52,673
he could barely walk due to the years
of being crammed in a kayak
346
00:27:52,756 --> 00:27:54,049
for countless hours.
347
00:27:54,675 --> 00:27:58,178
And he was almost blind from the sun
reflecting from the sea or the snow.
348
00:27:59,054 --> 00:28:02,558
He gave and sacrificed everything
out of love for the people.
349
00:27:59,054 --> 00:28:02,558
He gave and sacrificed everything
out of love for the people.
350
00:28:04,059 --> 00:28:07,813
200 years later, he's still loved and
remembered by people all over the world.
351
00:28:10,566 --> 00:28:14,987
One of the refrains throughout his life
that he often mentioned was,
352
00:28:15,070 --> 00:28:21,910
the path of a good man is directed
by the Lord, and he delights in his ways.
353
00:28:26,748 --> 00:28:28,125
[bird caws in distance]
354
00:28:36,049 --> 00:28:40,762
[Oleksa] Yakov Netsvetov was born
on St. George Island in 1804,
355
00:28:41,722 --> 00:28:48,020
the first Aleut seminarian to attend
school, theological school, in Russia.
356
00:28:48,103 --> 00:28:53,734
And in 1827, at the age of 23,
he came home and was assigned to Atka.
357
00:28:53,817 --> 00:28:56,111
And on the map of the Aleutian Islands,
358
00:28:56,195 --> 00:28:58,530
it's about the middle
of the Aleutian chain.
359
00:29:00,616 --> 00:29:02,951
He was transferred to the Yukon Delta.
360
00:29:03,035 --> 00:29:07,664
He set up his headquarters
at a town known in Yup'ik as Ikogmut,
361
00:29:07,748 --> 00:29:11,460
and now today in English
called Russian Mission.
362
00:29:11,543 --> 00:29:16,340
He traveled in an area probably the size
of Pennsylvania and Ohio combined
363
00:29:16,423 --> 00:29:20,260
on the Nushagak, the Kuskokwim,
and the Yukon.
364
00:29:20,344 --> 00:29:21,345
[pensive music playing]
365
00:29:21,428 --> 00:29:25,140
This is in a territory where
the temperatures dip well below zero
366
00:29:25,224 --> 00:29:27,142
for half the year.
367
00:29:27,226 --> 00:29:32,022
And by dog sled in the winter
and by kayak in the summer,
368
00:29:32,105 --> 00:29:37,236
it's really extraordinary how he managed
simply even to navigate 18 years
369
00:29:37,319 --> 00:29:41,740
in that region and spread the faith using
the Yup'ik language, which he had learned.
370
00:29:41,823 --> 00:29:44,785
They began worshiping
in the Yup'ik language
371
00:29:44,868 --> 00:29:48,622
and forming Orthodox communities
throughout the region,
372
00:29:48,705 --> 00:29:50,916
all of whom are still there to this day.
373
00:29:51,750 --> 00:29:53,585
[chanting in Indigenous language]
374
00:30:46,513 --> 00:30:51,226
[Michael] Our people weren't forced
to embrace orthodoxy.
375
00:30:52,603 --> 00:30:54,688
It just started to grow in them.
376
00:30:56,565 --> 00:31:01,111
{\an8}You know, I could see, like,
why our elders before us
377
00:30:56,565 --> 00:31:01,111
{\an8}You know, I could see, like,
why our elders before us
378
00:31:01,195 --> 00:31:03,030
{\an8}grasped orthodoxy so well.
379
00:31:03,655 --> 00:31:08,702
Because everything kind of felt--
Fit like a perfect glove.
380
00:31:09,661 --> 00:31:13,498
[Oleksa] So many people believe today
that Christianity was somehow imposed
381
00:31:13,582 --> 00:31:16,502
on the Alaskan Native people
or on Indian tribes in general.
382
00:31:16,585 --> 00:31:19,922
And the missionary history in some parts
of the country is rather sad,
383
00:31:20,005 --> 00:31:21,507
we have to admit.
384
00:31:21,590 --> 00:31:24,885
But in the case of Alaska,
over and over again,
385
00:31:24,968 --> 00:31:28,639
we have the people requesting
the missionaries to come,
386
00:31:29,306 --> 00:31:32,351
giving them a fair hearing,
in a certain sense,
387
00:31:32,434 --> 00:31:34,186
listening to what they have to say,
388
00:31:34,269 --> 00:31:38,899
and then, without objection,
accepting baptism at their own request.
389
00:31:39,608 --> 00:31:43,612
And I think this gives us
the firm foundation
390
00:31:43,695 --> 00:31:46,114
in the faith that exists to this day,
391
00:31:46,198 --> 00:31:48,408
that it was the Native people
who heard the Gospel
392
00:31:48,492 --> 00:31:50,202
and received it with joy.
393
00:31:51,870 --> 00:31:54,581
Now, what in the Gospel attracted them?
394
00:31:54,665 --> 00:31:57,960
I think it's important to mention this
in the context of Father Yakov
395
00:31:58,043 --> 00:31:59,670
because he was evangelizing people
396
00:31:59,753 --> 00:32:02,256
who had never heard
of Jesus Christ at all.
397
00:31:59,753 --> 00:32:02,256
who had never heard
of Jesus Christ at all.
398
00:32:02,339 --> 00:32:03,715
[pensive music playing]
399
00:32:04,132 --> 00:32:06,093
Alaskan Native people
400
00:32:06,176 --> 00:32:12,432
believe, essentially, that all life
is a mysterious and sacred reality,
401
00:32:12,516 --> 00:32:15,185
not just in humans, but in animals.
402
00:32:15,269 --> 00:32:19,022
The animals are sensitive
and, in many ways, wise.
403
00:32:19,606 --> 00:32:25,070
The hunter can never surprise the animal,
or outsmart it, or overpower it.
404
00:32:25,654 --> 00:32:30,492
They only get the animals
who allow themselves to be caught.
405
00:32:30,576 --> 00:32:35,122
The animals must sacrifice themselves
to keep the otherwise
406
00:32:35,706 --> 00:32:39,084
pitiful and pathetic humans alive.
407
00:32:39,168 --> 00:32:42,254
This is the traditional belief
that goes back thousands of years.
408
00:32:43,046 --> 00:32:47,968
When the story of Christ was told to them,
it was obvious, I think,
409
00:32:48,051 --> 00:32:53,765
that they accepted the sacrifice of Christ
in the same way.
410
00:32:55,392 --> 00:33:00,147
God himself comes to offer himself,
to sacrifice himself.
411
00:32:55,392 --> 00:33:00,147
God himself comes to offer himself,
to sacrifice himself.
412
00:33:00,230 --> 00:33:02,858
This made perfect sense
to the Alaskan Native people.
413
00:33:02,941 --> 00:33:05,569
And Father Yakov,
being Alaskan Native himself,
414
00:33:05,652 --> 00:33:07,487
understood this perfectly.
415
00:33:08,906 --> 00:33:13,577
And St. Yakov built his ministry
on his knowledge of the cultural
416
00:33:13,660 --> 00:33:16,538
and spiritual beliefs
of the Alaskan Native people.
417
00:33:16,622 --> 00:33:17,748
[dramatic music playing]
418
00:33:17,831 --> 00:33:21,251
His wife died.
His son died unexpectedly, tragically.
419
00:33:21,335 --> 00:33:22,711
His house burned down.
420
00:33:22,794 --> 00:33:24,004
He owned nothing.
421
00:33:24,588 --> 00:33:26,840
At the end of his life,
after all this heroic effort,
422
00:33:26,924 --> 00:33:30,344
he was slandered and
called to a church court in Sitka.
423
00:33:31,261 --> 00:33:33,138
Things couldn't get much worse.
424
00:33:33,805 --> 00:33:35,682
And then he was forgotten
for a hundred years.
425
00:33:36,558 --> 00:33:41,688
Even now, we're not quite sure
at what spot was he actually buried.
426
00:33:41,772 --> 00:33:46,068
But we hope that in the near future,
we'll be able to find Father Yakov.
427
00:33:46,151 --> 00:33:47,277
[intriguing music playing]
428
00:33:47,361 --> 00:33:50,197
It's precisely because he endured so much.
429
00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:53,492
He is a testimony to all of us,
a challenge to all of us,
430
00:33:53,575 --> 00:33:57,704
to be faithful even to the end,
as Christ taught us.
431
00:33:57,788 --> 00:34:02,125
This heroic, extraordinary missionary,
St. Yakov Netsvetov.
432
00:33:57,788 --> 00:34:02,125
This heroic, extraordinary missionary,
St. Yakov Netsvetov.
433
00:34:05,921 --> 00:34:09,091
Then in 1867, when the Russians left,
434
00:34:09,174 --> 00:34:13,219
you would have expected the native people
to throw everything related
435
00:34:13,303 --> 00:34:16,181
to the Russian regime
into the Pacific Ocean,
436
00:34:16,264 --> 00:34:17,599
burn down the churches,
437
00:34:17,683 --> 00:34:21,728
and anathematize anything that had
anything to do with Siberia or Russia.
