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The Last Stand of the Raven Clan: A Story of Imperial Ambition, Native Resistance and How the Tlingit-Russian War Shaped a Continent
320 pages, Hardcover
Published October 29, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 2, 2025
A detailed account of the Tlingit-Russian relationship. I would have liked more focus on the Kiks.ádi rather than going into tangents on minor Russian settlers' actions in lands way outside of Sitka (did there really need to be multiple Hawaiian storylines inserted in between the Tlingit and Russian events? seemed like the Hawaiian histories would have been better served as the focus of a completely different book or article, and that space could have then been used to go into greater detail on specific Kiks.ádi figures or captured Russians' fates), but learned about many events I knew nothing of.
March 5, 2025
An excellent bit of history, and I learned a lot.
Russia fought a war in 1802-1804 against the Tlingits, a native Americans indigenous tribe from Alaska. Who knew?
It's underlying cause was the furry sea otter, prized for its ultra-thick fur at a time when rich folks in Russia and China and, well, nearly everywhere, desired to keep warm. They called the fur "soft gold." It was why Russia laid claim to Alaska and had designs on California territory. There's still a former Russian fort in Sonoma, California, where the Russians had a settlement.
It all began in 1741 when Vitus Bering led an expedition and passed by Alaksa. Bering died but his surviving crew reported the presence of sea otters.
From Peter I to Catherine, Russian leadership had designs on an American colony.
Which led to the Russian choice to build a fort and trading post in Tlingit territory in Sitka, which is in the southernmost peninsula, a finger pointing toward California. Sitka is near Juneau.
The authors tell the story of what became known as the Battle of Sitka. There were several battles - including a massacre of another native tribe - that led up to that 1804 battle, which ended with a Russian win, of sorts.
But in a unique move, the displaced Tlinget tribe launched an economic boycott, which included harassing raids.
It's a story well-told by Easter-Vorhees. Although some of the names are unfamiliar and difficult, the authors have plenty of interesting things to say about what might have been and about how a military defeat became a victory for the admirable Tlingits.
Russia fought a war in 1802-1804 against the Tlingits, a native Americans indigenous tribe from Alaska. Who knew?
It's underlying cause was the furry sea otter, prized for its ultra-thick fur at a time when rich folks in Russia and China and, well, nearly everywhere, desired to keep warm. They called the fur "soft gold." It was why Russia laid claim to Alaska and had designs on California territory. There's still a former Russian fort in Sonoma, California, where the Russians had a settlement.
It all began in 1741 when Vitus Bering led an expedition and passed by Alaksa. Bering died but his surviving crew reported the presence of sea otters.
From Peter I to Catherine, Russian leadership had designs on an American colony.
Which led to the Russian choice to build a fort and trading post in Tlingit territory in Sitka, which is in the southernmost peninsula, a finger pointing toward California. Sitka is near Juneau.
The authors tell the story of what became known as the Battle of Sitka. There were several battles - including a massacre of another native tribe - that led up to that 1804 battle, which ended with a Russian win, of sorts.
But in a unique move, the displaced Tlinget tribe launched an economic boycott, which included harassing raids.
It's a story well-told by Easter-Vorhees. Although some of the names are unfamiliar and difficult, the authors have plenty of interesting things to say about what might have been and about how a military defeat became a victory for the admirable Tlingits.
February 7, 2025
Superb history centering around the 1804 Battle of Sitka, which would be in our history books except it wasn't against Americans or British, but against Russians. What makes this book so great is how holistic a picture it is of the culture that spawned the Russian explorers and the culture that spawned the Native American defenders. There's some archeology, but it is mostly interviews with Tlingit historians and descendants that provide the interesting color to this canvas. Women's contributions figure equally. This way the reader acquires a picture of just how advanced was the civilization regarded by the Europeans as savage, how complex their society and laws, and the stage is set. It isn't a noble savage story, though - the authors are frank, for instance, about slavery, carried on in "one far corner of the United States" more than 20 years after the end of the Civil War. But the details of fort building, women's weaving, men's carving, design of armor, even the game of devilfish sticks, gives the story understanding. On the Russian side, I had to marvel at the distances these explorers covered and with such low tech. Too bad about their mindset - they only came to loot - they could have learned much from the people they encountered and still made money without decimating the animals. I loved the mention of the Russian ship visiting the Presidio, only able to communicate because a German naturalist on board and a local Franciscan friar both knew Latin. It was chilling to read about the Beaver Prow winding up at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC (fortunately now returned) - if it was on display, I must have seen it several times. Regardless of how it was described by AMNH, never could I have come away understanding its real importance.
