Eklutna Spirit Houses

Remember Father Yakov? He is the Russian Orthodox Priest at Eklutna.

Settled in 1650, Eklutna is the oldest continually inhabited Athabascan village in the Anchorage area. Captain James Cook reached the village in his 1778 voyage when he explored Upper Cook Inlet. In the early nineteenth century, Catherine the Great of Russia, sent Russian Orthodox missionaries to Eklutna in order to convert the natives.

The colorful little huts you see here are "spirit houses." These are a mix of Russian Orthodox and native funeral practices. Over the deceased grave a small house is placed for the purpose of giving a new home to the soul of the deceased. The spirit houses are painted in the traditional colors of the deceased's family. Sometimes gifts are placed within the spirit houses for the deceased to use. There are a couple of dozen spirit houses in the cemetery near St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Eklutna.

By the way, sadly, Bucky is away. He is visiting scintilla.


Spirit Houses, Eklutna, Alaska