438
00:34:21,812 --> 00:34:24,231
But exactly the opposite happened.
439
00:34:24,313 --> 00:34:27,192
So clearly something else was going on.
440
00:34:27,275 --> 00:34:30,404
The missionaries
were able to present Christianity
441
00:34:30,487 --> 00:34:34,408
as the fulfillment of what the people
already knew, already believed,
442
00:34:34,491 --> 00:34:38,245
and already understood
about themselves and their world.
443
00:35:49,441 --> 00:35:50,609
[chainsaw buzzing]
444
00:36:31,817 --> 00:36:34,736
[Andrew] Holy Fathers,
and this will be a little simplification,
445
00:36:34,820 --> 00:36:41,368
speak of this Logi or Logos of each
and every creation that God made
446
00:36:41,451 --> 00:36:44,538
was made with purpose and intent.
447
00:36:44,621 --> 00:36:50,419
And it's like a stamp or image
of the Creator is in every creation,
448
00:36:50,502 --> 00:36:57,009
and it sings back and reflects back
that image to the Creator.
449
00:36:57,092 --> 00:36:58,886
[pensive music playing]
450
00:37:03,223 --> 00:37:07,227
[Oleksa] For God so loved the world
that he sent his only begotten son.
451
00:37:13,483 --> 00:37:15,986
There are two words for world.
452
00:37:16,695 --> 00:37:19,114
The one is the oikoumene.
453
00:37:19,615 --> 00:37:23,076
The oikoumene, it's the inhabited world,
454
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:26,788
all the human beings of the planet,
the oikoumene.
455
00:37:27,289 --> 00:37:31,084
And the other word
for "world" is "cosmos."
456
00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:37,591
God so loved the whole creation
that he sent his son.
457
00:37:37,674 --> 00:37:38,675
Why?
458
00:37:40,969 --> 00:37:45,265
Human beings are the one creature
God made in the beginning
459
00:37:45,349 --> 00:37:51,605
that has not just a material life
like the animals, flesh and bones,
460
00:37:51,688 --> 00:37:56,235
and not just a spiritual dimension
like the angels.
461
00:37:56,318 --> 00:37:59,404
Human beings are
the only creature that has both.
462
00:38:01,532 --> 00:38:04,660
We were meant to be the connecting link
between heaven and earth,
463
00:38:04,743 --> 00:38:08,372
between God and man,
between the creator and the creation.
464
00:38:08,997 --> 00:38:12,960
And we were to do that
by being part of the created world
465
00:38:13,043 --> 00:38:16,380
and loving it
and offering it back in humility,
466
00:38:16,463 --> 00:38:19,550
and thanksgiving, and gratitude to God.
467
00:38:19,633 --> 00:38:22,261
We were meant to see the world
as God's creation
468
00:38:22,344 --> 00:38:28,725
and work with him to fulfill his will
and his plan for the whole creation.
469
00:38:28,809 --> 00:38:33,981
And that's exactly the vocation,
exactly the role Adam and Eve refused.
470
00:38:34,064 --> 00:38:36,316
-They rejected it.
-[intriguing music playing]
471
00:38:36,942 --> 00:38:38,068
They break the link.
472
00:38:38,652 --> 00:38:41,029
They fail to do what human beings
were meant to do,
473
00:38:41,113 --> 00:38:42,489
hold the whole thing together.
474
00:38:42,573 --> 00:38:47,327
So now we have two parts,
heaven and earth, creator, creation.
475
00:38:47,411 --> 00:38:50,539
The problem is that the creation
by itself has no life in it.
476
00:38:51,164 --> 00:38:53,417
The source of life and of all life is God.
477
00:38:58,547 --> 00:38:59,756
And so in a certain sense,
478
00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:04,052
the story of the Bible
is God's effort to reconnect.
479
00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:04,052
the story of the Bible
is God's effort to reconnect.
480
00:39:07,556 --> 00:39:11,185
His desire to reconnect, to re-sanctify,
481
00:39:11,268 --> 00:39:17,274
to restore, to sanctify this world
which he so loves.
482
00:39:22,070 --> 00:39:27,743
{\an8}Whether it was running water
or plants growing,
483
00:39:28,493 --> 00:39:32,372
{\an8}We were taught at a very young age
484
00:39:33,957 --> 00:39:36,960
{\an8}to try to respect all life.
485
00:39:39,713 --> 00:39:41,381
[Oleksa] I think intrinsic
486
00:39:41,465 --> 00:39:46,553
to the traditional
Alaskan Native way of seeing the world,
487
00:39:46,637 --> 00:39:52,226
children are taught
from very early age that living things,
488
00:39:52,309 --> 00:39:55,145
all living things, are alive
489
00:39:55,229 --> 00:40:00,192
because there's somehow
a sacred or mystical presence
490
00:39:55,229 --> 00:40:00,192
because there's somehow
a sacred or mystical presence
491
00:40:00,275 --> 00:40:05,781
in that animal, that plant,
that makes it to be alive.
492
00:40:05,864 --> 00:40:09,993
There's a word for this in Yup'ik.
It's called it's yua.
493
00:40:10,077 --> 00:40:15,040
The thing, the presence that makes
that thing to be alive, it's yua.
494
00:40:15,123 --> 00:40:19,086
The life in the animal,
whatever makes that animal to be alive,
495
00:40:19,169 --> 00:40:22,422
it's yua, is the same as the life in us.
496
00:40:23,006 --> 00:40:26,426
It's what makes the animal alive,
it's what makes us alive.
497
00:40:27,511 --> 00:40:29,304
I believe that Father Yakov,
498
00:40:29,388 --> 00:40:32,975
in preaching Christianity
to the Yup'iks in his day,
499
00:40:33,058 --> 00:40:37,312
simply named the yua, Christ.
500
00:40:37,396 --> 00:40:38,522
[pensive music playing]
501
00:40:40,566 --> 00:40:44,403
Meaning the life of everything
that's alive, in every leaf of every tree,
502
00:40:44,486 --> 00:40:46,947
every flower, every bird, every animal.
503
00:40:53,328 --> 00:40:57,958
The source of all life is Jesus Christ.
He's not just in a book.
504
00:40:58,041 --> 00:41:01,920
And he's not just a character
who walked in Palestine 2,000 years ago.
505
00:40:58,041 --> 00:41:01,920
And he's not just a character
who walked in Palestine 2,000 years ago.
506
00:41:04,381 --> 00:41:09,803
The life that animates,
that enlivens everything is Christ.
507
00:41:14,057 --> 00:41:18,020
Being in communion with him
puts us in harmony
508
00:41:18,103 --> 00:41:21,231
and in communion
with all the yua in the whole world.
509
00:41:23,942 --> 00:41:26,361
In the beginning was the meaning
for the whole thing.
510
00:41:28,322 --> 00:41:31,366
The meaning of this tree is Christ.
511
00:41:31,450 --> 00:41:34,036
The meaning of this mountain is Christ.
512
00:41:34,119 --> 00:41:37,789
It's here because
it's part of the creation as Christ,
513
00:41:37,873 --> 00:41:42,002
the Logos, created and designed it,
and upholds and sustains it.
514
00:41:42,586 --> 00:41:44,129
It's sustained by Christ.
515
00:41:44,213 --> 00:41:50,135
Everything exists in the moment because
God wills it to exist in this moment.
516
00:41:50,219 --> 00:41:52,471
Creation is happening in this moment,
517
00:41:52,554 --> 00:41:55,474
and then it's happening again
in this moment.
518
00:41:55,557 --> 00:41:59,478
And it just happened again in this moment
519
00:41:59,561 --> 00:42:04,525
because God, by his will,
sustained it each moment at a time.
520
00:41:59,561 --> 00:42:04,525
because God, by his will,
sustained it each moment at a time.
521
00:42:06,443 --> 00:42:11,156
So creation is not just a past event.
It's a momentary miracle.
522
00:42:11,240 --> 00:42:13,116
[dramatic music playing]
523
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:26,296
[Morris] Ellam Yua, the god
of the universe, is everywhere.
524
00:42:27,548 --> 00:42:29,758
And he holds all of life.
525
00:42:34,221 --> 00:42:36,348
[Andrew] All the creation in their own way
526
00:42:36,431 --> 00:42:41,353
sing in a continual doxology to God.
527
00:42:41,436 --> 00:42:46,149
We kind of participate that
if we've lost that center in ourselves
528
00:42:46,233 --> 00:42:49,611
where it comes out from us,
we can at least be around nature
529
00:42:49,695 --> 00:42:56,535
and be part of that as the creation sings
its doxology back to God.
530
00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:02,916
[Oleksa] I believe that
our traditional people,
531
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,962
traditional Native American people,
tribal hunting gathering people,
532
00:43:07,045 --> 00:43:10,591
saw the world in this practically
miraculous way.
533
00:43:12,968 --> 00:43:16,263
That it wasn't the same old, ever.
534
00:43:16,346 --> 00:43:18,724
It wasn't the same river
two days in a row.
535
00:43:18,807 --> 00:43:21,393
It wasn't the same sunrise
two days in a row.
