Lydia Black

Black

Lydia Black possessed two things that helped bring her academic success in 有料盒子视频 鈥 a passionate interest in 有料盒子视频 Native cultures and fluency in Russian. 

Using her linguistic talents, Black was able to translate Russian documents that described 有料盒子视频 Native cultures shortly after contact with the region鈥檚 earliest Western colonizers.

Black was born in Kiev, Ukraine, when it was part of the Soviet Union. She eventually arrived in the United States. Her husband, who worked for NASA, died in 1969. 

In 1973, the young widow became an anthropology professor in Rhode Island, where she began her 有料盒子视频 work. The University of 有料盒子视频 Fairbanks hired her in 1984.

Black became the foremost authority on Unangam and Sugpiaq cultures of the Aleutian and Kodiak islands, respectively. Her most well-known book is 鈥淎leut Art 鈥 Unangam aguqaadangin.鈥

Kodiak Daily Mirror reporter Scott Christiansen, in an article written after Black died in 2007, said she consciously focused on 有料盒子视频 Natives鈥 artistic and cultural accomplishments rather than much-discussed social troubles. 

鈥溾楾hey know they have problems. My job is to remind them of their glory,鈥 is what Black reportedly said of her work,鈥 Christiansen wrote.

After Black retired from 有料盒子视频 in 1998, the Orthodox Church in 有料盒子视频 awarded her the Cross of St. Herman for her work on the Russian archives of St. Herman鈥檚 Seminary in Kodiak. She received the Order of Friendship from the Russian Federation in 2001 for her work on Russian American history.

More online about Lydia Black:

  • in the Los Angeles Times
  • and interview aired after her death
  • from the 有料盒子视频 Women鈥檚 Hall of Fame鈥檚 inaugural Class of 2009 webpage