December 30, 2024
Excellent true story of the Tlingit war with the Russian Empire.
December 13, 2024
Well written coverage of a little known history.
December 21, 2024
This book is incredibly engaging and well researched. The authors have a particular gift for transporting you into different time periods, and I felt fully immersed in the story as it was told. This is a part of history that needs to be better known, and this book presents it very well.
November 3, 2024
In the history of conflict between Indigenous North Americans and the colonialist European powers in the 18th and 19th centuries, the far Northwest coast of the continent is not usually talked about. But it's the site of the only real military conflict that prevented a major colonization effort from taking place.
Without the Tlingit people of Sitka, Alaska, fighting the Russian colonizers, there could easily have been a major Russian colonization of the entire West Coast down to California. The Imperial Russian Empire had plans to do it in the middle 1700s before European presence on the West Coast was well established. But they ran into a roadblock at Sitka.
Sitka was to be the trading center of Russian North America, closer to Russia than elsewhere down the coast. Alexander Baranov firmly believed that he could make it happen, and spent 25 years in Alaska trying to make it so.
In 1802 the Tlingits fought back. With help from all their tribes around the region, they surprised a Russian attempt to take Sitka, driving the Russians back into the sea. They knew there would be retribution though, and prepared for it by building a surprisingly sturdy wooden fortress that resisted naval bombardment when the Russians returned in 1804. However, they knew they couldn't hold out there, so abandoned the fort and fled to the other side of the island where they suffered great hardship, but were helped by fellow Tlingit.
This is where it gets interesting. The Russians were there, of course, for economic reasons – sea otter pelts were 'soft gold', prized in China and Europe. All seafaring nations had a hand in wiping out the sea otter harvest, but Russia was there first and thought they would continue by expanding down the coast. The Tlingit, although displaced from Sitka, knew the Russians needed the colony to be profitable, so started an economic boycott – telling all the tribes in the area not to sell to the Russians, and inviting the Americans to establish trading posts for Native sales. It was an effective campaign. The Russians finally gave it up and pulled out of Sitka in the early 19th century, and of course sold their stake in Alaska to the US later. It turned out to be one of the most important land sales the US completed, along with the Louisiana Purchase.
The Russians had bad luck as well. They had a settlement in Bodega Bay (near what is now the Russian River), but Spain was pushing into that territory and the Russians weren't able to maintain it. They sold it in 1841 to John Sutter, thus missing out on the California Gold Rush by less than ten years. They also lost out on the rich mineral findings (including gold) later in the 19th century in Alaska.
So that's a pocket history you can read on Wikipedia. How does this book read? It's very readable, focusing on a few key people on both sides, making the past come alive. The author also spoke with a number of Tlingit in Sitka today, who have their own version of the events.
Unlike the continental US, the Alaskan natives were never truly displaced. As the Tlingit elders say, they are still in Sitka today, but the Russians are gone.
Without the Tlingit people of Sitka, Alaska, fighting the Russian colonizers, there could easily have been a major Russian colonization of the entire West Coast down to California. The Imperial Russian Empire had plans to do it in the middle 1700s before European presence on the West Coast was well established. But they ran into a roadblock at Sitka.
Sitka was to be the trading center of Russian North America, closer to Russia than elsewhere down the coast. Alexander Baranov firmly believed that he could make it happen, and spent 25 years in Alaska trying to make it so.