536
00:43:22,853 --> 00:43:25,564
It wasn't the same mountain
two days in a row.
537
00:43:26,815 --> 00:43:29,443
And when something grows,
it's equally miraculous.
538
00:43:29,526 --> 00:43:31,653
It could have just
never have appeared at all.
539
00:43:32,654 --> 00:43:35,324
Nobody planted those berries
that we're about to pick.
540
00:43:35,407 --> 00:43:39,286
They could have never have existed at all.
They exist by the will of God.
541
00:43:40,829 --> 00:43:43,957
And the Logi in them is Christ.
542
00:43:45,209 --> 00:43:47,336
In every blade of grass,
543
00:43:47,419 --> 00:43:50,172
in every salmonberry
or blueberry on the tundra,
544
00:43:50,255 --> 00:43:54,343
in every fish that they harvest,
in everything that they eat,
545
00:43:54,426 --> 00:43:56,637
everything that they do,
546
00:43:56,720 --> 00:44:02,726
to be able to see the world in this
extraordinary, miraculous, newly created,
547
00:43:56,720 --> 00:44:02,726
to be able to see the world in this
extraordinary, miraculous, newly created,
548
00:44:02,809 --> 00:44:07,940
newly sustained,
newly sanctified way, and to love it.
549
00:44:20,494 --> 00:44:23,163
[people singing in Indigenous language]
550
00:45:06,748 --> 00:45:12,171
{\an8}The river here is our source of food,
551
00:45:12,254 --> 00:45:14,131
{\an8}um, travel.
552
00:45:14,214 --> 00:45:18,594
{\an8}We have villages that, in the summer,
they'll come here by boat.
553
00:45:18,677 --> 00:45:22,097
In the winter,
there's travel with snow machine,
554
00:45:22,181 --> 00:45:25,142
four-wheeler, or vehicle on the river.
555
00:45:25,684 --> 00:45:29,229
And it really is a lifeline
for the communities.
556
00:45:30,689 --> 00:45:33,150
The river dictates what we do.
557
00:45:36,153 --> 00:45:39,323
We live right along the Kuskokwim River,
558
00:45:39,406 --> 00:45:44,953
and my uncle had recently
stopped by to visit,
559
00:45:45,579 --> 00:45:50,167
and he said that living along
the river is cleansing.
560
00:45:50,250 --> 00:45:51,627
[pensive music playing]
561
00:45:54,338 --> 00:45:58,592
That the flowing water cleanses a person.
562
00:46:00,677 --> 00:46:03,931
In order for a flowing river
to be cleansing,
563
00:46:04,014 --> 00:46:05,641
it needs to be clean.
564
00:46:16,276 --> 00:46:19,488
[Oleksa] The Great Blessing of Water made
great sense from the very beginning
565
00:46:19,571 --> 00:46:21,490
because they had a custom in January,
566
00:46:21,573 --> 00:46:25,994
the same time when we celebrate
Theophany, of returning the--
567
00:46:26,495 --> 00:46:28,956
Some parts of the animals
that they had harvested
568
00:46:29,039 --> 00:46:32,167
during the previous year
were put through the ice
569
00:46:32,709 --> 00:46:35,671
as a gesture of gratitude
and respect for the sacrifice
570
00:46:35,754 --> 00:46:38,841
that the animals had made
in feeding the people.
571
00:46:38,924 --> 00:46:41,927
Now, they see the priests go to the river
572
00:46:42,010 --> 00:46:46,974
and put the cross into that same spot,
in that same hole, through the ice.
573
00:46:48,058 --> 00:46:50,602
For Native Alaskans,
this is second nature,
574
00:46:50,686 --> 00:46:53,814
to go to bless the river [chuckles]
on the Theophany,
575
00:46:53,897 --> 00:46:55,941
the river out of which
we pull all our fish,
576
00:46:56,024 --> 00:46:57,401
on which we travel.
577
00:47:02,948 --> 00:47:06,034
[Hoffman]
We are healthy when the river is healthy.
578
00:47:07,536 --> 00:47:10,289
One cannot be healthy without the other.
579
00:47:18,088 --> 00:47:22,009
You are a part of your surrounding
580
00:47:22,092 --> 00:47:24,261
in a way that you weren't otherwise.
581
00:47:24,344 --> 00:47:29,892
You begin to appreciate
your place in your environment.
582
00:47:37,941 --> 00:47:39,943
We as Yup'ik people
583
00:47:41,111 --> 00:47:44,823
want to continue to reside
584
00:47:44,907 --> 00:47:49,661
and raise our families
and remain in this place.
585
00:47:54,124 --> 00:47:58,879
Yup'ik people belong here in a way
that they wouldn't belong elsewhere.
586
00:48:01,924 --> 00:48:03,509
This is where we want to be.
587
00:48:05,844 --> 00:48:08,096
We want to be able to live...
588
00:48:09,431 --> 00:48:13,060
Continue to live off the land,
589
00:48:13,936 --> 00:48:16,104
provide for our families from the land.
590
00:48:20,150 --> 00:48:23,278
So it's because we can hunt,
and fish, and harvest
591
00:48:23,362 --> 00:48:25,948
that we remain.
592
00:48:37,417 --> 00:48:38,961
It's so wet down here.
593
00:48:52,140 --> 00:48:53,267
[clears throat]
594
00:48:59,147 --> 00:49:02,234
[Askoak] Yeah, you heard about soul food.
[chuckles]
595
00:48:59,147 --> 00:49:02,234
[Askoak] Yeah, you heard about soul food.
[chuckles]
596
00:49:02,860 --> 00:49:06,280
The food that we grew up with,
we use as our,
597
00:49:06,947 --> 00:49:10,909
the things that connect us with nature,
with everything that,
598
00:49:11,535 --> 00:49:14,997
with the season,
and with being able to survive,
599
00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:18,250
and just being one with
600
00:49:19,543 --> 00:49:22,963
everything that God created.
601
00:49:24,506 --> 00:49:28,010
In the old times, they gave us...
602
00:49:28,093 --> 00:49:30,179
{\an8}Or everything that they caught...
603
00:49:31,221 --> 00:49:37,269
{\an8}uh, they always attribute it
to the gift from God.
604
00:49:37,352 --> 00:49:41,398
If you caught something,
instead of saying you killed it,
605
00:49:41,481 --> 00:49:43,901
you would say that it
was provided for you,
606
00:49:43,984 --> 00:49:48,530
that it gave itself for you from God.
607
00:49:48,614 --> 00:49:54,369
So the people had this respect for nature.
608
00:49:54,453 --> 00:49:58,749
They had to be respectful
609
00:49:58,832 --> 00:50:03,170
with one another
and with respect to nature.
610
00:49:58,832 --> 00:50:03,170
with one another
and with respect to nature.
611
00:50:03,712 --> 00:50:06,298
[woman on radio] ...everybody,
and good luck the rest of the season.
612
00:50:06,381 --> 00:50:09,218
[man on radio] Yeah...
[speaking in Indigenous language]
613
00:50:09,885 --> 00:50:14,097
He was American. They take the time out.
614
00:50:15,182 --> 00:50:18,936
[Fisher] Subsistence,
the word "subsistence" means,
615
00:50:19,019 --> 00:50:21,772
you know, providing food
616
00:50:21,855 --> 00:50:24,691
so that you can survive the winter,
survive the year,
617
00:50:24,775 --> 00:50:26,485
and help families survive the year.
618
00:50:26,568 --> 00:50:30,280
So it means subsistence
could translate to:
619
00:50:30,364 --> 00:50:31,323
[intriguing music playing]
620
00:50:31,406 --> 00:50:33,825
"I am going to be living
for the next year.
621
00:50:33,909 --> 00:50:37,287
I have life.
I'm sharing life with that family.
622
00:50:37,371 --> 00:50:42,501
I'm sharing the gift of life with this
other family that's not even related.
623
00:50:42,584 --> 00:50:44,211
We share and we give,
624
00:50:44,294 --> 00:50:48,799
uh, of what abundance that we have."
625
00:50:50,717 --> 00:50:52,886
{\an8}Myself, growing up
subsistence hunting,
626
00:50:52,970 --> 00:50:56,974
{\an8}I learned and learned from my uncles,
627
00:50:57,057 --> 00:50:59,726
{\an8}that we need to give thanks
for the catch that we have.
628
00:50:59,810 --> 00:51:02,938
So when we catch something,
we give thanks to God.
629
00:50:59,810 --> 00:51:02,938
So when we catch something,
we give thanks to God.
630
00:51:03,564 --> 00:51:06,692
You know, that thing,
"I'm going to go get my fish,"
631
00:51:08,026 --> 00:51:10,320
we don't do that,
you know, we don't say that.
632
00:51:10,404 --> 00:51:12,281
We say: [speaking in Indigenous language]
633
00:51:12,364 --> 00:51:14,491
So difficult, so hard to say that.
634
00:51:14,575 --> 00:51:16,076
It's a hard thing to do.
635
00:51:20,539 --> 00:51:22,958
We were blessed with our catch.
636
00:51:23,750 --> 00:51:26,920
If we're blessed with fish, we get fish.
