In 1733, the ships “St. Paul” and “St. Peter”, under the leadership of Alexei Chirikov and Vitus Bering, set off on the Second Kamchatka Expedition. Mariners were looking for a cheap trade route to North America through the northern seas and find islands in this part of the Pacific Ocean.
In 1741, Vitus Bering reached the western shores of the Commander Archipelago. The travelers decided to return to the mainland, but the ship washed up on one of the islands. Vitus Bering died here from hunger and disease; today the island is named after the traveler.
The expedition members returned to the mainland a year later. A year later, the development of the commander’s lands began. Emelyan Basov was the first to go to the archipelago. In 1743, he discovered native copper on one of the islands. The island was named Medny.
Toporkov Island was named after the Toporkov bird, which has unusual plumage and an orange beak that resembles an axe. The smallest island, Ariy Kamen, was named after the guillemot bird, which settles here in large colonies and forms a “bird market”.
Population of the Commander Islands
After the discovery of the Commander Archipelago, Russian hunters temporarily settled on the islands, who came here for fur hunting. In 1825–1826, Aleut and Creole families were brought from the islands of Atha and Attu to the Commanders. They became the first permanent residents of the Commander Islands. In subsequent years, Eskimos, Indians, Russians, Kamchadals and Ainu settled on the islands.
Flora and fauna of the Commander Islands
In 1993, the Commander Nature Reserve was created on the territory of the Commander Islands to preserve and study the nature of the archipelago. Today, the reserve protects nesting areas of rare bird species, large rookeries of marine mammals, and a unique population of blue fox.
Some representatives of the island flora and fauna are listed in the Red Book. Among the animals are the northern sea otter and toothed whale, peregrine falcon and Steineger's seal, gyrfalcon and Mednovsky blue fox.
Historical and archaeological monuments of the 18th–19th centuries are also under state protection: the remains of an ancient Aleutian cemetery of the 19th century, a tombstone on the grave of the famous Russian scientist Alexander Chersky, the Steller Arch, traces of the site of the Second Kamchatka Expedition of Vitus Bering.
The Commander Islands are four islands, lost near Kamchatka, which have a large number of unique features that set them apart from a number of other similar objects. The Commander Islands are the only piece of land left to Russia from Alaska, because they are part of the island arc of the Aleutian Islands, even though the nearest one is almost 400 km away. They were first discovered during the second Kamchatka expedition in 1741 under the command of Vitus Bering, and the largest of them, where the great Russian explorer was buried, was named in his honor.
Despite the fact that the islands lie in the far north, they are a paradise for lovers of everything new and unusual. There is no scorching sun and sea beaches here, but there are treasures of a completely different kind: natural nature, unique animals and plants, as well as the preserved culture of the Aleutian peoples.
Nayushka Bay, Bering Island 
Reserve
Despite their distance from industrial centers, after discovery by human hands, natural resources were literally sucked from the islands at an astronomical rate. In the 19th century, people did not care about the preservation of natural resources, not caring at all about their replenishment, which almost led to the extinction of many species in these parts. First of all, this applies to marine animals, such as killer whales, fur seals, and furs were also mined in huge volumes. Only after many species were on the verge of complete destruction did people slightly moderate their ardor in developing the northern riches.
The creation of a protected area was first discussed in the 20th century; in 1958, a thirty-kilometer restricted fishing zone was created around the archipelago. However, a lot of time passed before the creation of the reserve and it was created only in April 1993. The man finally began to restore what he had almost destroyed.
The fauna of the islands is very rich, and is represented primarily by birds and mammals, more than 40 species of which are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The most representative species on the islands is the fur seal, whose population numbers more than 200 thousand individuals, and the most unique local residents are whales, the diversity of which includes 21 species.
one of the easternmost churches in Russia - the Church of St. Nicholas 
Aborigines
Aborigines? Are they even on these islands, because until the beginning of the 19th century they were uninhabited. In those distant times, the Commander Islands belonged to the Russian-American Colonial Company (RCA), and due to their remoteness, they began to develop quite late. The first temporary settlements began to appear only 60 years after their discovery, and they consisted of only a couple of dozen hunters. People did not want to go to such a remote area, even if it promised great benefits. However, the times were quite wild and the heads of colonial companies, greedy for profit, put indigenous peoples not much above animals. The leaders of the RKA acted on this principle, deciding that if the Russians did not want to go to the commanders, then it was necessary to settle “locals” there.
In the first half, the Aleutian Islands and Alaska belonged to Russia, and the local peoples of the Aleuts and Creoles were perfectly suited for the mission of developing the islands, and in 1825 the first batches of Eskimos from the Aleutian Islands arrived on the island, and a year later there were already more than a hundred of them.
However, the leadership of the RKA did not stop there, because the development of these places promised great profits, and began to allow its former employees, whose contracts were ending, to settle here. And thus, by the mid-60s of the 19th century, the population exceeded 600 people, of which no more than 10% were Russians.
However, along with the rapid development of industry, the development of remote northern regions became less and less profitable, and the maintenance of the RKA did not bring significant dividends to the treasury, and in 1867 Alaska and the Alueta Islands were sold to the United States. Is it funny to say that, for example, mail took more than three months to reach Alaska. By the beginning of the 20th century, the colony was becoming increasingly desolate, and there was no need to talk about development. Local residents lived exclusively by subsistence farming, fishing and hunting.
The coming Soviet government breathed new life into these regions. A state farm was organized on the islands, and local residents received greater rights of self-government. However, there was another side to the coin in the approach of the Soviets, namely the gradual extinction of spiritual and cultural heritage ancestors, which began to revive only in the last two decades. The local population speaks Russian and also adopted Orthodoxy, and much of the heritage of their ancestors was lost and is being recreated almost from scratch.
The Aluetians can safely be called the aborigines of the Commander Islands, because they carried and preserved the traditions of the peoples of the Aluet Islands and Alaska. However, they called themselves somewhat differently: Saksinnan and Unangan, and their current name appeared in the process of mixing Creoles, Russians and other small nationalities.
Preobrazhenskaya Bay, Medny Island, Commander Islands 
Nikolskoye village
The capital of the Commander Islands is a single village called Nikolskoye, which is a small port town where people live by fishing and extracting the gifts of nature. The population of Nikolskoye is only 600 people, but to maintain the natural balance and preserve nature in this region, no more is needed. Most of the population are Aleuts, this is the only place in Russia where they live. Until 2009, the population was rapidly decreasing, but in the last 5 years it has increased again.
There are very few attractions in the village itself. Like everywhere else, there is a local history museum, where you can learn in detail about the history of the development of the archipelagos, about local peoples and their traditions, about local crafts.
Where is. How to get there and what to see
There is only one way to get to the islands, from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The best option to visit the islands is tourist group with a guide, since there are no hotels or inns here. Driving here on your own is not the best the best option, due to the wildlife in these places and large areas of protected areas.
The first and most important thing worth going to the Islands for is the unique, preserved nature. The human presence here is practically not felt, because the population does not even reach a thousand. Nature has collected everything on the islands: beautiful views, natural attractions and very interesting animals, for example, if you’re lucky, you can see a whale and admire the size of the largest mammal.
Also on the islands you can get acquainted with the unique northern culture, which has been recreated in recent years. A cultural center of the Aleuts was built here, where you can see dances and costumes and the history of the people. There is also a local history museum here, which contains many exhibits telling about this region.
But pity the most important distinctive feature of a holiday on the Commanders is complete detachment from civilization. It is much easier to be alone in nature here than in any other place on earth.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMMANDER ISLANDS
The Commander Islands are an archipelago of four islands in the southwestern Bering Sea of the Pacific Ocean. Administratively they are part of the Aleutian region of the Kamchatka Territory of Russia. The islands are named after the navigator Commander Vitus Bering who discovered them in 1741. On the largest of them, Bering Island, there is the navigator’s grave. The Commander Islands are a place of mixture of Russian and Aleutian cultures. They have huge potential for the development of northern tourism.
The first Europeans to visit the Commander Islands are considered to be members of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, who crashed near Bering Island in 1741. Medny Island was discovered by industrialist Emelyan Basov, who gave it this name.
Publications about the natural resources of the islands began to appear at the end of the 18th century.
The Commander Islands are the western tip of the Aleutian island arc and are separated from the Aleutian Islands by the Near Strait, about 370 km wide. The total area of the archipelago is 1848 km². It is located on the border of the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, 200 km east of the Kamchatka Peninsula, from which it is separated by the Kamchatka Strait. Bering and Medny Islands are separated by the Admiral Kuznetsov Strait.
Cape Tolstoy, Bering Island, Commander Islands 
The archipelago includes:
Large islands:
Bering
Copper
Small islands and rocks:
around Bering Island:
Toporkov
Arius Stone
Aleut stone
Stone Nadvodny (Emelyanovsky)
Half Stone (Half)
Stone Steller
around Medny Island:
Beaver stones
Waxmuth Stone
Kekur Ship Pillar
Steller's Stone
Steller's Stone East
as well as a number of unnamed rocks.
Nikolskoye village - the capital of the Commander Islands 
Geology and relief
The islands are composed mainly of basalts and andesites. Like neighboring regions of the Far East, the archipelago is prone to strong earthquakes. The relief of the islands is mountainous. Maximum height up to 751 m. Coastline rocky, slightly rugged.