In 1802 the Tlingits fought back. With help from all their tribes around the region, they surprised a Russian attempt to take Sitka, driving the Russians back into the sea. They knew there would be retribution though, and prepared for it by building a surprisingly sturdy wooden fortress that resisted naval bombardment when the Russians returned in 1804. However, they knew they couldn't hold out there, so abandoned the fort and fled to the other side of the island where they suffered great hardship, but were helped by fellow Tlingit.
This is where it gets interesting. The Russians were there, of course, for economic reasons – sea otter pelts were 'soft gold', prized in China and Europe. All seafaring nations had a hand in wiping out the sea otter harvest, but Russia was there first and thought they would continue by expanding down the coast. The Tlingit, although displaced from Sitka, knew the Russians needed the colony to be profitable, so started an economic boycott – telling all the tribes in the area not to sell to the Russians, and inviting the Americans to establish trading posts for Native sales. It was an effective campaign. The Russians finally gave it up and pulled out of Sitka in the early 19th century, and of course sold their stake in Alaska to the US later. It turned out to be one of the most important land sales the US completed, along with the Louisiana Purchase.
The Russians had bad luck as well. They had a settlement in Bodega Bay (near what is now the Russian River), but Spain was pushing into that territory and the Russians weren't able to maintain it. They sold it in 1841 to John Sutter, thus missing out on the California Gold Rush by less than ten years. They also lost out on the rich mineral findings (including gold) later in the 19th century in Alaska.
So that's a pocket history you can read on Wikipedia. How does this book read? It's very readable, focusing on a few key people on both sides, making the past come alive. The author also spoke with a number of Tlingit in Sitka today, who have their own version of the events.
Unlike the continental US, the Alaskan natives were never truly displaced. As the Tlingit elders say, they are still in Sitka today, but the Russians are gone.
December 2, 2025
The events described in The Last Stand of the Raven Clan took place in and around Sitka, a small town on Baranof Island, Alaska, located near British Columbia on traditional Tlingit land. Today it’s mainly a tourist stop on the Alaska Ferry route.
I had vaguely known that Tlingit warriors gave Russian traders in Alaska a real run for their money in a series of running battles in the early nineteenth century, but this book gave me a wealth of valuable context and details.
There is little accessible writing on this conflict. Russia denies an imperialist history, with Foreign Minister Lavrov recently stating it has “not stained itself with the bloody crimes of colonialism,” (https://tinyurl.com/2c8a94x2) no doubt to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s great surprise. Meanwhile, Americans largely overlook Tlingit history, though clan leader K’alyáan’s role in the 1802 uprisings rivals that of figures like Crazy Horse or Sitting Bull.
Non-native residents of Sitka recently erected a statue to Alexander Baronov, manager of the Russian American Company, the man most responsible for terrorizing Alaskan native communities. The Tligit petitioned the local Assembly and were able to have the statue moved from a prominent public space to a small museum. Even then, one Assembly member said “Maybe we should remove the totem poles and the war canoes… When is this going to end, if you don’t like our [sic] town there are other places that might make you happier” (https://tinyurl.com/yc6758wf).
As Easter & Vorhees conclude: “The Tlingit-Russian conflict marks the only time that Russia has ever been at war in North America. In this contest, Russia could not defeat the Tlingit. Consequently, the Russians could never gain a secure foothold on the continent and the dream of a West Coast Russian-American empire was dashed.” Well worth the read.
I had vaguely known that Tlingit warriors gave Russian traders in Alaska a real run for their money in a series of running battles in the early nineteenth century, but this book gave me a wealth of valuable context and details.
There is little accessible writing on this conflict. Russia denies an imperialist history, with Foreign Minister Lavrov recently stating it has “not stained itself with the bloody crimes of colonialism,” (https://tinyurl.com/2c8a94x2) no doubt to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s great surprise. Meanwhile, Americans largely overlook Tlingit history, though clan leader K’alyáan’s role in the 1802 uprisings rivals that of figures like Crazy Horse or Sitting Bull.
