Leaving St. Paul Island: Modern life might accomplish what the fierce bering sea never could--break up the culture of alaska's aleuts. (USA).

In the middle of the stormy Bering Sea, 770 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska, is a tough little speck of America. It's called St. Paul Island. It's a tough little rock, battered by constant waves and wind.

On this island is the tough little town of St. Paul. And in this tough little town live an even tougher people--the Aleuts (AL-ee-ootz)--one of Alaska's native peoples. In fact, St. Paul is home to the largest community of Aleuts in the world, one of whom is 14-year-old Zena Merculief.

Last year, Zena totally wowed the town elders. She and a partner cooked up an experiment to compare different kinds of oil. "We wanted to see which one produced the most energy," Zena told JS.

Their project appealed to the elders, Zena says, because the test included fur-seal oil. Fur seals have long been vital to Aleut survival and culture.

The experiment won Alaska's state science fair and took third place in a nationwide competition. It also captured an environmental award.

So how did the experiment turn out? Which oil created the most energy? "Motor oil," Zena says.

Zena's experiment is a telling comment on Aleut life. The experiment showed that the motor oil of modern life is more powerful than the seal oil of traditional Aleut life.

Aleut traditions are giving way to modern life. Young Aleuts speak English, not Aleut. Computer-science classes have replaced instruction in kayak construction. "Some of the kids don't even like seal meat now," laments one elder.

Young Aleuts like Zena are thriving with these changes and look forward to "off island" careers. But these changes may accomplish what invaders and the merciless sea never could--destroy the Aleut culture.

Masters of the Sea

St. Paul is one of the Pribilof Islands (see map). Any sailor will tell you it sits in one of the most unforgiving seas in the world. The winds on St. Paul can be so strong that the town buries power and phone cables to keep them from snapping. On the worst days, residents park their cars facing into the wind so open doors won't be torn off. The harsh weather and northern latitude contribute to the island's tundralike landscape. Trees won't grow here, though the wildflowers of summer are mind-blowingly beautiful.

Despite the harsh climate, the Pribilof Islands host an astonishing wealth of wildlife. More than a million northern fur seals set up breeding grounds each summer on its shores. More than 2 million seabirds, including horned puffins, nest precariously on its cliffs. And more than half of the fish served on U.S. tables comes from the surrounding ocean. Fishing is St. Paul's biggest industry.

The Aleuts have survived and thrived here. But their original homeland was the Aleutian island chain that extends 1,100 miles west from the mainland of Alaska.

The Aleuts became master sailors in their skin-covered kayaks, navigating hundreds of miles across open sea. Their reliance on hunting and fishing to supply their needs--food, clothing, heating oil-made them experts on creatures ranging from flat-bodied halibut to wily arctic foxes. For shelter, they built barabaras--half-buried houses blanketed with earth and grass to shelter them from the sea's ferocity.

In the mid-1700s, Russian ships sailed into this picture, loaded with adventurers seeking fortunes in fur. The Russians proceeded to wipe out the sea otters throughout the Aleutians.

Then the Russians discovered the Pribilof Islands--the breeding ground of the northern fur seal. Its fur--with 300,000 hairs per square inch--has remarkable warmth, comfort, and beauty.

The fur seals were worth gobs of money. Beginning in 1786, the Russians kidnapped many Aleuts and hauled them to St. George and St. Paul islands to be slaves of the seal harvest.

Life on St. Paul Island

Today, St. Paul has a population of about 600. Although the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, the Russian legacy remains imprinted on the Aleut people. Most families bear a Russian last name, like Merculief, Melividov, or Zacharov. And most Aleuts are baptized, married, and buried by the Russian Orthodox Church.

But despite its history and remote location, St. Paul has many features of any American town. MTV and ESPN are beamed into homes via satellite. Classrooms are wired for Internet access. The main grocery store sells the latest issue of Teen People. "For fun we go to the rec hall where there are TVs hooked up to Nintendo," says Zena. But there is only one general store in the town. "If you want to order good clothes you have to do it from a catalog or fly to Anchorage," she says. "St. Paul's a special place, especially for young kids. But as you get older, there's less that's interesting to do."

More interesting things are luring many St. Paul kids into the wider world. Zena estimates that 30 to 40 percent of St. Paul's teens will go "off island" for high school. That number includes Zena, who now attends high school in Sitka, Alaska. She thinks her generation is pushed more toward education and achievement, and away from traditional knowledge. "There's a generation gap between the elders and young people--a lack of communication," she says.

The clearest example of this is the fading of the Aleut language. Although Zena and other Aleut teens know some words and phrases, it's likely that their grandparents will be the last generation to speak Aleut fluently.

From her dorm room, Zena says she misses St. Paul a little. But she's made many new friends at her boarding school. She's considering a stint in the Navy or Marines after graduation. "I'd like to go out and explore the world," she says.

Aleuts are known for their courage and resourcefulness. So Zena's ancestry should serve her well. For better or worse, though, she'll also leave a good portion of her heritage behind.

RELATED ARTICLE: Your Turn

Think About It

1. What factors are contributing to changes in Aleut culture?

2. Can you think of talents and skills your grandparents have that you don't have? Why aren't the skills being passed on?