The North Star Catholic / Alaska names new museum after Aleut-Russian priest

CatholicAnchor.org
Alaskan Orthodox priest Father Andrew Petrovich Kashevaroff (1863-1940) is the namesake of the new Alaska state musueum in downtown Juneau.

Father Kashevaroff was an Alaskan-born priest of Russian and Native Alaskan heritage who served the Orthodox Church for more than 60 years throughout Alaska. He was also the first librarian and curator of the Alaska Historical Museum and Library when it relocated to Juneau in 1919. During this time he collected thousands of items for the museum, providing a unique and valuable insight into Alaskan history and preserving many key aspects of Alaska Native culture.

Father Kashevaroff was born on Kodiak island to a priestly family. The Kashevaroffs first came to Alaska around 1820 when it was still a Russian territory. Both Father Kashevaroff’s father and grandfather served as missionary priests. As a boy he was schooled in San Francisco, and thus spoke both Aleut and Russian as well as English. He later learned some Tlingit. He was also a very gifted in choral singing, violin, organ and piano. After studying in San Francisco, he returned to Alaska in 1880 and worked for the Orthodox Church in Sitka.

In 1893, following the Orthodox custom of allowing their priests to marry, we wed Martha Bolshanin, a Tlingit of Sitka. Together they had six children. After serving in Nuchek, Father Kashevaroff was transferred to Kodiak. In 1900 he return to minister in Sitka where he was the director of the Innokenti School and serve as choir director. He and his wife made their final move to Juneau in 1912, where both spent the rest of their lives.

Over the course of his ministry Father Kashevaroff was regarded as a well-loved priest. In the early years, as a teacher, he taught his students English — an important skill as the Alaska territory had switched from Russian to American hands. Additionally, singing was of particular importance to the Tlingit people, and Father Kashevaroff directed and enabled the Tlingit to sing the liturgy in their own tongues, even establishing a special children’s choir in 1889.

In 1919 Father Kashevaroff became involved with the Library and Museum in Juneau. Understanding that Alaska’s heritage was something truly unique, he set out to build a museum collection that would preserve the story of Alaska and its peoples. His knowledge and understanding of Alaska were unparalled. With his diverse background, he understood the Russian and Native Alaskan aspects of the culture, but was also comfortable as an American. Father Kashevaroff served as museum curator until his death in 1940.