Climate
The climate is oceanic with cool summers and mild winters. The average temperature in August is +10 °C, in February -4 °C. Absolute minimums are observed in February. They are −18 °C for the island. Bering and −24 °C for the island. Copper. The highest temperatures were observed in August: +23 °C for the island. Bering and +24 °C for the island. Copper. Average annual temperatures are positive and amount to +2.1 °C for the island. Bering, +2.8 °C for the island. Copper. Precipitation falls up to 500 mm per year. Ocean waters It doesn't freeze around the islands.
Flora
Forb and grass-forb meadows and mountain-tundra vegetation predominate; tall forests are absent. In the valleys, especially on the island. Bering, floodplain thickets of willows are common, reaching a height of 3.5 m (the valley of the Polovina River). There are associations with the participation of elderberry rowan, shrub birch, rose hips, juniper, oval-leaved blueberry, golden rhododendron, etc. The composition of large grasses includes sweet hogweed, reed grass, shelomaynik (Kamchatka meadowsweet), aconite and some other species.
Commander Islands - remains of a sea whale 
Fauna
The terrestrial fauna is quite poor and is represented by only 6 species of mammals, of which the only native species is the blue fox, represented on the islands by two subspecies (Bering and Mednov). The remaining mammals are introduced: the gray rat, the house mouse, the red vole, the American mink and the reindeer. Attempts to acclimatize reindeer have been made repeatedly since 1882; the current population numbers 1200-1500 animals. The fauna of marine mammals is most clearly represented on the islands - the waters surrounding the islands are inhabited by Steller sea lion, fur seal, sea otter, island antur seal and many species of cetaceans: sperm whale, killer whale, beaked whale, dolphins, porpoises, minke whale, sei whale, fin whale, humpback whale, Japanese whale, etc. Rookeries and bird colonies are numerous.
Nikolskoye village in a winter snowstorm 
Economic activity
The population (Russians, Aleuts and Russian Creoles) are mainly engaged in marine fishing, as well as the rationed slaughter of fur seals and the breeding of blue fox.
In 1993, the Commander State Reserve was founded on the islands.
Administratively, the islands make up the Aleutian region.
The village of Nikolskoye on the island. Bering is the only one locality islands. The population according to the 2010 census is 676 people.
Sphinx rock, Bering Island 
COMMANDER ISLANDS - WHY ARE THEY SO UNIQUE?
Historical aspect:
Currently, the Commander Islands are better known as Bering Island and Medny Island. This small archipelago played an exceptional role in the fate of the Second Kamchatka Expedition, when in 1741 it went to the North Pacific Ocean to search for the strait separating the two continents: Asia and America.
After the discovery of the American continent and the Aleutian Islands, the ship, led by the head of the expedition, Vitus Bering, crashed near an unknown island. After a difficult winter on an uninhabited island and the death of Captain-Commander Bering, the islands in his memory and honor were named Commander Islands.
Ethnic and archaeological aspects:
After the discovery of new lands inhabited by indigenous people, the islands and coasts began to be intensively developed by Russian fishing expeditions.
They resettled part of the Aleuts from the islands of Atka and Attu (Aleutian Islands) to the previously uninhabited Commander Islands to hunt sea animals (sea otters, seals, arctic foxes). This happened at the beginning of the 19th century. The indigenous population intensively mixed with Russian and other peoples for decades. Thus, a unique Creole ethnic group was formed on the Commanders. In terms of its linguistic and cultural traditions, this diaspora of a Creole character is extremely original and unique. The unique human cemetery on Medny Island serves as the cultural heritage of this ethnic group and the memory of the past. In the same context, there is a memorial complex in Komandor Bay (Bering Island), where the graves of Vitus Bering and his comrades are located, archaeological excavations winter camp his teams, memorial structures of later years.
Currently, the population of the Aleutian population is concentrated in the only village of Nikolskoye on Bering Island and numbers no more than 600 people.
This is the only territory of compact settlement of Aleuts in Russia.
fur seal rookery Commander Islands 
Biological (biodiversity) aspect:
As is well known, the waters of the North Pacific Ocean (between Russia and the USA) are one of the most biologically productive areas of our planet. But only on the Commander Islands is this unique situation fully represented. The main reason for this lies in the unique originality and combinations of geological and hydrological factors. Ice cover never forms around the Commander Islands, due to the powerful influence of warm temperatures. sea currents from the Sea of Japan. Also, giant and very active underwater volcanoes were discovered near the islands. All this together formed the most favorable physical environment for the rapid development of zoo- and phytoplankton, which form an ideal environment for the development of other, more high level, organisms in an ecosystem. Therefore, in the coastal part of the island we find incredible and the richest species diversity of seaweed in the world. Their biomass is also huge.
The coastal waters of the islands also serve as successful reproductive sites for many species of invertebrates and fish.
In addition, geographically, the Commander Islands are the point that connects two continents - Asia and America. This factor formed an amazing combination and combination of flora and fauna of both continents in such a small area.
The islands are important elements on the migration routes and habitats of more than 21 species of cetaceans, fur seals, sea lions, sea otters, true seals and 189 species of birds.
The plant and tundra biocenoses are also completely unique.
Many of these animal and plant species have become rare and are on the verge of extinction.
killer whales near Bering Island 
Ecological and environmental aspects:
The history of the development of the Commander Islands, as well as the entire waters of the Bering Sea, is full of drama and predatory maximalism on the part of man. Within 27 years after the discovery of the islands, Steller's Cow was destroyed. By the beginning of the 18th century, the sea otter, fur seal and sea lion were on the verge of extinction.
Since 1958, the USSR government introduced a strict ban on fishing in a 30-mile zone around the islands. This ban continues to this day, which has made it possible to preserve bottom biocenoses in a more or less natural state. In fact, this is the only water area in the North Pacific Ocean that is not affected by the destructive influence of the industrial industry.
In 1993, a nature reserve of federal significance was organized on the Commander Islands. At the end of 2002, it was given the status of a “Biosphere Reserve” under the control of UNESCO.
All these efforts to preserve the ecosystem of the islands, especially now, are extremely important for the peoples of Russia, the USA, Korea, Japan, China and Canada.
That is why, especially at official meetings between US and Russian government delegations, the key role of the Commander in preserving and understanding the development of the Bering Sea ecosystem as a whole was repeatedly noted.
Human aspect and spiritual perception:
Over the past 10 years, the Commander Islands have become more and more accessible to people seeking and enjoying the beauty of living Nature. Ecological excursions have become increasingly accessible to all people in the region.
Among the thousands of tourists, there is not a single one who would be disappointed (USA, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, Switzerland, South Africa).
The beauty of nature is so beneficial and God-influential that many, many strive to return and take an active part in preserving this unique corner of the Earth, given to us by God throughout the ages!
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the Islands (blessing of infants) 
WHY ARE THE COMMAND ISLANDS STILL IN DANGER?
Against the backdrop of threatening and rapid declines in the populations of sea otters, sea lions, some species of whales, native populations of arctic foxes and fish, general concern for maintaining the sustainable balance of the Bering Sea ecosystem is growing in all countries.
These facts clearly show everyone that the moment has come when the natural ecosystem of the sea is uncontrollably degrading. These processes may be irreversible.
That is why the Commander Islands, having unique natural features and a consistently increasing social status for the conservation of sustainable biodiversity, could play a key role in understanding most of the negative trends in the Bering Sea.
Moreover, islands and protected waters could become a source of restoration of natural resources and ecosystem components.
Meanwhile, the factor of illegal fishing of fish and invertebrates, sea otters and seals, on the Commanders has increased sharply. All this is happening in conditions of a severe crisis in the political and economic system of the former USSR.
The Russian government is not able to fully finance and protect the Commander Islands and the reserve.
Over the past 10 years, cases of violations of fishing laws by the Japanese and Russian fishing fleets have increased sharply.
All this threatens with the irreparable loss of almost the last corner of the natural ecosystem of the Bering Sea, and forces all sensible people to show great will and determination to protect the island biocenoses.
The ideas of creating international research monitoring stations, model systems for sustainable development and joint conservation have taken on real shape in recent years.
winter hut, Bering Island 
BERING ISLAND
Bering Island is the largest island in the Commander Islands. Located east of the Kamchatka Peninsula, from which it is separated by the Kamchatka Strait, connecting the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Administratively, the island is part of the Aleutian region of the Kamchatka Territory of Russia. The grave of Vitus Bering is located on the island
Bering Island is located several tens of kilometers from Medny Island, from which it is separated by the Admiral Kuznetsov Strait. The island is about 90 km long and 24 km wide. Geographic coordinates 55°00′ N. w. 166°15′ E. d. (G) (O).
Bering Island, like all the Commander Islands, is located on an underwater ridge stretching from Alaska. The Aleutian Island chain is located on the same ridge.
There is only one settlement on the island - the village of Nikolskoye with a population of 752 inhabitants (2005, according to the 2002 census - 808 people), of which about 300 are Aleuts.
KOMANDORSKY RESERVE
The Commander State Reserve was created on April 23, 1993. Located on the Commander Islands includes 4 large islands- Medny, Bering, Ariy Kamen and Toporkov, more than 60 small islands and the adjacent waters of the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
The Commander Islands - located in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, are part of the Aleutian island arc and represent the peaks of the western part of the grandiose underwater volcanic ridge, the highest point is Mount Steller (755 m). Area 3,648,679 hectares, including 3,463,300 hectares of sea waters, 2 plots.
