Russian Orthodox Church in Akutan, ALASKA 2024 Pt. 18

We arrived at Akutan about 8:30 in the evening and were greeted by some of the local women and girls dressed in celebrative native costume and they performed a dance for the ferry riders. It’s just me, but I was embarrassed by this appeal to the tourists, because as the announcement said that came over the ferry intercom, they welcomed contributions. So, rather than join the crowd, I walked by myself to the Orthodox Church. Then when the dancing ended and the other ferry riders started toward the church, I went over to where the dancers were and talked to them a short while. They were also selling some jewelry that they made. I don’t actually fault the local people for taking the opportunity to make a little money from sharing from their culture. It’s just that the situation felt really awkward. You can see other videos of the performance. It occurred to me that this is a lot like what happens in other Pacific islands that are a state on the US--the hula performances in Hawaii. And another connection. There’s a river in northern AK flowing into the Arctic Ocean named Hulahula, the name given by homesick Hawaiians who for some reason had been in that region. Note how large the ferry looks in this context. It only comes to Akutan in the summer months and twice a month.