637
00:51:34,178 --> 00:51:35,554
To be Orthodox,
638
00:51:36,054 --> 00:51:40,559
is to fulfill the words
of Christ's command,
639
00:51:40,642 --> 00:51:43,187
love one another as I have loved you.
640
00:51:44,396 --> 00:51:45,522
That's it.
641
00:51:45,606 --> 00:51:49,443
And in the Yup'ik culture,
you live that out.
642
00:51:50,068 --> 00:51:53,697
It's where your back's breaking,
your muscles are sore,
643
00:51:53,780 --> 00:51:55,449
and you're still smiling.
644
00:51:55,532 --> 00:51:59,494
You see the rack of fish cut up, drying.
645
00:52:00,037 --> 00:52:02,581
In the smokehouse,
you see the smoke coming out
646
00:52:02,664 --> 00:52:04,791
and the rows of fish,
647
00:52:04,875 --> 00:52:07,419
and you smell that aroma,
648
00:52:07,503 --> 00:52:10,547
that fish camp smell,
649
00:52:11,131 --> 00:52:12,633
and you smile.
650
00:52:18,430 --> 00:52:20,516
[Fisher speaking in Indigenous language]
651
00:52:21,934 --> 00:52:24,770
A person who doesn't share,
who doesn't give,
652
00:52:25,395 --> 00:52:27,814
will not have anything
653
00:52:27,898 --> 00:52:33,403
and will not have abundance,
bounty, and blessings.
654
00:52:41,662 --> 00:52:47,376
[Hoffman] We subsist with the knowledge
and the intention to share.
655
00:52:56,760 --> 00:53:00,973
We want to have the resource
continue to be there.
656
00:52:56,760 --> 00:53:00,973
We want to have the resource
continue to be there.
657
00:53:01,974 --> 00:53:06,353
It's not that we're gonna go get a moose,
and then we're done.
658
00:53:06,436 --> 00:53:09,481
We're gonna get a moose,
hopefully, every year,
659
00:53:09,565 --> 00:53:11,817
so it's very cyclical.
660
00:53:11,900 --> 00:53:16,613
The approach that we bring
is this sustainability.
661
00:53:38,510 --> 00:53:41,597
[Fisher]
You asked earlier what subsistence is.
662
00:53:41,680 --> 00:53:46,935
Subsistence is loving your neighbor.
663
00:53:47,644 --> 00:53:50,814
Subsistence is loving your family.
664
00:53:51,732 --> 00:53:53,692
You love them enough to feed them,
665
00:53:53,775 --> 00:53:55,777
to provide for them, to work hard.
666
00:53:56,737 --> 00:54:00,949
To provide for not just yourself,
for the community.
667
00:53:56,737 --> 00:54:00,949
To provide for not just yourself,
for the community.
668
00:54:24,556 --> 00:54:26,266
It's-- As an Orthodox Christian,
669
00:54:26,350 --> 00:54:30,062
you're not set apart from your neighbor.
670
00:54:30,646 --> 00:54:33,148
That, you know,
you're not set apart from them.
671
00:54:33,232 --> 00:54:35,025
If you see them hunger,
672
00:54:35,108 --> 00:54:38,111
if you see them needing wood
or other things,
673
00:54:38,195 --> 00:54:40,030
you provide help, provide for them.
674
00:54:42,533 --> 00:54:44,826
[Hoffman] Without subsistence,
675
00:54:44,910 --> 00:54:49,289
we wouldn't be
the unique people that we are.
676
00:54:59,758 --> 00:55:03,512
I've been trying to be tired because
I didn't want to squeeze fish...
677
00:54:59,758 --> 00:55:03,512
I've been trying to be tired because
I didn't want to squeeze fish...
678
00:55:03,595 --> 00:55:05,138
[both laughing]
679
00:55:21,196 --> 00:55:26,660
My grandpa was a starosta
680
00:55:26,743 --> 00:55:29,496
in the church, and, um...
681
00:55:31,039 --> 00:55:34,710
mm, in those days,
they had to make their own nets.
682
00:55:35,419 --> 00:55:41,592
Um, at one time, I went to see him
just to sit by him during the summer.
683
00:55:41,675 --> 00:55:45,554
It was nice and warm out,
and he was making his net.
684
00:55:46,513 --> 00:55:50,809
And while he was doing that,
685
00:55:50,893 --> 00:55:52,269
he was whispering something.
686
00:55:52,352 --> 00:55:54,438
I went to his--
687
00:55:54,521 --> 00:55:57,399
I went close by, and I listened to him.
688
00:55:59,818 --> 00:56:02,696
And his words were:
[speaking in Indigenous language]
689
00:55:59,818 --> 00:56:02,696
And his words were:
[speaking in Indigenous language]
690
00:56:09,244 --> 00:56:14,082
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me, a sinner."
691
00:56:17,961 --> 00:56:23,050
And simple life that he lived,
692
00:56:23,592 --> 00:56:29,264
and you could feel that grace,
special grace,
693
00:56:29,348 --> 00:56:34,645
that was given to him
by simply being the servant of God.
694
00:56:43,237 --> 00:56:45,197
[Fisher] The presence of elders,
the honor of elders,
695
00:56:45,280 --> 00:56:48,450
was a big part of living in the village.
696
00:56:48,534 --> 00:56:49,493
[pensive music playing]
697
00:56:49,576 --> 00:56:52,913
Because what they taught,
and the wisdom that they have,
698
00:56:52,996 --> 00:56:56,250
and the teachings that they shared
699
00:56:56,792 --> 00:57:00,671
were vital to our existence.
700
00:56:56,792 --> 00:57:00,671
were vital to our existence.
701
00:57:02,965 --> 00:57:04,424
[Martin] They made us hear.
702
00:57:05,592 --> 00:57:06,802
They made us listen.
703
00:57:07,344 --> 00:57:11,765
It was like a textbook of life that,
704
00:57:12,266 --> 00:57:14,726
but the one that you don't see,
705
00:57:14,810 --> 00:57:19,147
but it'll be the one that
you remember inside, in your head.
706
00:57:21,567 --> 00:57:25,821
They received all the word, Orthodox word,
707
00:57:25,904 --> 00:57:28,824
through the missionaries of God,
708
00:57:29,575 --> 00:57:31,493
of the scriptures,
709
00:57:32,578 --> 00:57:34,830
and they put it in their heads.
710
00:57:35,873 --> 00:57:39,793
My aunt, who raised me,
711
00:57:39,877 --> 00:57:41,753
was my greatest influence.
712
00:57:42,462 --> 00:57:47,009
And she taught always about God,
talked always about God.
713
00:57:47,092 --> 00:57:51,805
{\an8}I represent my apa and my grandma,
the people who raised me,
714
00:57:51,889 --> 00:57:56,226
{\an8}who rooted me
through their daily teachings,
715
00:57:56,310 --> 00:57:58,854
not so many by,
not by books or anything like that,
716
00:57:58,937 --> 00:58:03,525
but by action, by example,
717
00:57:58,937 --> 00:58:03,525
but by action, by example,
718
00:58:03,609 --> 00:58:05,068
by being prayerful.
719
00:58:05,152 --> 00:58:07,779
Now, their dedication,
720
00:58:08,614 --> 00:58:13,577
their simple... simple trust in God,
721
00:58:14,661 --> 00:58:17,414
even with no words at times,
722
00:58:18,498 --> 00:58:22,836
through their example,
they were able to teach us
723
00:58:22,920 --> 00:58:26,798
that even today, after they're gone,
we still remember them.
724
00:58:27,591 --> 00:58:31,261
They are the number one
teachers of our culture
725
00:58:31,887 --> 00:58:34,223
because they've lived their lives
726
00:58:34,306 --> 00:58:39,603
in a way that taught them to balance
727
00:58:39,686 --> 00:58:42,523
any type of chaos
that comes up against them.
728
00:58:43,023 --> 00:58:46,193
Just as the church tries
to teach us how to handle,
729
00:58:46,735 --> 00:58:49,404
you know, things that come against us.
730
00:58:49,488 --> 00:58:53,325
We take even things like alcoholism.
731
00:58:53,408 --> 00:58:56,036
We're taught to have a path
732
00:58:56,119 --> 00:58:58,080
so that we can overcome
733
00:58:58,664 --> 00:59:02,709
and create that balance in our lives
instead of creating more chaos.
734
00:58:58,664 --> 00:59:02,709
and create that balance in our lives
instead of creating more chaos.
735
00:59:04,002 --> 00:59:06,004
My uncle used to say:
736
00:59:06,547 --> 00:59:08,257
[speaking in Indigenous language]
737
00:59:11,468 --> 00:59:14,054
Um... Meaning...
738
00:59:15,973 --> 00:59:20,477
the next generation people are faster than
739
00:59:21,687 --> 00:59:23,146
us now living.
740
00:59:24,273 --> 00:59:25,816
We didn't understand.
741
00:59:27,067 --> 00:59:28,610
{\an8}He would say:
742
00:59:28,694 --> 00:59:30,320
{\an8}[speaking in Indigenous language]
743
00:59:30,404 --> 00:59:33,407
{\an8}"The time will come, and you will see."
