| Summary: | A natural disaster provides an opportunity to study the response of existing institutions to intense social stresses. Spontaneous and rapid internal social change often occurs as significant community relationships cope with challenges during and after a disaster. Such is the case with the Russian Orthodox Church in five Pacific Eskimo villages during and following the March 27, 1964, Alaskan Earthquake. The five communities investigated in this study are Chenega, Kaguyak, Old Harbor, Afognak and Ouzinkie. All are located along the relatively warm Pacific Coast, well south of the frozen winter coast typical of other areas occupied by Alaskan Eskimo. The villages are small, ranging in size from 36 persons in Kaguyak and 70 in Chenega to about 200 persons in Old Harbor, Ouzinki and Afognak.
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