HERITAGE TOURISM AND CULTURAL INTERSECTION AT THE OLD ST. NICHOLAS CHURCH AND CEMETERY IN EKLUTNA: TRIBE AND TOURIST PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

This project involved interviewing Eklutna Tribal members, a religious leader from the Orthodox Church in America (Dioceses of Alaska), a tour operator, and tourists about their experiences with tourism at the Tribe’s historic chapel and cemetery in Eklutna, Alaska. The overall goal of these interviews was to investigate and document these experiences to acknowledge their importance and provide a basis for improving the intersection of cultures and priorities at the site. Background on the general history of the chapel and cemetery, as well as the history of tourism at the site, is provided in the context of the Tribe’s history since adopting elements of Russian Orthodox Christianity in the mid-1800s. This is followed by a brief review of the relevant tourism theory that guided the research. The thesis then presents the methods used in gathering data and conducting a thematic analysis of the interviews and summarizes the results of the investigation. After discussion of the results in the context of the historic background and theoretical considerations, the thesis concludes that tourism is not a wholly negative phenomenon in the lives of the Eklutna community members, although their cultural connection to- and continued use of the site needs better representation. It is also apparent from this analysis that tourists’ interest in the site is generally sincere, if slightly uninformed due to a lack of comprehensive and easily accessible information about the site. Based on the most common suggestion for improvement made by participants in the interviews and conversations it draws on for data, the thesis provides recommendations for better signage and scheduling of tourist visits at the Old St. Nicholas Church and cemetery.