744
00:59:34,950 --> 00:59:38,662
Now that modern world is coming,
745
00:59:39,288 --> 00:59:42,040
the people are fast, moving faster,
746
00:59:42,124 --> 00:59:43,959
the town is faster.
747
00:59:44,501 --> 00:59:47,045
-Things are coming.
-[melancholy music playing]
748
00:59:47,838 --> 00:59:51,550
Deaths are fast, and suicides, fast.
749
00:59:51,633 --> 00:59:56,471
And our culture, way of life,
can't keep up with them.
750
00:59:56,555 --> 00:59:57,931
It's a struggle.
751
00:59:58,765 --> 01:00:00,601
It's a struggle for us.
752
00:59:58,765 --> 01:00:00,601
It's a struggle for us.
753
01:00:13,864 --> 01:00:17,868
[Fisher] If there's a tragedy
in the village, everybody feels that.
754
01:00:17,951 --> 01:00:19,870
Everybody knows that person.
755
01:00:20,871 --> 01:00:22,581
If someone passes on,
756
01:00:22,664 --> 01:00:24,958
whether it be an elder
or a young person...
757
01:00:26,835 --> 01:00:30,088
everybody is impacted, young and old.
758
01:00:32,758 --> 01:00:34,426
[speaking in Indigenous language]
759
01:00:41,058 --> 01:00:44,978
[all] Amen.
760
01:00:51,652 --> 01:00:56,073
[Martin] The elders saw life
as not being easy all the time.
761
01:00:57,115 --> 01:00:58,283
Fulfilling...
762
01:01:00,452 --> 01:01:04,706
but sometimes,
on a more personal level, it's harder.
763
01:01:05,332 --> 01:01:09,962
It's hard to deal with life,
this changing world, and everything.
764
01:01:15,467 --> 01:01:18,011
They practice their faith every day.
765
01:01:22,599 --> 01:01:24,309
We miss them, sometimes.
766
01:01:26,353 --> 01:01:30,107
We miss the older--
Older people, sometimes.
767
01:01:33,902 --> 01:01:37,447
I wish so and so would come up
from his grave or her grave
768
01:01:37,531 --> 01:01:41,869
and teach us things,
these things, some things.
769
01:01:42,369 --> 01:01:46,623
Give us a word of advice,
or show us what to do.
770
01:01:54,423 --> 01:01:58,135
[Morris] My grandfather was prayerful.
He lived his life in prayer.
771
01:01:59,094 --> 01:02:00,554
Literally in prayer.
772
01:01:59,094 --> 01:02:00,554
Literally in prayer.
773
01:02:01,263 --> 01:02:03,515
And I thought his life
was the most boring,
774
01:02:03,599 --> 01:02:05,601
the most boring life on earth.
775
01:02:06,268 --> 01:02:10,272
I used to think, "Doesn't he have
better things to do than to pray?"
776
01:02:11,607 --> 01:02:14,985
There's life going on,
life outside going on in the world,
777
01:02:15,068 --> 01:02:18,071
and here, my grandfather
is being prayerful.
778
01:02:22,075 --> 01:02:27,331
But now that I'm older,
I appreciate and I hope to,
779
01:02:28,290 --> 01:02:31,043
you know, never forget
those things that I saw,
780
01:02:31,126 --> 01:02:33,170
that I witnessed with my own eyes.
781
01:02:34,129 --> 01:02:37,007
And I just witnessed my grandfather
782
01:02:37,090 --> 01:02:39,635
when he was praying
for the peace around him,
783
01:02:39,718 --> 01:02:42,721
and I was thinking,
wondering where that came from.
784
01:02:43,222 --> 01:02:46,725
How can you be praying like that
with peace all around you
785
01:02:46,808 --> 01:02:49,478
when your two sons are on the floor,
drunk and fighting?
786
01:02:50,062 --> 01:02:52,564
I was like, "How can that happen?
787
01:02:52,648 --> 01:02:53,899
How does that happen?"
788
01:02:53,982 --> 01:02:55,734
But I saw it with my own eyes.
789
01:02:56,735 --> 01:03:00,697
The peace that passes all understanding
that God gives to us,
790
01:02:56,735 --> 01:03:00,697
The peace that passes all understanding
that God gives to us,
791
01:03:00,781 --> 01:03:03,242
that he can give to each
and every one of us.
792
01:03:05,369 --> 01:03:07,162
And it's available for us.
793
01:03:08,622 --> 01:03:11,208
But it's not, you know...
794
01:03:12,084 --> 01:03:14,002
He-- God gives us free will.
795
01:03:20,676 --> 01:03:22,344
Could I ask you a question?
796
01:03:22,427 --> 01:03:23,262
Okay.
797
01:03:23,345 --> 01:03:25,764
When did you decide to become a priest?
798
01:03:26,932 --> 01:03:28,517
When I was in high school.
799
01:03:29,017 --> 01:03:30,519
When you were in high school?
800
01:03:31,186 --> 01:03:35,649
Oh, man, how long did it
take you to really decide
801
01:03:35,732 --> 01:03:38,193
to go in to be a priest?
802
01:03:38,277 --> 01:03:39,278
I...
803
01:03:43,824 --> 01:03:45,826
Maybe 12 years?
804
01:03:45,909 --> 01:03:46,785
Mm-hm.
805
01:03:47,411 --> 01:03:48,245
[exclaims softly]
806
01:03:48,996 --> 01:03:50,998
[loudly] When I was in seminary,
807
01:03:51,081 --> 01:03:53,500
the more I learned about the priesthood,
808
01:03:53,584 --> 01:03:55,878
I didn't want to be a priest anymore.
809
01:03:57,045 --> 01:03:57,963
But they...
810
01:03:58,797 --> 01:04:00,299
But the more they got to know me,
811
01:03:58,797 --> 01:04:00,299
But the more they got to know me,
812
01:04:00,382 --> 01:04:02,217
they said,
"I think you'd make a good priest."
813
01:04:02,301 --> 01:04:04,636
-Yeah.
-So I listened to them.
814
01:04:05,470 --> 01:04:08,098
Yeah, I don't think
you're gonna regret it.
815
01:04:08,182 --> 01:04:09,224
[both laughing]
816
01:04:11,226 --> 01:04:12,561
[Fisher] It's a great blessing.
817
01:04:13,562 --> 01:04:14,438
It's a gift.
818
01:04:15,147 --> 01:04:18,525
It's a lot of good things,
a lot of blessings there.
819
01:04:18,609 --> 01:04:21,028
You get acquainted with many people,
820
01:04:21,111 --> 01:04:27,242
and you become family to many people
in that community, in that village.
821
01:04:27,326 --> 01:04:28,785
[indistinct chatter]
822
01:04:30,329 --> 01:04:34,374
You get to be a part of their lives,
a major part of their life.
823
01:04:36,960 --> 01:04:39,671
The spiritual guide,
the people that they trust,
824
01:04:39,755 --> 01:04:41,298
the person that they trust.
825
01:04:42,466 --> 01:04:45,511
But it also can be difficult.
826
01:04:48,222 --> 01:04:50,390
[Trefon Jr]
We're supposed to work together,
827
01:04:50,474 --> 01:04:53,352
the men, the women,
the elders, the children.
828
01:04:54,269 --> 01:05:00,400
{\an8}And it leads back into
the center of life, the center of God.
829
01:04:54,269 --> 01:05:00,400
{\an8}And it leads back into
the center of life, the center of God.
830
01:05:00,776 --> 01:05:04,154
{\an8}You know, that's-- That's the true, uh...
831
01:05:05,864 --> 01:05:10,285
{\an8}image of Yup'ik's-- Yup'ik's history.
832
01:05:10,827 --> 01:05:13,288
You know, bringing that back,
trying to, you know--
833
01:05:13,372 --> 01:05:18,252
Once we were changed
how to live a different way,
834
01:05:18,335 --> 01:05:20,170
those circles were broken.
835
01:05:20,254 --> 01:05:21,547
[pensive music playing]
836
01:05:23,215 --> 01:05:25,509
You know, there's these
many different difficulties
837
01:05:25,592 --> 01:05:27,845
that we face as clergy.
838
01:05:27,928 --> 01:05:30,472
One being suicide.
839
01:05:30,556 --> 01:05:33,600
Suicide, [stammering] it's devastating.
840
01:05:35,435 --> 01:05:37,437
Devastating to a community.
841
01:05:38,063 --> 01:05:40,190
[stammering] When tragedy happens,
842
01:05:40,274 --> 01:05:43,610
and you're there
as one of the first called.
843
01:05:44,611 --> 01:05:47,656
Sometimes, as a clergy,
you see things that
844
01:05:48,407 --> 01:05:52,661
any other person,
that only the police would see.
845
01:05:54,580 --> 01:05:57,958
We are led to disrespecting our elders.
846
01:05:58,542 --> 01:06:03,297
We are led to leaving kids to OCS.
847
01:05:58,542 --> 01:06:03,297
We are led to leaving kids to OCS.