Represented by 383 species and 37 subspecies of vascular plants. The islands are the eastern boundary of the distribution of 93 plant species and the western boundary of 10 species. There are many rare, including endemic, species of flora and fauna for this area. It has relatively mild winters and cool summers. The average duration of the frost-free period is 127-140 days. Lives: fish - 250 species. The Commander Islands are a place of mass nesting of seabirds, 213 species including extinct ones, mammals - 25 species. Large rookeries for marine mammals; about 300 thousand individuals of marine animals are concentrated along the coastline of the islands.
The following are included in the “Red Book of the RSFSR”: from plants - sea grass, real slipper and Yatabe, lobaria pulmonary; among mammals - the Commander's arctic fox; among birds - Canada goose, white-tailed goose, Bering sandpiper, Pacific guillemot, Aleutian tern, etc. The following are included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature: among mammals - sea otter, Commander's sandpiper, antur (island seal), minke whale; Among the birds - bald eagle, gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon.
On the territory of the reserve there are objects of historical and cultural heritage:
The site of Vitus Bering's expedition in 1741-1742. with Bering's grave.
grave of the legendary commander - Vitus Bering
VITUS BERING
Vitus Jonassen Bering (Dan. Vitus Jonassen Bering; also Ivan Ivanovich Bering; August 12, 1681, Horsens, Denmark - December 8 (19), 1741. Bering Island, Russia) - navigator, officer of the Russian fleet, captain-commander. Danish by origin.
In 1725-1730 and 1733-1741 he led the First and Second Kamchatka expeditions. He passed through the strait between Chukotka and Alaska (later the Bering Strait), reached North America and discovered a number of islands of the Aleutian chain.
An island, a strait and a sea in the North Pacific Ocean, as well as the Commander Islands, are named after Bering. In archeology, the northeastern part of Siberia, Chukotka and Alaska (which, as is now believed, were previously connected by a strip of land) are often called the general term Beringia.
The first Kamchatka expedition traveled from St. Petersburg to Okhotsk for two years, from January 1725 to January 1727 - through Siberia, on horseback, on foot, river boats. After spending the winter here, the expedition transported its equipment by boat and dog sled to the mouth of the Kamchatka River on the east coast of the peninsula, where by the summer of 1728 the construction of the boat “St. Gabriel". In July-August 1728, the ship sailed north and then northeast along the mainland. During the voyage, Karaginsky Bay with the island, Cross Bay, Providence Bay, Anadyr Bay and St. Lawrence Island were mapped.
The expedition, as it later turned out, went through the Bering Strait into the Chukchi Sea (the North American coast was not discovered), and then turned back, since Bering considered the task completed: it was shown that the Asian and North American coasts are not connected.
medal in honor of Bering 
In 1729, Bering circled Kamchatka from the south, identifying the Kamchatka Bay and Avacha Bay, and returned back to St. Petersburg through Okhotsk and all of Russia.
Thus, in two years, the Bering expedition - the first marine scientific expedition in Russia - carried out an instrumental survey of the western coast of the sea, which would later be named after the discoverer, over a distance of more than 3,500 km. Bering completed the discovery of the northeastern coast of Asia, and the map he compiled together with his subordinates, as experts note, was later used by all Western European cartographers when depicting northeast Asia.
In 1874, representatives of the Russian-American Company erected a wooden cross approximately at the place where the grave of the great navigator was supposed to be located. Later, local researchers installed the current monument - two superimposed stone rectangles, covered with a cast-iron slab on top. The tombstone is crowned with an iron cross 3.5 m high.
In 1991, the 250th anniversary of Bering and Chirikov's voyage to the northwestern coast of America was celebrated. The International Society "Underwater World" and the "Adventure" club of Dmitry Shparo, together with the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, organized an expedition to Bering Island with the involvement of Danish researchers. At the same time, the Baltic Memory Society formed an underwater archaeological team. The main objectives of the expedition were a comprehensive study and preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the Commander Islands, the search for Bering’s grave, underwater archaeological work to search for the anchors of the packet boat “St. Peter" in Komandor Bay.
The expedition discovered the graves of Vitus Bering and five other sailors. The remains were transported to Moscow, where they were examined by forensic doctors who managed to reconstruct Bering’s appearance. As Danish and Russian historians have established, the canonical portrait of Commander Vitus Bering, published in all textbooks and reference books, actually belongs to his uncle - the full namesake of the navigator, the Danish court poet, in whose honor Vitus received his name. No traces of scurvy were found on Bering's teeth, which led to the assumption that Bering died from some other disease. The following year, the remains of the navigator were returned to burial on the Commander Islands and reburied.
catching pink salmon by the local population 
KOMANDORSKY ALEUTS
Until 1825, there was no permanent population on the Commander Islands. On Bering Island and Medny Island, the Russian-American Company (R.A.K.) imported replacement batches of Russian industrialists (miners) for the extraction of fur from sea cats and beavers (sea otters). The first artel was landed on Medny Island in 1805; it consisted of 13 people. This group of sea hunters stayed on the islands for a long time. Other artels were also imported, some of whose members were married to Aleuts. Documents dated 1819 indicate that 15 people lived (temporary settlement) at that time in the south of Medny Island, and 30 people lived in the north of Bering Island.
Then both islands were part of the Atha department of the R.A.K. By decision of the Main Office, the ruler of the department, Mershenin, organized in 1825 the delivery of the first batch of Aleuts with their families from Atha Island to Bering Island. In 1826, another party of Aleuts and Creoles was resettled from the islands of Attu and Atha.
Together with the first Russian artels, the introduced aborigines of the Aleutian Islands and Creoles became the first permanent residents of the current Aleutian region of the Kamchatka region. In 1827, 110 people lived on Bering Island (17 Russians, 24 Aleuts, 13 Creoles; 21 Aleut women, 35 Creoles). In subsequent years, Russian pensioners (whose contracts with R.A.K. had ended) and workers brought from Kamchatka, the Fox and Andrean Islands, Kodiak Island, Sitka and California settled on the islands. Among them were Eskimos, several Indians, individual representatives of different peoples of Russia, including the indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka - the Kamchadals and Ainu.
After the sale of Russian America and the Aleutian Islands, the Commander Islands were transferred to the Peter and Paul District. A feature of life on the islands is isolation from the outside world and the islands themselves from each other. In 1879 (B. Dybovsky), 168 people lived on both islands of Aleuts (including 100 on Medny Island), a total of 332 Creoles, among the rest there were 10 percent Russians and other nationalities. Considering that the Creoles spoke Russian and adhered to the national traditions of their mothers, scientists classify the majority of their population as Aleuts.
The history of the study of the Aleuts begins with the discovery of the Aleutian Islands in 1741 by the Great Northern (Second Kamchatka) expedition (1733 - 1743).
The peculiarities of life of the Commander Aleuts were determined by the isolation of the islands. Until 1867, their population worked for the Russian-American Company: they harvested furs, meat and fat from sea animals, preserving their traditional culture. The main place was occupied by hunting sea animals from kayaks and catching seals on land.
The predatory exploitation of fisheries by American and Russian companies has led to the impoverishment of the local population and the undermining of the foundations of traditional culture. At the end of the 19th century, population growth slowed down, and disease and alcohol led to an increase in mortality. By the twenties of the 20th century, the impoverishment of the Commander Aleuts had reached its limit.
After the end of the civil war Far East The restoration of the destroyed economy on the islands, the development of agriculture, cattle breeding, fishing and sea hunting began. The process of revival of the Aleuts included the creation of an animal farm in 1925, the allocation of the Commander Islands to the Aleutian national region in 1928, the participation of the people in management, the training of national intelligentsia and technical specialists. Since 1935, population growth began. At the same time, the process of dispersal of the Aleuts and their settlement on the mainland was developing.
Since 1969, Aleuts have mainly lived in the village of Nikolskoye. In terms of lifestyle and social structure they do not differ from the visiting population. The number of interethnic marriages has increased.
Aleut villages were located on the sea coast, often at the mouths of rivers and consisted of 2-4 large semi-dugouts (ulyagams). High, open places were chosen so that from there it would be convenient to observe the progress of sea animals and the approach of enemies. Half-dugouts were built from driftwood, and the top was covered with dry grass, skins and turf. They left several rectangular holes in the roof for entry and climbed up there along a log with notches. The dwelling accommodated from 10 to 40 families. Inside, bunks were built along the walls. Each family lived on its own part of the bunks, separated from each other by pillars and curtains. Utensils were stored under the bunks. In the summer they moved to separate light buildings. In the 19th century, the traditional half-dugout was modified: the walls and roof, made of poles and boards, were covered with turf. At the top there was a hatch for lighting, and on the side there was an exit through a small vestibule. Homes were lit with grease lamps, and sometimes stoves were installed. Along with traditional utensils, they used imported factory-made utensils.
Traditional clothing was a parka - a long, blind (without a slit in the front) clothing made of fur seal, sea otter, and bird skins. On top of it they put on a kamleika - a solid waterproof garment made from the intestines of sea animals with sleeves, a closed closed collar and a hood (a prototype of a European windbreaker). The edges of the hood and sleeves were tightened with laces. Parkas and kamleikas were decorated with embroidered stripes and fringes. Traditional fishing jackets with hoods made of sea lion intestines and throats, and trousers made of seal skin have been preserved. Men's and women's clothing were completely identical in cut and decoration. A new type of clothing also appeared - brodni - trousers made from sea lion throats, onto which were sewn waterproof torbas - soft skins from the skin of sea animals. Shoes - torso - soft boots made from the skin of sea animals. In everyday life they wore Russian clothes.
