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A group of Russian Alaskan dancers in traditional dress.
A Russian Alaskan may refer to any permanent resident of the Alaskan Democratic Federative Republic who can trace their ancestry back to, or were born in Russia. Russian Alaskans make up the second largest ethnic group in the country approximately at 27%. Second only to Ukrainian Alaskans. Because many Ukrainians carry the legacy of Russification and have intermarried with Russians frequently, Russians could possibly be the largest group in Alaska depending on statistical parameters.
Russian Alaskans are the founding population of the modern Alaskan State and were the majority population of the country until the 1890s. Through the 20th century they have still constituted a large part of the country's population and often set the cultural standard despite not being the largest group. Russian Language is still the backbone of Alaskan Culture. So much that Alaskans have diverged standard Russian into their Alaskan Russian dialect. Ironically while the Russians has been a staple for Alaska's middle and entrepreneurial class there has never been a Russian President of Alaska. Most Alaskan Presidents have self identified as Ukrainian with some possible Russian ancestry.
Definition
As the Alaskan Government classifies Slavs as a single ethnic group on the National Census defining what a Russian Alaskan is from other Slavs has become more difficult in recent years. Non for profit statistical organizations ask participants to not list ancestral but ancestral ethnicity. As most Slavs in Alaska came from the historical Russian Empire simply declaring that one's ancestors came from Russia does not denote a Russian-Alaskan.