848
01:06:03,797 --> 01:06:05,048
We're, you know--
849
01:06:05,132 --> 01:06:07,259
Not every family,
but, you know, it happens.
850
01:06:07,342 --> 01:06:10,888
Abusing elders, and abusing children,
and abusing women,
851
01:06:10,971 --> 01:06:15,309
you know, it's not the right living
because your true self--
852
01:06:15,392 --> 01:06:17,311
It's a fake living, you know.
853
01:06:17,394 --> 01:06:19,771
It's like-- It's like we're in a dream.
854
01:06:19,855 --> 01:06:21,398
It's like a bad dream.
855
01:06:21,481 --> 01:06:22,858
[inaudible dialogue]
856
01:06:29,072 --> 01:06:33,160
But how do we get out of that bad dream?
Well, we come back to God.
857
01:06:35,913 --> 01:06:38,665
[Fisher] The Church brings us hope.
God brings us hope.
858
01:06:39,291 --> 01:06:43,712
You know, we need to have
that pastor, that clergy there,
859
01:06:43,795 --> 01:06:47,966
especially in the communities,
to send that message
860
01:06:48,050 --> 01:06:50,802
that our God is a God of forgiveness,
861
01:06:50,886 --> 01:06:53,222
you know, that they're welcome
in the church,
862
01:06:53,305 --> 01:06:55,307
no matter what they may have done.
863
01:06:57,017 --> 01:06:59,937
You share that message of hope.
864
01:07:00,020 --> 01:07:06,693
You share that message of hope
for eternal life,
865
01:07:06,777 --> 01:07:09,279
hope for prayer,
hope that God is merciful.
866
01:07:09,363 --> 01:07:11,240
And we do have a forgiving God.
867
01:07:14,243 --> 01:07:15,118
[dogs barking]
868
01:07:15,202 --> 01:07:17,663
[Trefon Jr] If a person
can come back who is lost
869
01:07:17,746 --> 01:07:21,875
and to actually continually
to reflect on their life.
870
01:07:22,376 --> 01:07:25,254
That's the point of being a real person,
871
01:07:25,337 --> 01:07:30,259
is to admit that
you are doing the best you can,
872
01:07:30,342 --> 01:07:31,677
you know, we are all sinners,
873
01:07:32,386 --> 01:07:39,142
and try and help
some other people along the way.
874
01:07:39,893 --> 01:07:41,144
[inaudible dialogue]
875
01:07:41,228 --> 01:07:43,522
[Fisher] Those who are broken,
those who are broken,
876
01:07:43,605 --> 01:07:47,985
God, our Lord Jesus Christ,
comes to meet us
877
01:07:48,068 --> 01:07:50,779
and helps us heal together.
878
01:07:52,155 --> 01:07:53,532
That is a gift.
879
01:07:54,616 --> 01:07:57,369
That heals me as well.
880
01:08:03,584 --> 01:08:08,839
[Askoak] The prayer that was really strong
with my mom and my dad,
881
01:08:08,922 --> 01:08:13,594
and we say, begin with:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
882
01:08:13,677 --> 01:08:16,596
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
883
01:08:16,680 --> 01:08:19,765
thy will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven.
884
01:08:20,309 --> 01:08:22,519
Give us this day our daily bread
885
01:08:22,603 --> 01:08:25,147
and forgive us our trespasses
886
01:08:25,229 --> 01:08:28,649
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
887
01:08:28,734 --> 01:08:31,528
And lead us not into temptation,
888
01:08:31,612 --> 01:08:33,947
but deliver us from the evil one.
889
01:08:34,488 --> 01:08:37,783
It's a simple, simple prayer,
890
01:08:37,868 --> 01:08:42,288
but if you really think about it,
891
01:08:42,372 --> 01:08:43,665
what is trouble?
892
01:08:44,291 --> 01:08:49,755
When we put our trust in the mercy
and the love of this loving God,
893
01:08:49,837 --> 01:08:54,843
who showed his mercy and love
for each and every one of us?
894
01:08:57,345 --> 01:08:58,721
[inaudible dialogue]
895
01:09:06,522 --> 01:09:09,316
[Larson] My mother was a Matushka.
896
01:09:10,692 --> 01:09:16,657
She was very faithful and hardworking.
897
01:09:17,658 --> 01:09:21,787
They didn't have a big house
with lots of furniture,
898
01:09:21,870 --> 01:09:27,167
{\an8}and they just were grateful
for what they had.
899
01:09:27,835 --> 01:09:32,339
{\an8}And the subsistence lifestyle...
900
01:09:34,424 --> 01:09:36,801
she had to do most of the work,
901
01:09:36,885 --> 01:09:41,765
with the fishing during the summer
902
01:09:41,849 --> 01:09:47,062
because my dad would be gone
for long periods of time.
903
01:09:47,145 --> 01:09:53,484
Because there were only four
or five priests to serve this area,
904
01:09:53,569 --> 01:09:55,696
and he always had to travel.
905
01:09:56,405 --> 01:09:59,491
So she always had to do the hard work.
906
01:10:02,035 --> 01:10:05,038
But she would never complain.
907
01:10:06,540 --> 01:10:09,334
My mom was a midwife,
908
01:10:09,835 --> 01:10:12,588
and we had this window in our bedroom.
909
01:10:13,130 --> 01:10:15,424
When someone would knock on that window,
910
01:10:15,507 --> 01:10:20,095
and my mom would wake up,
911
01:10:20,179 --> 01:10:25,976
and if I woke up
and couldn't go back to sleep,
912
01:10:26,059 --> 01:10:27,936
she'd have to bring me with her.
913
01:10:28,896 --> 01:10:31,398
I'd go into this house,
914
01:10:31,481 --> 01:10:33,192
and there was a woman in labor,
915
01:10:33,275 --> 01:10:39,823
and I'd have to sit quietly
on the chair and wait.
916
01:10:40,908 --> 01:10:44,703
Life was hard in those days,
917
01:10:44,786 --> 01:10:49,124
and we didn't have a lot
of help or support from,
918
01:10:49,666 --> 01:10:51,543
you know, like the hospitals
919
01:10:51,627 --> 01:10:55,631
and the schools that we have now.
920
01:10:55,714 --> 01:10:57,466
She told me...
921
01:10:59,134 --> 01:11:05,098
that we need to be
compassionate about others.
922
01:10:59,134 --> 01:11:05,098
that we need to be
compassionate about others.
923
01:11:05,182 --> 01:11:08,018
We need to have compassion on others
924
01:11:08,101 --> 01:11:13,106
who didn't have much, you know...
925
01:11:14,983 --> 01:11:20,948
because that's showing love
to other people.
926
01:11:21,448 --> 01:11:26,161
And I think that's why
my friends always used to be, um...
927
01:11:27,204 --> 01:11:30,082
happy to be at my house
928
01:11:30,165 --> 01:11:33,794
because my mom treated them
like her own children,
929
01:11:34,419 --> 01:11:36,797
you know, making sure
that they weren't hungry
930
01:11:36,880 --> 01:11:42,386
and, um... unclothed.
931
01:11:44,054 --> 01:11:46,682
[Morris] I used to be one of the kids
that used to sleep at her house,
932
01:11:46,765 --> 01:11:49,518
with Lily, and my friend, my cousin.
933
01:11:49,601 --> 01:11:52,521
And every morning,
literally every morning,
934
01:11:52,604 --> 01:11:57,442
she would be up early in the morning
to make pancakes, and, um...
935
01:11:59,069 --> 01:12:01,905
we would-- Lots of kids would get up,
and we would eat,
936
01:11:59,069 --> 01:12:01,905
we would-- Lots of kids would get up,
and we would eat,
937
01:12:01,989 --> 01:12:06,243
and then she would already
be done with chores.
938
01:12:07,077 --> 01:12:10,956
She did everything early in the morning
while her family was sleeping.
939
01:12:11,039 --> 01:12:13,041
She was a very prayerful lady.
940
01:12:13,125 --> 01:12:14,751
She was very humble.
941
01:12:15,711 --> 01:12:21,633
And she-- I never ever heard her say
anything bad about anyone
942
01:12:21,717 --> 01:12:25,554
in the times that I was around her,
and I was around her quite a bit.
943
01:12:26,180 --> 01:12:28,182
Grandma's house was always my, um...
944
01:12:29,057 --> 01:12:32,644
You know, they had me,
like, babysit or watch me.
945
01:12:32,728 --> 01:12:36,398
{\an8}So I would go to Grandma's
for a couple days, if they're traveling.
946
01:12:36,899 --> 01:12:38,108
{\an8}And it was--
947
01:12:38,734 --> 01:12:41,111
{\an8}I was so fortunate. I was--
948
01:12:41,945 --> 01:12:45,157
Because she was like, naturally...
949
01:12:47,075 --> 01:12:49,786
you can feel the love from her.
950
01:12:49,870 --> 01:12:54,791
I mean, it was just natural love from her.