The hunting headdresses were wooden hats of a conical shape (for Toyon leaders) or without a top with a very elongated front part (for simple hunters), richly decorated with polychrome painting, carved bone, feathers, and sea lion mustaches. They were worn on the hood of the kamleika. Such hats were hollowed out from a single piece of wood, then steamed into the desired shape, and painted in bright colors, creating a fancy ornament. The sides and back were decorated with carved walrus tusk plates, engraved with geometric patterns, into which paint was rubbed. A bone figurine of a bird or animal was attached to the top of the back plate, which also served as the top of the hat. Steller's whiskers up to 50 centimeters long were inserted into the side holes of the plate. Their number depended on the hunting ability of the owner and indicated the number of walruses hunted. These headdresses were worn only by men.
Festive and ritual headdresses included hats of various shapes made of leather and bird skins with decorations, and leather headbands with patterned seams. An integral part of the festive decoration are necklaces, hand and ankle bracelets, inserts and pendants in holes made in and near the lips, as well as in the nose, along the edges of the auricle and in the earlobe. They were made from bone, stone, wooden and slate sticks, feathers, sea lion whiskers, grass and plant roots. The Aleuts tattooed and painted their faces and bodies, but this tradition began to wane as contacts with the Russians began.
Fishing began at the end of April. From spring to autumn they fished. In mid-July, they hunted birds using throwing spears (shatin) and a throwing projectile (bola) - a bunch of belts with stone or bone weights at the ends. Having untwisted, the bola was thrown into the flock and the bird, entangled in the straps, became the prey of the hunter. They were also caught at bird markets with a large net on a long pole (chirucha), as well as with nets. In winter they hunted for seals from the shore. Sea beaver (sea otter) were caught in the open sea using a harpoon (a throwing spear on a long rope), sea lions and walruses were caught in rookeries, seals were lured ashore with a decoy - an inflated seal skin, imitating the cry of a female, whales were hunted using a spear, the tip of which smeared with poison aconite. After 2-3 days, the sea washed the animal’s carcass ashore. Harpoons and spears were thrown using spear throwers - wooden planks 50-70 cm long with a longitudinal groove, finger grooves at one end and a bone stop at the other. Bows, arrows and guns were also known.
Meat and fish were eaten raw, fried or boiled. They stocked mainly dried fish and whale oil for future use. The latter was kept in bubbles from the stomachs of sea animals.
An important role in sea hunting was played by the baidara - a wooden, flat-bottomed frame boat covered with sea lion or seal skin and the kayak - a closed leather boat with a wooden frame and a hatch where the hunter sat. It was controlled with a two-bladed oar (a prototype of a sports kayak). With the advent of firearms, two-key kayaks began to be made (during shooting, the second rower had to maintain balance).
Some elements not typical for the mainland Aleut culture also spread: for example, on the island. Bering appeared sleds (sleighs) with dog sleds, on Medny Island - short, wide skis lined with seal skin.
From stone, men made knives, axes, arrow and spear tips, vessels for cooking, and fat lamps with a moss wick for lighting and heating the home. Women sewed and embroidered clothes, made coverings for canoes, and wove mats and baskets. Women's universal tool was the pekulka - a wide, short and slightly curved knife. The needles were made from bird bones.
By the middle of the 18th century, the population of each island or group of islands represented an independent territorial entity with its own name and dialect. Presumably, these were tribes consisting of clan communities - associations of persons related by blood relations and the name of a common ancestor. The clan group was headed by a leader (toyon), he either received power by inheritance or was elected. His responsibilities included trade and political relations, court cases, protection of sea animal rookeries, and control of other areas. As a military head, the leader had economic advantages only after military campaigns and trade transactions; in everyday economic activities he was entitled to an equal share with everyone else. In addition to the leader, the clan group was headed by a council of elders. There are references in the literature to the existence of ancestral community houses for meetings and celebrations.
The Aleuts had slaves (kalga) - mostly prisoners of war. The slave participated in the normal economic activities of the group, in wars. For bravery or good work he could be released.
Traditional social norms remained, associated with the remnants of group marriage - an ancient form of marriage, when a group of men were considered potential husbands of a group of women and norms of matrilineality (from the Latin mater - mother and linea - line: accounts of kinship along the maternal line); cross-cousin marriages (from the English cross - cross and French cusin - cousin: marriages of first cousins are a relic of a group marriage concluded between members of two clans); polygamy and polyandry, avunculate (from Latin avunculus - mother's brother), - the custom of patronage of the maternal uncle in relation to nephews; hospitable heterism (a custom according to which a husband provided his wife for the night to a guest).
In the 19th century clan communities disintegrated. With the adoption of Christianity by the middle of the 19th century. Mostly, the dowry (the ransom for the wife) and the labor that replaced it for the wife disappeared (the husband lived for 1-2 years in the family of his wife’s parents and helped run the household), as well as polygamy, polyandry and hospitable heterism. At the same time, matchmaking and wedding rituals spread.
Spiritual culture
Traditional beliefs are characterized by animism (from the Latin anima, animus - soul, spirit) - ideas about the soul as a vital force and the existence of good and evil spirits and their influence on human life. The spirits of ancestors were revered, whose images made of stone, bone, wood, and bird skins were passed down from generation to generation as personal amulets. Patron spirits were represented by wooden masks, which were worn during ritual dances. Shamanism was widespread among the Aleuts, in the mythology of which there were ideas about different worlds. The shaman's costume, like that of some peoples of Siberia, symbolized a bird. In addition to shamanism, there was also hunting magic (from the Greek mageia - witchcraft, sorcery), which consisted of rituals of summoning the beast, special hunting prohibitions and the wearing of amulets that protect the owner.
The dead were buried in a sitting position. Family burials were placed in small depressions among the rocks. The deceased’s tools, weapons, dishes, ritual masks and personal amulets (items with supernatural, magical properties) were also placed there. Noble people were buried along with slaves in caves; a painted pillar was placed at the entrance, or the bodies of the deceased were hung in baskets between two pillars. The dead were embalmed.
One of the main holidays - the winter solstice holiday - was accompanied by dancing, dramatic performances of hunting scenes and mythological scenes, and the distribution of gifts. The rituals that preceded the hunting season were famous for pantomimes and dancing accompanied by singing and a tambourine. The performers wore special headdresses and wooden masks.
At the end of the 18th century, the Aleuts, having experienced the strong influence of Russian culture, were converted to Orthodoxy. Schooling and bilingualism spread. Religious books appeared, translated into the Aleut language. It is characteristic that some of the aborigines became missionaries.
The written language of the Aleut language, created by the Bishop of Kamchatka, Aleut and Commander Innocent (Veniaminov), who was also a prominent ethnographer and linguist, did not spread to the Commander Islands.
Writing on the Commanders was not created in Soviet times, although there were prerequisites for this: the alphabet was approved, and the “Aleutian-Russian, Russian-Aleutian Dictionary” (E. Golovko) was published.
There are fairy tales, heroic epic (narration), or heroic tales, stories about ancient customs, everyday stories, songs, sayings and riddles.
Most fairy tales are based on mythological stories. The most widespread were myths about the spirits of patron animals and etiological (concerning the causes of various phenomena) legends about the original immortality of people, about the origin of people from a dog that fell from the sky, etc.
The heroic epic includes legends about ancestors, about the fight against cannibals, about the resettlement of people from the mainland to the islands, stories about the campaigns of eastern groups of Aleuts to the west, about blood feuds that led to cruel wars, etc. Everyday stories tell about fishing trips and travels ; legends - about fugitive Aleuts hiding from the Russians in caves, about long journeys; satirical stories - about a hunter who died from gluttony inside a whale. Many stories reflect traditional family relationships: about the infidelity of a husband or a jealous wife, about the hero’s cohabitation with his cousin’s wife, about the hostile relationship of a son-in-law with his brother-in-law (wife’s brother), etc.
At holidays, men, to the sound of a tambourine, sang of the exploits of their ancestors, their prowess in fishing, and their dexterity in operating a canoe. During games, ritual actions and the performance of fairy tales, they sang to the accompaniment of a multi-stringed sword-shaped zither (chayah), which was later replaced by a guitar.
Despite very strong assimilation, the Aleuts retained their genetic structure, and science recognizes them as Aleuts. It’s worse with culture: with the death of the language (fewer and fewer of its speakers), many national customs and traditions are lost, oral folk art - folklore - is fading away.
The Aleutian intelligentsia and old-timers are doing everything possible to revive and preserve the national culture. For these purposes, a small people in the regional center - the village of Nikolskoye - created two dance and folklore groups - "Unangan" and "Chiyan".
_______________________________________________________________________________________
SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
http://beringisland.ru
http://www.kamchatsky-krai.ru
http://rus-globus.ru/kamchatka/321-komandorskie-ostrova
http://www.photosight.ru/
photo by D. Utkin,
Krasheninnikov S.P. Description of the land of Kamchatka. - P.: Academy of Sciences, 1755.