Non-native residents of Sitka recently erected a statue to Alexander Baronov, manager of the Russian American Company, the man most responsible for terrorizing Alaskan native communities. The Tligit petitioned the local Assembly and were able to have the statue moved from a prominent public space to a small museum. Even then, one Assembly member said “Maybe we should remove the totem poles and the war canoes… When is this going to end, if you don’t like our [sic] town there are other places that might make you happier” (https://tinyurl.com/yc6758wf).
As Easter & Vorhees conclude: “The Tlingit-Russian conflict marks the only time that Russia has ever been at war in North America. In this contest, Russia could not defeat the Tlingit. Consequently, the Russians could never gain a secure foothold on the continent and the dream of a West Coast Russian-American empire was dashed.” Well worth the read.
September 4, 2025
I read this book quickly, and had to skip around a bit, so I can't really give a really comprehensive review. But here's some assorted thoughts. It's not easy to find much information on the subjects that this book covers, so I certainly appreciated what I gleaned from it.
I think my worldview would differ quite a bit from that of the authors, but as with a lot of detailed books in which the authors aren't consciously trying to cover up the facts, little facts were dropped here and there that, to me, were very revealing.
One thing that is clearly stated in the footnote is that a lot of the quotes used are coming from oral histories taken long after the event. While oral histories have their place, I think a more critical eye would have been appropriate, and I don't know that we can really trust that we have verbatim quotes preserved in oral history for 200 years.
This book uses what it seems is a new phonetic script for the original Tlingit, but this makes it unpronounceable for those of us who have not been taught it. How am I supposed to read a word with a period in the middle?
After every chapter was a page or two devoted to an asside or rabbit trial, an interesting way to handle those things that always come up.
Part of the author's thesis is that the Tlingit put a damper on Russian expansion at the Battle of Sitka, but I was unconvinced. The Battle of Sitka was a clear defeat for the Tlingit. While Tlingit power certainly constrained the Russians, that wasn't because of the Battle of Sitka, it was a factor before and after, and the battle weakened the Tlingit, not strengthened them.
I think my worldview would differ quite a bit from that of the authors, but as with a lot of detailed books in which the authors aren't consciously trying to cover up the facts, little facts were dropped here and there that, to me, were very revealing.
One thing that is clearly stated in the footnote is that a lot of the quotes used are coming from oral histories taken long after the event. While oral histories have their place, I think a more critical eye would have been appropriate, and I don't know that we can really trust that we have verbatim quotes preserved in oral history for 200 years.
This book uses what it seems is a new phonetic script for the original Tlingit, but this makes it unpronounceable for those of us who have not been taught it. How am I supposed to read a word with a period in the middle?
After every chapter was a page or two devoted to an asside or rabbit trial, an interesting way to handle those things that always come up.
Part of the author's thesis is that the Tlingit put a damper on Russian expansion at the Battle of Sitka, but I was unconvinced. The Battle of Sitka was a clear defeat for the Tlingit. While Tlingit power certainly constrained the Russians, that wasn't because of the Battle of Sitka, it was a factor before and after, and the battle weakened the Tlingit, not strengthened them.
April 23, 2025
A highly fascinating account of the colonial history of the last frontier…
The Last Stand of the Raven Clan: A Story of Imperial Ambition, Native Resistance and How the Tlingit-Russian War Shaped a Continent by Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees covers Russian imperialism in Alaska…
Starting with Peter the Great, this book does a wonderful job covering Alaska history prior to during and after Russian arrival.
The Tlingit are the native group that gets the biggest coverage (with various groups, customs, and settlements covered).
We also get a large amount on the early Russian explorers, traders, and would be leaders of the Russian colony…
A majority of the book covers the contribute between the Russians and the Tlingit (along with other tribes), but we also get a good look at what life in the “colony” was like.
We learn about Russian “creoles” (their own Russian-indigenous mixed race members), the important of the otter and sea trade, Russian involvement in Hawaii and California, and even a closing chapter on the reasons for Seward’s Folly (though that name isn’t actually used).
Just a wonderful informative book, though I could have gone for more maps…
The Last Stand of the Raven Clan: A Story of Imperial Ambition, Native Resistance and How the Tlingit-Russian War Shaped a Continent by Gerald Easter and Mara Vorhees covers Russian imperialism in Alaska…
Starting with Peter the Great, this book does a wonderful job covering Alaska history prior to during and after Russian arrival.