951
01:12:54,875 --> 01:12:56,293
[tense music playing]
952
01:12:56,752 --> 01:13:00,506
[Larson] One time, I was very scared
because a man came in
953
01:12:56,752 --> 01:13:00,506
[Larson] One time, I was very scared
because a man came in
954
01:13:00,589 --> 01:13:03,091
and he was very, very angry,
955
01:13:04,009 --> 01:13:09,223
um, hollering at first
because he thought
956
01:13:09,806 --> 01:13:15,395
that one of my brothers had
checked his net and took his fish.
957
01:13:16,313 --> 01:13:18,565
My mom didn't say anything,
958
01:13:18,649 --> 01:13:23,820
would just watch him while he was yelling.
959
01:13:25,280 --> 01:13:30,494
After he said all of the things
that he needed to say,
960
01:13:31,119 --> 01:13:35,249
my mom said, "Why don't you
sit down and have some tea?"
961
01:13:36,166 --> 01:13:40,170
And he got very calm.
962
01:13:40,254 --> 01:13:41,380
[pensive music playing]
963
01:13:41,463 --> 01:13:43,382
And he even--
964
01:13:43,465 --> 01:13:46,468
I think he apologized before he went out.
965
01:13:47,845 --> 01:13:53,725
Some ladies would come in
very sad or have something.
966
01:13:53,809 --> 01:13:56,061
You know, you could tell
by their expressions
967
01:13:56,144 --> 01:13:59,022
that they have something,
968
01:13:59,106 --> 01:14:03,777
like, they're stressed about
something or being very sad.
969
01:13:59,106 --> 01:14:03,777
like, they're stressed about
something or being very sad.
970
01:14:03,861 --> 01:14:07,614
And they'd sit and talk for hours.
971
01:14:07,698 --> 01:14:10,325
After they'd have tea and talk...
972
01:14:11,326 --> 01:14:13,704
Um... it was like...
973
01:14:15,163 --> 01:14:19,585
that stress or that sadness
was gone when they left.
974
01:14:20,919 --> 01:14:25,048
A lot of women have shared their dreams
975
01:14:25,674 --> 01:14:29,136
with me and my sisters.
976
01:14:29,219 --> 01:14:33,682
Most of them are about my mom
leading them to the church
977
01:14:33,765 --> 01:14:36,977
or reminding them to pray.
978
01:14:38,520 --> 01:14:41,773
The last time I saw her, she, you know,
979
01:14:41,857 --> 01:14:44,484
met me halfway to say farewell to me.
980
01:14:45,694 --> 01:14:48,614
And during the hardest times of my life,
my personal life,
981
01:14:48,697 --> 01:14:50,574
she came to me in my dream.
982
01:14:51,074 --> 01:14:53,702
And she told me to never
look away from the church,
983
01:14:53,785 --> 01:14:55,037
to always be prayerful,
984
01:14:55,120 --> 01:14:58,498
that that's where
the inner strength comes from,
985
01:14:58,582 --> 01:15:00,167
through the prayers of the church
986
01:14:58,582 --> 01:15:00,167
through the prayers of the church
987
01:15:00,250 --> 01:15:03,170
because the people in the church
help us to pray,
988
01:15:04,213 --> 01:15:06,840
through singing, through their prayers.
989
01:15:06,924 --> 01:15:08,467
She reminded me that.
990
01:15:10,093 --> 01:15:11,261
She lived her faith.
991
01:15:11,929 --> 01:15:13,263
She walked it.
992
01:15:13,972 --> 01:15:16,308
She practiced what she believed.
993
01:15:17,184 --> 01:15:20,896
She was prayerful,
just lived her life simply.
994
01:15:22,523 --> 01:15:27,319
She never wanted
to waste a day doing nothing.
995
01:15:29,196 --> 01:15:30,113
She used it.
996
01:15:30,197 --> 01:15:32,616
She used the day that God gives to us.
997
01:15:35,619 --> 01:15:37,538
[Morris speaking in Indigenous language]
998
01:15:45,170 --> 01:15:49,716
[Askoak]
And we see how simple the people are,
999
01:15:50,342 --> 01:15:55,722
um, and how their simple,
saintly lives,
1000
01:15:56,473 --> 01:16:01,228
uh, that they live somewhere
hidden from us.
1001
01:15:56,473 --> 01:16:01,228
uh, that they live somewhere
hidden from us.
1002
01:16:04,773 --> 01:16:06,942
[Fisher] The elders would teach
about love all the time.
1003
01:16:07,025 --> 01:16:09,027
Always, always about love.
1004
01:16:09,111 --> 01:16:11,029
Kenka, kenka.
1005
01:16:11,113 --> 01:16:13,490
That word, kenka, uh...
1006
01:16:14,199 --> 01:16:16,451
had permeated every teaching.
1007
01:16:17,286 --> 01:16:21,790
And that source of teaching
of kenka is Christ.
1008
01:16:21,874 --> 01:16:24,084
If those elders
were not connected to Christ,
1009
01:16:24,168 --> 01:16:26,378
they wouldn't have been
able to teach that.
1010
01:16:28,046 --> 01:16:30,507
[inaudible dialogue]
1011
01:16:32,843 --> 01:16:35,846
They were Orthodox. They were real people.
1012
01:16:40,058 --> 01:16:41,476
I believe that...
1013
01:16:43,312 --> 01:16:46,857
that more of that message
needs to continue
1014
01:16:46,940 --> 01:16:50,444
because our elders are not here forever.
1015
01:16:50,527 --> 01:16:51,695
They're passing,
1016
01:16:51,778 --> 01:16:56,116
and there's some communities that suffer
because they don't have any more elders.
1017
01:17:05,167 --> 01:17:07,044
I grew up singing, um:
1018
01:17:07,127 --> 01:17:08,879
[speaking in Indigenous language]
1019
01:17:09,755 --> 01:17:11,924
That means, "Lord, have mercy on us."
1020
01:17:12,466 --> 01:17:14,676
We prayed all the time in church.
1021
01:17:14,760 --> 01:17:16,845
[Morris singing in Indigenous language]
1022
01:17:19,306 --> 01:17:20,474
For every prayer...
1023
01:17:20,557 --> 01:17:22,809
[Morris singing in Indigenous language]
1024
01:17:24,645 --> 01:17:26,647
And I think that is
the most important prayer
1025
01:17:26,730 --> 01:17:30,526
because we're so contradictory
as human beings.
1026
01:17:32,361 --> 01:17:34,905
We're all the same, and we all need mercy.
1027
01:17:34,988 --> 01:17:36,406
[pensive music playing]
1028
01:17:40,953 --> 01:17:44,456
Ah. When we see ourselves...
1029
01:17:45,749 --> 01:17:50,587
um, created in the image
and likeness of God,
1030
01:17:51,213 --> 01:17:56,009
and to see it in others
is very important too.
1031
01:17:56,593 --> 01:18:01,265
The people that you see,
you show respect and kindness,
1032
01:17:56,593 --> 01:18:01,265
The people that you see,
you show respect and kindness,
1033
01:18:01,974 --> 01:18:06,436
uh, and this is a simple way
that you can see
1034
01:18:06,520 --> 01:18:10,357
that God is in everything
and in everybody.
1035
01:18:14,736 --> 01:18:16,321
It's easy to look at yourself
1036
01:18:16,405 --> 01:18:19,324
and see your faults
and everything and to live.
1037
01:18:19,825 --> 01:18:22,244
But this is why we have confession,
1038
01:18:22,327 --> 01:18:25,622
go to confession and to, um...
1039
01:18:25,706 --> 01:18:27,958
So that you can see your real self.
1040
01:18:28,041 --> 01:18:29,293
We're here--
1041
01:18:29,376 --> 01:18:31,128
In our Yup'ik tradition,
1042
01:18:31,211 --> 01:18:36,341
that word "Yup'ik" means real person.
1043
01:18:37,050 --> 01:18:38,302
[giggling]
1044
01:18:50,981 --> 01:18:52,900
[Fisher speaking in Indigenous language]
1045
01:18:52,983 --> 01:18:56,111
[Fisher] I'm a real person,
a real human being.
1046
01:18:57,070 --> 01:18:58,280
And what is a real person?
1047
01:18:58,363 --> 01:19:01,658
We grow up hearing
the teachings of our elders,
1048
01:18:58,363 --> 01:19:01,658
We grow up hearing
the teachings of our elders,
1049
01:19:01,742 --> 01:19:04,536
that we need to care for one another.
1050
01:19:04,620 --> 01:19:07,206
We care for our elders.
1051
01:19:07,289 --> 01:19:11,752
We respect one another.
1052
01:19:11,835 --> 01:19:14,379
We respect one another's property.
1053
01:19:14,463 --> 01:19:15,631
We give.
1054
01:19:15,714 --> 01:19:17,841
We provide for.
1055
01:19:18,383 --> 01:19:22,930
Um, it's a hard question
to answer because, um...
1056
01:19:24,264 --> 01:19:25,265
uh...
1057
01:19:27,226 --> 01:19:28,435
Maybe it's not that hard.
1058
01:19:28,519 --> 01:19:31,647
Just trying to find
the right words to explain.
1059
01:19:31,730 --> 01:19:33,232
It's who you are.
