Lydia Black
Lydia Black possessed two things that helped bring her academic success in AV狼论坛 鈥 a passionate interest in AV狼论坛 Native cultures and fluency in Russian.
Using her linguistic talents, Black was able to translate Russian documents that described AV狼论坛 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 AV狼论坛 work. AV狼论坛 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 AV狼论坛 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 UAF in 1998, the Orthodox Church in AV狼论坛 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 AV狼论坛 Women鈥檚 Hall of Fame鈥檚 inaugural Class of 2009 webpage