Marakov S.V. Nature and fauna Commander / S.V. Marakov; Rep. ed. Doctor of Biology sciences, prof. A. G. Tomilin; Academy of Sciences of the USSR. - M.: Nauka, 1972. - 185, p. — (General scientific popular publications). — 25,000 copies. (region)
Pasenyuk L.M. I’m walking along the Commanders. - M.: Soviet Russia, 1974. - 284, p. - (On Russian land). — 50,000 copies. (region)
Mochalova O. A., Yakubov V. V. Flora of the Commander Islands. - Vladivostok: Biological and Soil Institute, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004. - 120 p.
The amazing Commander Islands are the point where two continents connect - Asia and America.
The Commander Islands include. Medny and Beringov, which are part of the Komandorsky Natural State Reserve. The islands are named Komandorsky in honor of Captain-Commander Vitus Bering, who ended up on the islands as a result of a shipwreck. The captain and his expedition died without surviving the cold winter. After the discovery of unknown islands, the lands began to be gradually developed by people, and various fishing expeditions were carried out, in particular animal hunting.
In summer the weather remains cloudy and windy, the air temperature does not warm up above +15 degrees, in winter it is completely monotonous, there is snow everywhere and blizzards rage. The best time to travel to the Commander Islands is from July to September, when life returns to the islands, birds arrive to nest, sea animals occupy the shores and the weather becomes more or less clear.
At first glance, the flora may seem sparse, because only dwarf birches and aspens grow on the islands; in some places there are glades of rhododendrons, buttercups and other northern flowers; the landscapes are not as bright as in regions with a warm climate. Despite this seemingly boring picture, tourists still come to the Commander Islands for new experiences, solitude with nature, and not missing the opportunity to observe the rich marine fauna. A trip to the Commander Islands is a great opportunity to relax away from the bustling noisy cities and everyday worries.
Large animals such as Arctic fox and reindeer live on land, the most common different kinds rodents, namely mice and rats. By the way, arctic foxes in these parts are very intrusive, chasing tourists throughout the entire journey. But you shouldn’t be afraid of them, they just know that people have food, which they can sometimes steal.
During low tides, on the exposed bottom you can observe sea urchins, sea anemones, bolanus, jellyfish. Seabirds scurry everywhere in search of food, including the well-known gulls, terns, as well as puffins, puffins and other birds.
On the coast, marine animals set up rookeries, lounging fur seals, and huge walruses attract the interest of all tourists. Traveling to the lakes, you have the opportunity to watch the spawning of salmon fish.
Excursion routes pass through picturesque places; along the way you can stumble upon berry meadows, mushroom spots, and relax by the lakes. The path runs through narrow canyons, past rivers and steep cliffs overgrown with grass, along deserted stone beaches to places where birds gather and rookeries of marine animals. It is worth noting that the existing walking routes are quite long, so minimal physical training is required to overcome them.
Of no small interest are expedition tours on a sea vessel, which allow you to discover something new, look at the islands from the outside, and watch whales. During sea cruises you can go fishing.
In addition to walking and water excursions, there are helicopter and car excursions, the cost of which depends on the duration of the excursion.
You can explore the sights not only as part of an excursion group, but also on your own. After all, there are no predators or dangerous places here. Although during group excursions you can learn many interesting facts and learn about the history of the islands.
Sights of the Commander Islands
- Rookeries of fur seals and sea lions in the north and northwest of Bering Island, in the southeast of Medny Island. The greatest concentration of animals is observed in summer. Observation platforms are specially equipped for tourists.
- Small Toporkov Islands and Ariy Stone, which are nesting places for thousands of birds.
- Commander Bay- the site of the death of Vitus Bering's expedition.
- Buyan Bay, where there are deposits of semi-precious stones (jasper, opal), washed away by the Buyan River.
- Old Harbor Bay on the northeastern coast of Bering Island, approximately 16 km. from Cape Buyan. On the coast you can relax, swim in the sea, and go fishing.
- Saranoye Lake, where large salmon spawning grounds are located.
- Steller Arch, which is a huge stone vault formed by the forces of nature over many centuries. Near the arch you can observe large concentrations of birds and admire the waterfall.
- Aleutian Museum of Local Lore in the village of Nikolskoye, where skeletons of disappeared marine animals, a collection of semi-precious stones and other interesting exhibits are exhibited.
Where to stay
You can settle on Bering Island, in the village of Nikolskoye, which is a regional administrative center. The village is home to the indigenous inhabitants of these places - the Aleuts. The village has a post office, a hospital, and several shops.
You can buy food from local residents; many will be surprised at how cheap delicacies such as red caviar and sea fish are. To avoid unnecessary problems with food, it is better to stock up on food in advance, buy various canned goods, dry lunches, and also take care of essentials and warm clothes.
There are no catering establishments or hotels on the Commander Islands (there is one cafe and a small hotel), so many tourists spend the night in tents or try to rent accommodation in the village of Nikolskoye. Some spend the night in abandoned apartments.
The easiest way is to purchase tours to the Commander Islands, because... travel companies The tour includes accommodation, meals and excursions. Tourists are accommodated in a tent camp and in museum warehouses. Having enough funds, you can rent a cabin on a yacht.
You can stay in a hotel in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and from the city get to the islands by plane. But it’s easier to settle in the village of Nikolskoye, because... It is difficult to see all the sights in one day, and flying every day by plane, the ticket price for which is quite high, is expensive.
When planning a trip to the Commander Islands, you should not count on a cheap vacation. The average cost of excursion tours is 52,000 rubles. Prices can be significantly higher, exceeding 100,000 rubles per person. When purchasing a tour, the price usually includes the price of tickets for transport, accommodation, meals and excursions. When traveling independently, costs may be lower; the main costs will be for transport.
Of course, the trip will leave the most vivid impressions; there is something to see on the islands, there is something to be surprised by. The main thing is to stock up on enough money, because the prices here are very high.
How to get there
Russia, Kamchatka Territory, Aleutian region, Commander Islands, Nikolskoye village.
A trip to the Commander Islands begins with the purchase of an air ticket to the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, from there you need to get from Yelizovo airport by plane to the airport in the village of Nikolskoye. Next you need to get to the village, which is about 7 km away. from the airport.
Please note that flights may be delayed or delayed due to bad weather. Flights operate several times a week, so you should carefully plan your vacation taking into account the day of your flight home.
Commander Islands- an archipelago of four islands in the southwestern part of the Bering Sea of the Pacific Ocean. Administratively they are part of the Aleutian region of the Kamchatka Territory of Russia. The islands are named after the navigator Commander Bering Vitus Bering who discovered them in 1741. The Commander Islands are a place of mixture of Russian and Aleutian cultures. They have huge potential for the development of northern tourism.
Commander Islands Map
90 miles northeast of Kamchatka are the Commander Islands, part of the Aleutian chain. The islands include: the largest - Beringa, slightly smaller ones - Medny and two very small ones - Toporkov and Ariy Kamen. The nearest islands of the Aleutian chain are located 190 miles to the east, well, this is already US territory.
History of discovery
On the map of Russia, east of Kamchatka at the latitude of Moscow, two small points with the name “Commander Islands” are marked in the Pacific Ocean. These islands were discovered in 1741 by the expedition of the outstanding Russian navigator Commander Vitus Bering, in whose honor they received their name.
Commanders are actually two large islands, Bering and Medny, separated by a strait. Only in the northern part of Bering Island, where the only village of Nikolskoye is located, is the relief more or less smoothed out, with gentle hills, wide valleys and large lakes.
The Second Expedition lasted 10 years. Most of this period was painful for Bering: a sailor, a commander, he had to sit side by side, either in Yakutsk or in Okhotsk - quarreling with local officials, fighting off their denunciations, stopping attempts to pinch off expeditionary supplies: Bering supported the actions of numerous detachments of his expedition , he understood that he would cope with this task better than others, but could not come to terms with the fact that he was sending others on dangerous routes. He will lead the last voyage himself. "St. Peter" and "St. Paul", two packet boats built at the Okhotsk shipyard under his command, are ready for the voyage. There will be a trip to the east, to the shores of America, and to the north, to the strait. But first, it is necessary to clarify, according to the instructions of the Senate, the coordinates of the land of Juan de Gama, which lies southeast of Kamchatka.
On June 4, 1741, from the Kamchatka harbor of the "Holy Apostles Peter and Paul" the packet boats "St. Peter" under the command of the head of the second Kamchatka expedition, captain-commander Vitus Jonassen Bering, and "St. Paul" under the command of fleet captain Alexei Ilyich set out for the unknown shores of America. Chirikov. Chirikov was the first to reach America on July 15, but a tragic incident confused all his further plans: the only two boats sent to the shore in Takhanys Bay did not return and the fate of 15 Russian sailors remains unknown to this day. On the way back, Chirikov discovered a number of islands in the Aleutian ridge and on October 9 entered his native Avacha Bay. His voyage is assessed as a triumph of Russian maritime art.
Bering saw America a day and a half later, approached the island, gave it the name St. Elijah (now Kayak Island), allowed the expedition naturalist Georg Steller to go ashore, and Sofron Khitrovo managed to go on boats for water.
Meeting with the Americans - from the diary of Georg Steller
After standing for less than a day, we turned back: autumn was approaching. The return journey turned out to be stormy and difficult. Scurvy broke out, and Bering himself fell ill. The sailor Shumagin was the first to die and was buried on the island (this group of islands is still called the Shumaginsky islands). When, according to all data, they were already approaching Kamchatka, the packet boat was practically uncontrollable and floated “like a piece of dead wood.”
When they saw land on November 4, 12 people on the ship had already died, 34 were sick. Bering decided to land on unknown land. They anchored, but a storm wave broke the anchor rope, and “St. Peter” was carried toward the reefs bordering a small bay, near which the water boiled with white foam. Having slipped literally 20 meters from the entrance reef, the packet boat found itself on calm water. They stood at the two remaining anchors and began to take the sick ashore; many of them, taking a breath of fresh, clean air, died.
Adjacent to the bay was a valley surrounded by low mountains, already covered with snow. A small river ran through the valley with crystal clean water. They began to build houses on its shore. The sick Bering was transferred to a separate dugout dug especially for him. Arctic foxes scurried around, and the abundance of seals and sea otters was surprising. Soon, during a storm, the packet boat "St. Peter", torn from its anchors, was thrown ashore; patients continued to die; Bering died on December 8. Unlike the others, he was buried tied to a board. By spring they looked around - they found out that they were on a treeless, uninhabited island (from Steller’s diary), and decided to build a small ship from the remains of the packet boat in order to get to Kamchatka on it. They ate the meat of a discarded whale, beat seals and sea otters. In the spring, the situation was saved by grasses, and most importantly, by a sea cow.
On August 14, 1742, on the built one-masted hookor "St. Peter", the surviving 46 people (out of 77 who set sail) left the island, giving it the name Bering.
A wooden cross was placed on the commander's grave. In Komandor Bay, 14 crew members of the packet boat "St. Peter" remained forever, unable to withstand the illnesses and hardships of the voyage, as well as a store with ship property and 14 cannons - silent and eternal evidence of an expedition that accomplished great things. geographical discovery. Truly this place is a shrine of the Russian fleet.
In 1874, representatives of the Russian-American Company, estimating where the grave of the great navigator could be located, erected a wooden cross. Later, local historians erected the current monument. It consists of two stone rectangles superimposed on each other, covered with a cast iron plate on top. An iron cross 3.5 m high crowns the tombstone. The monument is majestic, strict and simple. In the only village on Bering Island, the village of Nikolskoye, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, three more monuments to Vitus Bering were erected on a historical site.
In 1991, the 250th anniversary of Bering and Chirikov's voyage to the shores of Northwestern America was celebrated, and the International Society "Underwater World" together with the Institute of Archeology of the USSR Academy of Sciences organized an expedition to Commander Bay on Bering Island. At the suggestion of the head of the expedition A.K. Stanyukovich, the Leningrad Society "Memory of the Baltic" formed an underwater archaeological detachment, which included experienced Leningrad submarine divers V.N. Polyakov, M.E. Mikhailova, D.Yu. Stolbov, A.P. Rubailo, I. A. Pyaterichenko and V. A. Dronov from the Voronezh club "Reef". The main objectives of the expedition: comprehensive study and preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of the Commander Islands, search for Bering's grave, underwater archaeological work to search for the anchors of the packet boat "St. Peter" in Commander Bay.
Geography
The Commander Islands are located in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, bordering the Bering Sea to the south, and are the western tip of the Aleutian island arc. The archipelago includes about 15 islands of different sizes, the largest of which are Bering Island and Medny Island. The islands are located in a fairly compact group and lie approximately 175 kilometers east of Kamchatka between 55° 31" north latitude and 165° 04" and 168° east longitude. The Bering and Medny islands stretch from northeast to southwest, they are separated by a strait 49 kilometers wide. In this strait the sea is rarely calm - currents and winds do their job. Passing the strait on small vessels is not a safe undertaking. And for the same reason, it is extremely difficult to approach the island itself, Medny.
The length of Bering Island is 90 km, the average width is 18 km, the area is 1667 sq. km. Medny Island length is 53 km, average width is 5 km, area is 186 sq. km. Low (average height 9 m) and flat Toporkov Island with an area of approximately 0.5 sq. km. is located 4 km west of Cape Entrance Reef (Nikolskoye village, Bering Island) and has a circumference of 2 km. Another island - Ariy Kamen - is located 10 km west of Nikolskoye and is a rock 53 meters high and 1 km in circumference. The remaining islands are much smaller isolated rocks, which are located in close proximity to the shores of the Bering and Medny islands. The Commander Islands are the top of underwater ridges. The heights of Bering Island are 150-755 meters above sea level, the highest point is Mount Steller (755 m); Medny Island is slightly lower - 360-647 meters, the highest point is Mount Steineger (647 m). Both islands are broken by faults.
Due to the abundance of precipitation, inland waters are widely represented by short rivers, rivers and streams; There are many lakes and swamps. Large lakes reach depths of up to 20 m, being former sea bays. The largest lake on Bering Island is Saranoye Lake. The largest number of sockeye salmon come here to spawn.
The coastal-marine zone is characterized great depths, which is typical of island arcs. This contributes to the abrasive activity of waves, which is also favored by small ebbs and flows, expanding the zone of manifestation of the wave factor. In addition, ice does not form in the coastal zone, with the exception of narrow fast ice off the low-lying coast of the northern part of Bering Island, where temporary ice drift from the coast of Kamchatka is possible.
Geological structure
Like other island arcs, the Komandor-Aleutian arc is composed of volcanic rocks - basalts and andesites. The volcanic island of this arc protrudes above sea level in the form of separate groups of islands in the Aleutian archipelago. Its larger part is characterized by modern volcanism and intense earthquakes. By their origin, the Commander Islands belong to the continental-ocean type. There are no modern manifestations of volcanism on them, but earthquakes are observed quite often in the form of tremors, although their strength is insignificant (occasionally there are 5-6 points). According to the latest data, thanks to the installed modern equipment, the island is moving towards Kamchatka at a speed of 6-7 mm per year. That is, in about 162 million years the island will connect with Kamchatka (these are the assumptions of the author of this site :-)). Tsunami waves are associated with seaquakes on the Commanders. There are no volcanoes or hot springs on the island. There is no oil and gas either. Only on o. Mednom discovered reserves of copper ore, after which it was named.
Currently, there is no single point of view on the geological history of the Commander Islands. Reconstruction of relief development is possible only in general terms due to the incompleteness of geomorphological and paleogeographic data. Therefore, there is no exact data on the origin of the islands.
Climate
The Commander Islands are located in the oceanic sector of the temperate zone in the southern non-ice-covered part of the Bering Sea (the southern border of the floating ice runs along the 56th parallel, not reaching the Commander Islands). The climate of the islands is mainly influenced by circulation processes developing over the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The Commander's climate is influenced by the cold current from the Arctic Ocean and branches of the warm Kuroshio Current. As a result of the interaction of these factors, a rather peculiar climate is formed here with relatively mild winters and cool summers. The transition seasons are shorter than summer and winter (some researchers figuratively call the islands “the land of eternal autumn”). The ocean does not freeze in winter.
The obvious manifestation of interconnected zonal components in island nature - climate, soils, vegetation - led to the formation of a subarctic natural zone on the Commander Islands. It is noticeable that to a large extent this natural zone was formed under the influence of the subarctic climate. In the conditions of Commander, such a climate receives moisture all year round, and in winter, heat from the Pacific Ocean. As mentioned, the subarctic oceanic climate determined the nature of the soil and plant covers of the tundra and forest-tundra types. The influence of the azonal factor - the intra-island features of the mountainous terrain - affects the peculiar features of the microclimate and the distribution of cultivated plants. Thus, on Medny Island in Korabelnaya Bay they successfully grew many vegetables and potatoes. But on the same island in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, the residents failed: here the vegetables did not have time to ripen. Again, the peculiarities of the valley topography explain the emergence of a forest-tundra landscape in it. A tundra landscape is formed on the surface of mountains, plateaus and hills.
Constant weather observations on the Commanders have been carried out since 1889. The only weather station is now located in the village of Nikolskoye on Bering Island. Until the mid-60s, observations were also carried out in the village of Preobrazhenskoye on Medny Island, but then the village and the weather station ceased to exist. The average annual temperature on Bering Island is 2.1 degrees Celsius, on Medny Island - 2.8 degrees Celsius. The average annual wind speed on the Commanders is 7.1 m/s. Almost every month there are days when the wind speed reaches hurricane force - more than 30 m/s (108 km/h). Most of these days are in March and December. You sit in the house and think - will the glass in the windows squeeze out or not? The dishes clink quietly, the house is made of wood. So far everything is going well, except for the slate sheets that have been torn off here and there from the roofs. In general, we are accustomed to this weather. The number of days with winds exceeding 15 meters per second is about 80 per year.
Animal world
The intermediate position between North-Eastern Siberia and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean favored the formation of a rich fauna on the Commander Islands. Fish, birds, and mammals are widely represented here. Among the fish highest value have salmon - sockeye salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon and others. Numerous birds form bird markets of gulls, fulmars, puffins, cormorants, guillemots and others (more than 170 species of birds in total). Amphibians and reptiles are completely absent here. Simply put: we don’t have dragons, dinosaurs, crocodiles, snakes, lizards or frogs.
The main wealth of the Commander is its unique animal world. The islands have become an invaluable treasure trove of a wide variety of animals and birds, including rare, endangered and endemic ones, not found anywhere else in the world. The history of the development of the Commander Islands from the moment of their discovery is inextricably linked with the trade of fur-bearing animals. On the island beaches there were extensive rookeries of fur seals, among which sea lions stood out for their yellow-brown color. Many blue foxes lived in their neighborhood, and the most valuable fur-bearing animals in the world, sea otters, took refuge in the complex labyrinths of the coastal rocks.
During the long-term interaction of zonal, azonal and paleogeographic factors, the diverse and rich nature of the Commander Islands was created. This is the main reason why over the past two and a half centuries since the discovery of the Commander, they have undergone intensive development. The “development” of the Commander Islands began literally the next year after the participants of V. Bering’s expedition returned to Kamchatka. Their stories about the untold wealth of fur-bearing animals on the islands attracted the attention of Kamchatka industrialists. Temporary raids by industrialists continued until 1825, when the Aleuts were resettled to the Commanders for permanent residence. You can trace the “efficiency of management” from the information received from industrialists about the harvesting of marine animals. Thus, in 1754, P. Yakovlev, who spent the winter on Bering Island, reports that there were still a lot of sea cows and industrialists “are causing great waste and death to those herds of cows found near the shore in the sea.” He was the first to advise his superiors to ban the harmful fishing of sea cows. However, the extermination of sea cows continued, and already during the winter on Bering Island in 1760-1761. industrialist A. Tolstoy there were very few of them left, so the team ate the meat of fur seals and sea lions. As is known, the last sea cow was killed seven years after this message. The improvement of the fishing industry was facilitated to a certain extent by scientific research, which began to be carried out in the second half of the 19th century. and continue to this day.
Much has been done by domestic and, partly, foreign scientists to study the flora and fauna of the Commander. Numerous scientific materials, mainly on seals, sea otters and arctic foxes, have been published in various publications. It is significant that knowledge of animals was carried out, as a rule, in connection with the needs of the fishing industry. Among the researchers, one cannot help but mention N.A. Grebnitsky, who worked in 1877 - 1907 as the head of the fisheries at the Commanders. The famous zoologist E.K. Suvorov studied the fur trade on the Commander Islands and published a book about it (1912). Among foreign researchers, the American biologist L. Steineger is known, who visited the Commanders from 1882 to 1922; he wrote several books about the islands. Much work was carried out on various biological issues, including the problems of fur farming.
Scientific research has led to restrictions on the slaughter of fur seals and blue foxes since 1924, and a ban on the hunting of sea otters. On a scientific basis, since 1954, Arctic foxes have been bred in cages, and since 1969, the relocation of sea otters to Bering Island from Medny began, where they were still preserved.
Currently, the Commanders are once again famous for their fur seals, the number of which has grown so much that it has become possible to resume their rational fishing. There are many arctic foxes on Bering Island, and in winter they are hunted for their valuable skins (nowadays they are almost never mined - it is not economically profitable).
The Commander Islands are a place of mass nesting of seabirds, a stopover during the migration period of Charadriiformes and Anseriformes. The Mednovsky blue fox, northern sea otter, antur, gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, grey-winged gull, and red-legged gull, included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, breed here. About 300 thousand marine mammals are concentrated along the coastline of the islands. Several species, such as sea otters, anturus, Commander's sand lance, and minke whales, are listed in the IUCN Red Book. There are also killer whales and beaked whales. How many whales there used to be can be judged from the article, which talks about the planned whaling near the Commander Islands.
Compared to the coast, where in the summer months life seethes and bubbles, never calming down for a minute, the interior tundra areas of the islands are quite deserted and poor in living creatures. Only the Lapland plantain can be called truly numerous here - a modestly colored bird reminiscent of our sparrow. In the mountains, on passes covered with yellow gravel, pairs of Mongolian plovers will meet you and accompany you for a long time, and on the descent into the river valley their place will be taken by other sandpipers - Beringian sandpipers. But all these birds, having raised their babies, will gradually move closer to the sea, and then the tundra will be completely empty. The only bird that can be found here at any time of the year is the tundra partridge.
There are even fewer four-legged inhabitants in the tundra than birds. Wild reindeer, American mink, red vole and... rats. They were brought here by humans in the recent past. Deer and voles first appeared on the island in the 19th century. Rats, and at the same time mice, “true friends” of man, most likely arrived with the first goods brought here by people. They live both in the village and on the island.
Vegetable world
Due to frequent strong winds and low summer temperatures, the islands are treeless, although they are located at the same latitude as, say, Tula or Ufa. All attempts to grow the imported trees invariably ended in failure. Among the Komandorsky species of rowan, birch and willow, shrub and dwarf shrub forms predominate, and very rarely, in gullies protected from the winds, you can find small, strongly curved trees. Common willow thickets along river valleys rarely exceed 1.5 m in height. Most of the territory is occupied by various types of tundra and herbaceous communities. In general, Komandorsky communities are characterized by a strong mosaic pattern depending on microclimatic conditions, soil, exposure and slope slope.
The soil and vegetation cover of the islands is of the tundra type. The soils are thin, slightly podzolized, with a predominance of loamy and sandy loam fine earth. Primitive soils slowly form on rocky slopes. Only on the coasts do more fertile soils with a peat-humus layer form. The tundra vegetation covering such soils owes its existence to the subarctic features of the oceanic climate. Excessive moisture, low air temperatures during the growing season and strong winds are to blame for this. Therefore, low-grass carpet vegetation, as well as creeping forms of trees and shrubs, are developed here. On open surfaces there are common growths of juniper and dwarf cedar. Only in the valleys are there thickets of willow, rowan, and stone birch 1-2 m high. There, in the lower tier, lush tall grasses of hogweed and shelaminum are striking. Harsh natural conditions explain the fact that there are almost 2.5 times fewer land plants on the Commanders than on Kuril Islands. But in the relatively warm coastal waters of the Commander Islands there is an exceptional abundance of various algae (about 200 species), i.e. almost half of all types of terrestrial vegetation.
E.F. Guryanova, a well-known specialist in seaweed who worked on the Commanders, believes that it is difficult to find similar areas in the entire World Ocean that are comparable in their flora to the algae of Bering Island. Is this not one of the reasons that explains the localization specifically on the Sea Cow Commanders? Moreover, their enemies were absent here until a man appeared who foolishly destroyed numerous herds of these animals in just over two decades.
Commanders are located at the junction of floristic regions - gravitating in their species composition to Kamchatka, they also bear features of the flora of the Aleutian ridge. Suffice it to say that almost a quarter of the species are located on the boundaries of their ranges (11 species have the western and 93 - eastern boundaries of their ranges on the islands). This transition can be traced within the Komandorsky archipelago itself - on Medny Island, “American” species have become more widespread, a striking example of this is the abundance of curved buttercup, and literally carpets of Claytonia Siberian. On both islands, the endemic of the Commander Islands - island wormwood - is quite common. Due to this uniqueness, Commanders are often identified as a separate floristic region.
About 40 species were brought to the islands by humans. Most of them appeared in the 70-80s. 20th century during a period of intensive agricultural work. Annual reseeding was carried out on numerous mowing areas. Subsequently, this work was determined to be unprofitable and further work was abandoned. Some of the introduced species have disappeared, some can still be found, but almost all populations are small and in a depressed state, many of them bloom only by September and cannot reproduce by seeds. Some species, such as cumin, wild garlic and golden root, were specially planted by residents in different years in the northern and middle parts of the island, but they are not in the best condition.
There are a lot of berries on the islands, but only “according to the list” - many types, but little use; a fruitful year here can be safely equated to a lean year on the mainland. The most collected ones are rowan and crowberry, followed by cloudberry, princess and blueberry, and also lingonberry. The rest are present in "trace amounts". But there really are a lot of mushrooms. Among the Red Book species we can name the following: the abundant on Bering Island, a lover of small, clean lakes, the inconspicuous sea slipper, the quite common dim Yatabe slipper, the truly rare and in need of strict protection, the beautiful grandiflora slipper, and the real slipper, known only from Steller's list. Arnica Lessing and Trillium Kamchatka, which are rare for the islands, are also included in the Red Book of Kamchatka.
Storm petrels and puffed puffins nest in holes made in the turfy caps of rocks, while guillemots, mossocks and white-bellied guillemots nest in cracks in rocky cliffs, niches and voids under stones. Cormorants perch somewhere on the edge and, stretching out their snake-like necks, watch with interest the noisy life of their numerous neighbors. And prim guillemots sit nearby. Fulmars - sea pigeons - perched on the steep cliffs. The peregrine falcon regularly collects tribute from bird markets, capable of overtaking the chosen victim with a swift lunge. By the way, blue foxes are not averse to eating bird eggs or chicks. Coastal cliffs also serve as a haven for various small birds - wrens, finches, buntings. The simple but melodic songs of these birds are extremely pleasing after the incredible cacophony that reigns in seabird colonies.
The indigenous inhabitants of the islands are the Aleuts
Until 1825, there was no permanent population on the Commander Islands. On about. Bering and on Copper Island, the Russian-American Company (R.A.K.) imported replacement batches of Russian industrialists (miners) for the extraction of fur from sea cats and beavers (sea otters). The first artel was landed on Medny Island in 1805, it consisted of 13 people. This group of sea hunters stayed on the islands for a long time. Other artels were also imported, some of whose members were married to Aleuts. Documents dated 1819 indicate that 15 people lived (temporary settlement) at that time in the south of Medny Island, and 30 in the north of Bering Island.
Then both islands were part of the Atha department of the R.A.K. By decision of the Main Office of the Russian Colony of America, the ruler of the department, Mershenin, organized in 1825 the delivery of the first batch of Aleuts with their families from Atha Island to Bering Island. In 1826, another party of Aleuts and Creoles* was resettled from the islands of Attu and Atha.
Together with the first Russian artels, the introduced aborigines of the Aleutian Islands and Creoles became the first permanent residents of the current Aleutian region of the Kamchatka region. In 1827, 110 people lived on Bering Island (17 Russians, 24 Aleuts, 13 Creoles; 21 Aleut women, 35 Creoles). In subsequent years, Russian pensioners (whose contracts with R.A.K. had expired) and workers brought from Kamchatka, the Fox and Andrean Islands, Kodiak Island, Sitka and California settled on the islands. Among them were Eskimos, several Indians, individual representatives of different peoples of Russia, including the indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka - the Kamchadals and Ainu.
After the sale of Russian America and the Aleutian Islands, the Commander Islands were transferred to the Peter and Paul District. A feature of life on the islands is isolation from the outside world and the islands themselves from each other. In 1879 (B. Dybovsky), 168 people lived on both islands of Aleuts (including 100 on Medny Island), a total of 332 Creoles, among the rest there were 10 percent Russians and other nationalities. Considering that the Creoles spoke Russian and adhered to the national traditions of their mothers, scientists classify the majority of their population as Aleuts.
At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. the entire population of the islands accepted Orthodoxy.
The name of the people - Aleuts - was invented by the Russians. The self-names of the indigenous population of the islands are different: Sasignan or Saksinnan (Bering Island), Unangan (Medny Island), etc. Then, mixing with Creoles and representatives of other peoples, the population adopted the self-name Aleuts. However, the language on Bering Island and Medny Island did not become common: two dialects developed.
The written language of the Aleut language, created by the Bishop of Kamchatka, Aleut and Commander Innocent (Veniaminov), who was also a prominent ethnographer and linguist, did not spread to the Commander Islands.
Writing on the Commanders was not created in Soviet times, although there were prerequisites for this: the alphabet was approved, and the “Aleutian-Russian, Russian-Aleutian Dictionary” (E. Golovko) was published.
The main reason was the small number of Aleuts living compactly on Bering Island (the village of Preobrazhenskoye on Medny Island was closed in the 1960s) - 370 people.
Despite very strong assimilation, the Aleuts retained their genetic structure, and science recognizes them as Aleuts. It’s worse with culture: with the death of the language (fewer and fewer of its speakers), many national customs and traditions are lost, oral folk art - folklore - is fading away.
The Aleutian intelligentsia and old-timers are doing everything possible to revive and preserve the national culture. For these purposes, a small people in the regional center - the village of Nikolskoye - created two dance and folklore groups - "Unangan" and "Chiyan".
Around the island with a backpack
Of greatest interest to travelers is the northeastern coast of Bering Island from Cape Monati to Cape North-East, since Cape Nepropusk, Komandor and Buyan bays, and the highest waterfalls are located on this coast.
Cape Monati(54° 41" north latitude, 166° 40" east longitude) is the southeastern tip of Bering Island. It is tall and rocky. To the north of the cape, the area rises to mountains devoid of vegetation more than 500 m high. Not everyone has been able to visit there. The fastest and relatively safest way is by sea by boat.
Cape Neprosk 48 meters high, located 5.5 km north of Cape Monati and is a sheer rocky cliff. two and three kilometers south of Cape Nepropusk there are two waterfalls, falling from a height of 26 and 68 meters.
Cape Peregrebny is located 13 km north of Cape Nepropusk. 4 km north of it stretches a high steep bank with magnificently beautiful waterfalls, dropping their waters from heights of 65, 93 and 69 meters.
Cape Tolstoy located approximately 8 km northwest of Cape Peregrebny and formed by a rocky outcrop of land more than 180 meters high. There is an all-terrain road along Laida.
Cape Commander protrudes slightly from the coast and is located just over five kilometers from Cape Tolsty. The cape is formed by a hill that descends to the sea with sand and pebble scree, in places overgrown with grass. In the area of the cape in 1741, the packet boat "St. Peter" was wrecked. Captain-Commander Vitus Bering died here. The graves of the remaining crew members are also located here. There is an all-terrain road along Laida.
Cape Polovinny. Polovina Bay, Polovina River. It is located 8 km from Cape Commander. To the south of it, a noticeable low-lying valley reaches the shore, running across the island. There is an all-terrain road along Laida.
Cape Buyan located northwest of Cape Polovinny at a distance of 14 km. It is formed by a sharp turn of a low bank and protrudes slightly into the sea. In Buyan Bay, the Buyan River washes away semi-precious stones - jasper, opal, agate. There is an all-terrain road along Laida. You can also get there by motorcycle, but it’s difficult.
Old Harbor Bay- popularly "Old Woman". It juts out into the northeastern coast of Bering Island, 16-17 km from Cape Buyan. It is formed by a small bend of the coast and two reefs. It is located, as we say, “on the other side.” South coast Bering Sea. Local resort. For some reason the weather here is always better than in the village. More sunny days, warmer. On weekends, sometimes quite a lot of people gather to relax and sunbathe. If you're lucky, swim in the bay, which is very shallow. Go fishing.
North-West rookery. The "home" rookery is located 16 km from the village. Visible from the window of the house. The road is well-trodden, although it can be called a road with a stretch. The most accessible place to visit. True, the observation overpass is almost completely destroyed.
Northern rookery, Cape Yushina. About 25 km along the road from the village. A new observation overpass approximately 300 meters long was built. The road to the rookery is also very rough. But for a walker there are no problems. You can walk along the shore from the North-West rookery.
Photos
East of Kamchatka, 200 km away. from the mainland there is a beautiful place called Commander Islands, in honor of the discoverer Commander Vitus Bering. Bering first visited them in 1741. The great navigator died in the same year on the islands he discovered. His ship was thrown ashore, and 29 people died during the forced winter, including Vitus Bering, who was 60 years old. The remaining members of that expedition were able to survive and in the summer of 1742 arrived on the mainland on a boat built from the wreckage of the command ship “St. Peter”.
The sailors, left without a livelihood, suffered greatly from scurvy. Most of the crew died due to this disease. It is worth paying tribute to the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller, who was in the command of the commander. He forced the sailors to eat algae, which restored the acute lack of vitamin C in the body, which allowed half of the crew to survive.
Not least of all, the discovery of a new animal from the order of sirens played a role in survival - Steller's sea cow, relatives of modern dugongs. This animal, growing up to 10 meters in length and reaching a weight of 4 tons, had a large supply of meat and fat. The catch of one such large animal allowed the sailors to eat normally for several weeks.
The irony is that Steller's cow, which helped the pioneers survive, was subsequently completely destroyed by humans. This slow animal simply could not hide from the person who began to hunt it because of the large amount of fat and meat. In a quarter of a century, he completely destroyed Steller's cow. Now in human hands there is only a small piece of animal tissue, from which it may someday be possible to clone an innocent mammal.
Geography
The Commander Islands consist of 4 main large islands. First of all, these are the two largest - Bering and island Copper. Smaller ones - Toporkov Island And Arius island stone. It is generally accepted that these 4 islands form the Commander Islands, although not far from Bering and Medny there are several nameless rocks protruding above the water. But they are not taken into account, since they are absolutely lifeless stones. For example, Aryan Stone is a high rocky island with a kilometer diameter. It is loved by many birds nesting on its ledges. Toporkov looks the same - a low rock, where, according to ornithologists, about 50 thousand birds - cormorants, gulls, and puffins - have found their home.
Bering Island is the largest among the Commander Islands. It contains the only residential settlement - Nikolskoye. In the 20th century there were several settlements on the Commander Islands, including on the island. Copper. But currently there is only one village left. The population in Nikolskoye is declining. The last census in 2010 showed that 613 people remained on the islands, down from more than 1,300 20 years ago. Nikolskoye is mainly inhabited by Aleuts, who founded the village by sailing here from Attu Island, which is now under the jurisdiction of the United States.
The second largest island, Medny, is located east of Bering. Until 2001, there was a border outpost on it, which is no longer functioning, and its residents have been resettled to Nikolskoye or to the mainland.
Fauna of the Commander Islands
The islands' waters are an important feeding ground for large mammals. Sperm whales, killer whales, some species of whales, etc. winter or migrate here. The Bereng and Medny rivers are rich in freshwater fish. These are mainly valuable salmon species. Rare species such as Arctic char, sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, Dolly Varden, pink salmon, etc. live here.
The vegetation on the islands is poor. There are no forests at all. Moss, lichen, marsh grasses and shrubs, and dwarf trees predominate. Of the terrestrial fauna, the Arctic fox, American mink, and wild deer feel well in such conditions. Various rodents are common.
The fauna of the Commander Islands is more widely represented by birds. The coastal cliffs are home to huge colonies of gulls, cormorants, horned and tufted puffins and many others. Birds of prey include the gyrfalcon and the Steller's sea eagle. In total, there are 180 species of birds on the islands, some of which are listed in the International Red Book.