1060
01:19:33,774 --> 01:19:36,818
A person isn't a person
until another person comes
1061
01:19:36,902 --> 01:19:39,196
and acknowledges their person.
1062
01:19:39,279 --> 01:19:41,198
You know, the two people--
[stammers]
1063
01:19:41,281 --> 01:19:42,824
One person can be alone,
1064
01:19:42,908 --> 01:19:45,369
but they can never feel like a person.
1065
01:19:46,411 --> 01:19:48,747
When another person comes, um,
1066
01:19:49,581 --> 01:19:51,834
we have that--
That sense of who we are.
1067
01:19:51,917 --> 01:19:54,253
We have an identity, you know.
1068
01:19:54,336 --> 01:19:56,964
We see ourselves in another person...
1069
01:19:57,047 --> 01:19:58,257
[inaudible dialogue]
1070
01:19:59,508 --> 01:20:01,009
...to know who you are.
1071
01:19:59,508 --> 01:20:01,009
...to know who you are.
1072
01:20:03,470 --> 01:20:06,849
To be Yup'ik, Yupiak.
1073
01:20:09,226 --> 01:20:13,230
In that understanding,
you know, in ethnicity, I'm Yup'ik,
1074
01:20:13,313 --> 01:20:16,233
but you could be Yupiaq.
You are a real person.
1075
01:20:17,150 --> 01:20:18,277
[inaudible dialogue]
1076
01:20:24,783 --> 01:20:26,535
Apa!
1077
01:20:26,827 --> 01:20:28,328
Apa!
1078
01:20:28,704 --> 01:20:29,705
Apa!
1079
01:20:34,042 --> 01:20:37,796
[Andrew] Everyone welcomes
the presence of a humble person,
1080
01:20:38,797 --> 01:20:41,884
a simple, humble person.
Hmm?
1081
01:20:41,967 --> 01:20:45,888
So, "Yeah, you saw that.
That's me. That's okay, you know.
1082
01:20:46,680 --> 01:20:47,848
I can improve."
1083
01:20:48,807 --> 01:20:52,895
And in these lives, I think,
as we mentioned with St. Yakov,
1084
01:20:52,978 --> 01:20:55,564
these terrible hardships
that he went through,
1085
01:20:55,647 --> 01:20:59,109
that he endured, that purified him...
1086
01:21:00,402 --> 01:21:02,029
Um...
1087
01:21:02,905 --> 01:21:06,533
Also help us to rethink
what makes a saint.
1088
01:21:06,617 --> 01:21:09,661
Matushka Olga gives us
a beautiful example,
1089
01:21:09,745 --> 01:21:12,164
staying in her native village,
1090
01:21:12,247 --> 01:21:14,333
making socks, giving them away,
1091
01:21:14,416 --> 01:21:16,752
being normal, being generous,
1092
01:21:16,835 --> 01:21:18,295
being hospitable.
1093
01:21:19,505 --> 01:21:22,966
Uh, the idea that saints
can't have faults or shortcomings...
1094
01:21:23,050 --> 01:21:25,302
You can still be holy.
1095
01:21:25,385 --> 01:21:29,223
And in fact, sometimes,
if you really look at it,
1096
01:21:29,723 --> 01:21:34,144
you'll love someone who has more faults
than someone who has no faults.
1097
01:21:34,228 --> 01:21:37,147
It's really hard to love someone
who doesn't have any faults
1098
01:21:37,231 --> 01:21:40,526
or who hides all their faults.
1099
01:21:40,776 --> 01:21:45,948
Um, and that's, I think,
indicative of a complexity,
1100
01:21:46,031 --> 01:21:47,533
a lack of simplicity.
1101
01:21:48,742 --> 01:21:50,369
[Indigenous hymn playing]
1102
01:21:52,412 --> 01:21:54,623
[Oleksa] I suppose all of this
actually begs the question,
1103
01:21:54,706 --> 01:21:56,124
what does it mean to be canonized?
1104
01:21:56,208 --> 01:21:58,669
What does it mean
to be glorified as a saint?
1105
01:21:59,253 --> 01:22:01,547
Well, first of all,
we're all called to be saints,
1106
01:21:59,253 --> 01:22:01,547
Well, first of all,
we're all called to be saints,
1107
01:22:01,630 --> 01:22:03,507
to do everything to the glory of God,
1108
01:22:04,550 --> 01:22:07,219
and virtually, nothing just for yourself,
1109
01:22:07,302 --> 01:22:11,473
for your own selfish needs
or purposes, or honor, or glory.
1110
01:22:11,557 --> 01:22:16,395
Matushka Olga
certainly fit in that category,
1111
01:22:16,478 --> 01:22:18,146
but so did St. Innocent.
1112
01:22:18,647 --> 01:22:20,899
He was a high school graduate.
[laughs softly]
1113
01:22:20,983 --> 01:22:23,110
Father Yakov went off to the boonies
1114
01:22:23,193 --> 01:22:25,821
and never expected
any glory in this world.
1115
01:22:25,904 --> 01:22:28,782
Father Herman retired to the woods
1116
01:22:28,866 --> 01:22:30,993
and never expected to be remembered.
1117
01:22:32,452 --> 01:22:36,081
So when we look at any of our saints,
we see how humble they are.
1118
01:22:36,164 --> 01:22:38,750
They simply do what God gave them to do.
1119
01:22:40,002 --> 01:22:41,461
The path is not theirs.
1120
01:22:41,545 --> 01:22:44,882
St. Innocent says, "The path of the Lord
is directed by the Lord."
1121
01:22:45,632 --> 01:22:47,801
But not all people follow that path.
1122
01:22:48,427 --> 01:22:51,221
We go off on our own way.
We want to have it our way.
1123
01:22:52,264 --> 01:22:54,349
So to accept God's path and God's will,
1124
01:22:54,433 --> 01:22:58,937
and to do, however humble it may be,
what God has set before you,
1125
01:22:59,021 --> 01:23:01,106
that's the path to sanctity.
1126
01:22:59,021 --> 01:23:01,106
that's the path to sanctity.
1127
01:23:01,190 --> 01:23:02,858
It's nothing extraordinary.
1128
01:23:02,941 --> 01:23:05,235
-Matushka hardly ever left her village.
-[pensive music playing]
1129
01:23:06,612 --> 01:23:07,696
What did she do?
1130
01:23:07,779 --> 01:23:09,615
She helped women in childbirth.
1131
01:23:10,532 --> 01:23:13,869
She made socks, and caps, and mittens.
1132
01:23:15,245 --> 01:23:17,748
She went to church. She said her prayers.
1133
01:23:18,916 --> 01:23:21,335
She sang church hymns
and Christmas carols.
1134
01:23:22,002 --> 01:23:25,672
She did nothing extraordinary,
but it was what God gave her to do.
1135
01:23:26,632 --> 01:23:30,344
When we set aside a day
to remember a saint, it's simply that.
1136
01:23:30,427 --> 01:23:32,346
It's not for them. It's for us.
1137
01:23:32,429 --> 01:23:36,767
It's an opportunity to look at
a person's life and say:
1138
01:23:37,643 --> 01:23:38,560
"I can do that.
1139
01:23:38,644 --> 01:23:40,103
[dramatic music playing]
1140
01:23:40,896 --> 01:23:43,565
I can be that kind of wife.
I can be that kind of husband.
1141
01:23:43,649 --> 01:23:45,275
I can be that kind of starosta.
1142
01:23:45,359 --> 01:23:47,653
I can serve God in whatever way
1143
01:23:47,736 --> 01:23:50,489
he's directed and given me
the chance to do.
1144
01:23:50,989 --> 01:23:54,034
And if I do that,
then that's all God expects of me."
1145
01:24:01,875 --> 01:24:07,047
{\an8}So the saints are those who
are given to us as an example to say,
1146
01:24:07,130 --> 01:24:10,843
I think especially
in Matushka Olga's situation,
1147
01:24:10,926 --> 01:24:13,387
you can be forgotten for decades,
1148
01:24:13,470 --> 01:24:15,722
or St. Yakov's situation,
1149
01:24:15,806 --> 01:24:17,808
you can be forgotten for centuries,
1150
01:24:18,851 --> 01:24:21,687
and that doesn't matter
because what people know about,
1151
01:24:21,770 --> 01:24:24,815
or think about, or value on earth
is not significant.
1152
01:24:24,898 --> 01:24:26,942
You did what God gave you to do.
1153
01:24:28,068 --> 01:24:31,488
And now we can hold her up as an example
1154
01:24:31,572 --> 01:24:34,449
because it says to all of us:
1155
01:24:35,284 --> 01:24:39,162
"You also have
your God-given purpose in life.
1156
01:24:39,246 --> 01:24:42,291
Find it and do it,
and that will be your salvation."
1157
01:24:42,374 --> 01:24:44,293
[dramatic music intensifies]
1158
01:24:52,551 --> 01:24:53,844
[music fades]
1159
01:25:18,076 --> 01:25:20,495
[man singing in Indigenous language]
1160
01:26:04,122 --> 01:26:05,749
[emotional music playing]