The Tlingit are the native group that gets the biggest coverage (with various groups, customs, and settlements covered).
We also get a large amount on the early Russian explorers, traders, and would be leaders of the Russian colony…
A majority of the book covers the contribute between the Russians and the Tlingit (along with other tribes), but we also get a good look at what life in the “colony” was like.
We learn about Russian “creoles” (their own Russian-indigenous mixed race members), the important of the otter and sea trade, Russian involvement in Hawaii and California, and even a closing chapter on the reasons for Seward’s Folly (though that name isn’t actually used).
Just a wonderful informative book, though I could have gone for more maps…
August 21, 2025
Really well-researched deep dive into the clash between Lingít and Russian peoples. I was really appreciative of how much the authors take from the Russian literature and blend it with Lingít oral histories and historical tradition. It is fascinating to see how these events played into the geopolitical world of the time, all the while representing as best they can the perspectives of those most—and still–affected by it in the Sheet’ka Kwaan Kiks.ádi.
There are some Lingít orthographic errors that should be revised when possible, and it would probably be good to expound some more using a few archival materials that are harder to find (e.g. those at NPS), but all in all an accessible way to read through these episodes of history while prioritizing an Indigenous lens. I would recommend augmenting this book with the oral histories from community members themselves as the primary source, but not bad for two outsiders in my opinion! 4.3.
There are some Lingít orthographic errors that should be revised when possible, and it would probably be good to expound some more using a few archival materials that are harder to find (e.g. those at NPS), but all in all an accessible way to read through these episodes of history while prioritizing an Indigenous lens. I would recommend augmenting this book with the oral histories from community members themselves as the primary source, but not bad for two outsiders in my opinion! 4.3.
December 11, 2025
I learned a great deal about the Tlingit-Russian war that I previously had no idea about. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the way this incredible story was told. It was difficult to stay engaged with so many characters that the authors chose to focus on intermittently. I also found myself continually trying to grasp why they chose to go back and forth so much rather than tell this tale more straight-forwardly. This is an important part of our country's history and, like so many of the Native Americans plight, the Tlinget were taken advantage of by the colonists. Had the Russians been more successful and stayed longer, Alaska would not have become a U.S. state.
November 12, 2024
An excellent history! The authors neither ignore details/sources or get lost in those details. Some scenes were written so well that it felt like I was watching an HBO drama (get on that, will you?). The balance of power between Tlingit and their Russia adversaries was fascinating to follow. The connections between past and present helped bring the text alive. I learned so much! Great for history lovers and non-history folks alike.
May 10, 2025
I had no idea about this part of Russian/American history or the impact the native Alaskan Tlingit tribe had on shaping modern day Alaska and ensuring there was no Russian control of land on the Pacific Coast of North America! Really great read and a reminder that not all great powers succeed in what they set out to accomplish! I look forward to visiting K’alyaan’s pole when I visit Alaska to be able to connect first hand with this amazing piece of history!
August 4, 2025
Liked:
- learning more about the Tlingit and Aluutiq histories
- leaning more about what frontier life was like
- learning more about the Russian history in Alaska and the complicated relationship with the native Americans. Not just the ‘good vs evil’ trope of Dances with Wolves
- fast pace
Disliked
- not much - all around great book
- would have wanted more on the modern state of the Tlingit tribes
- learning more about the Tlingit and Aluutiq histories
- leaning more about what frontier life was like
- learning more about the Russian history in Alaska and the complicated relationship with the native Americans. Not just the ‘good vs evil’ trope of Dances with Wolves
- fast pace
Disliked
- not much - all around great book
- would have wanted more on the modern state of the Tlingit tribes
February 2, 2025
Fascinating history that gave me many new insights.
May 1, 2025
Fascinating
January 21, 2026
Main takeaway, Russia, as an imperial and colonial power, is defeatable. Very well-written, and appears to be balanced (with a slight bias towards the Tlingit side) in its assessment of the events.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews