His mother Ida died of heart disease in 1943, when he was 8 years old.
He was named after his father Napoleon, an immigrant from Gurro (Piedmont), Italy, who lived in Nome for 30 years, and died at Maynard MacDougall Memorial Hospital in Nome of metastatic lung cancer in 1950.
His father's father was Giacomo Napoleon Bergamaschi, also an Italian immigrant, and a miner in Montana.
He had a sibling, and half-siblings from his father's previous marriage to Bessie Aleosick. His nephew, through his half-brother James, was also named Napoleon Bergamaschi.
He was a student at Mt. Edgecumbe in Sitka.
He worked as a boomman at the Ketchikan Pulp Mill for 10 years. He married Dee Mather in September 1955; they divorced in August 1964. He was the father of three.
He later moved to Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, then left Savoonga to work as a boomman at the Wrangell location of Alaska Wood Products.
At the time of his death, he was raising his children. He died in Wrangell after his car skidded on ice and ran into the back of a parked pickup truck (which would never have happened on St. Lawrence Island).
He was buried on November 10, 1971. His obituary was published in The Wrangell Sentinel, November 12, 1971.
———
Apologies for reproducing the cultural macro- and micro-aggressions expressed in the "historical" piece, below.
Note: Native Alaskan children were once regularly removed (taken with or without permission) from their families and communities, and sent to Mt. Edgecumbe to be indoctrinated, orphaned or not. A noted and unintended benefit was the subsequent creation of a statewide organization, the Alaska Federation of Natives, or AFN (formerly, the Alaska Native Brotherhood, or ANB).
Note: Labeling subsistence lifestyles as "primitive" is an historic Eurocentric approach used to justify theft of natural resources such as land use, and the destruction of cultural heritage. This particular labeling was established by political philosophers in the mid-1600s and was debunked by anthropologists in the mid-1900s, but remains popular among white supremacists, and the miseducated.
Note: Living in close quarters is a requirement for survival in the North. No sane person would attempt to use limited resources to heat empty space in an area where trees do not grow. People before property.
Note: The cultural and language diversity that has always existed among the indigenous circumpolar peoples is now acknowledged. The term "Eskimo" was officially abandoned by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000.
—-
The following was contributed by Find a Grave member #47310768.
Baha'i World Vol 15
NAPOLEON BERGAMASCHI
1935 -1971
Magnanimity is necessary, heavenly exertion is called for. Should you display an effort, so that the fragrances of God be diffused amongst the Eskimos, its effect will be very great and far-reaching . . . 'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan
Napoleon Bergamaschi, called "Nip" or "Bergie" by his friends, was part Eskimo. He was born in Nome, but lived in south-eastern Alaska from the time he was twelve years of age. He was orphaned as a young child and attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools at Wrangell and Sitka. He adapted well to life in the south-east, married a girl from Metlakatla, settled in Ketchikan, and became part of the sophisticated life and cash economy there. Successfully acculturated, his Eskimo heritage seemed remote indeed.
In July, 1961, Napoleon became a Baha'i. He was a quiet, though vital, member of the
Ketchikan community. Five years later he arose to plant the banner of the Faith of Baha'u'llah
in the one remaining unopened territory assigned to Alaska in the Nine Year Plan, St.
Lawrence Island - a lonely spot in the middle of the Bering Sea, closer to Siberia than to the
Alaskan mainland, difficult to reach, offering only a subsistence living from hunting and
fishing, blighted by severe weather and long, cruel winters. The only settlements on the island
are Eskimo villages, Savoonga and Gambell, with a language, culture and customs different
from other Eskimo communities. Napoleon had never been a part of primitive life nor had
he followed the old ways of the Eskimo people, but with his three children aged ten, eight and
four, he settled in Savoonga where he found he had a half-brother who extended hospitality. Because there was no other housing available-a common problem in northern communities the families lived in crowded conditions in a small, two-room cabin for nearly a year during which time Napoleon became a worthy boatman, learned to speak the language and won the
love and respect of the island people who, in turn, won his heart. Lack of accommodation
caused Napoleon and his family to leave their post until arrangements could be made to house them. A prefabricated house was designed in Juneau, financed from Kodiak, organized from Anchorage, and constructed in Savoonga by Napoleon from materials gathered in Seattle and shipped on the boat that makes one visit to the island annually. En route to Savoonga, Napoleon learned that Keith Koontz who had expressed an interest in the Cause during Napoleon's first sojourn there had embraced the Faith. "Yahoo!" was Napoleon's enthusiastic response as he threw his hat in the air; the first fruit of his pioneering in Savoonga had been garnered.
After two years a group of dedicated Baha'is existed in Savoonga and Napoleon faced the
difficult decision of having to return to the mainland where his eldest child could enter
high school. The family then pioneered to Wrangell where Napoleon assisted to form the
first Spiritual Assembly at Ridvan, 1971.
On November 7, 1971, while driving down an icy street to meet a friend who had called for assistance, a sudden crash quickly crushed out his life. Napoleon Bonaparte was turned
back by the icy blasts of a Russian winter. Napoleon III contemptuously cast aside the Tablet addressed to him by Baha'u'llah and sank from glory into oblivion. Napoleon Bergamaschi restores honour to the name he bears as he rises from obscurity. He recognized his Lord, joyously received His Word, and planted His banner in the frozen heart of the Bering Sea.
JOHN E. KOLSTOE
He was named after his father Napoleon, an immigrant from Gurro (Piedmont), Italy, who lived in Nome for 30 years, and died at Maynard MacDougall Memorial Hospital in Nome of metastatic lung cancer in 1950.
His father's father was Giacomo Napoleon Bergamaschi, also an Italian immigrant, and a miner in Montana.
He had a sibling, and half-siblings from his father's previous marriage to Bessie Aleosick. His nephew, through his half-brother James, was also named Napoleon Bergamaschi.
He was a student at Mt. Edgecumbe in Sitka.
He worked as a boomman at the Ketchikan Pulp Mill for 10 years. He married Dee Mather in September 1955; they divorced in August 1964. He was the father of three.
He later moved to Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, then left Savoonga to work as a boomman at the Wrangell location of Alaska Wood Products.
At the time of his death, he was raising his children. He died in Wrangell after his car skidded on ice and ran into the back of a parked pickup truck (which would never have happened on St. Lawrence Island).
He was buried on November 10, 1971. His obituary was published in The Wrangell Sentinel, November 12, 1971.
———
Apologies for reproducing the cultural macro- and micro-aggressions expressed in the "historical" piece, below.
Note: Native Alaskan children were once regularly removed (taken with or without permission) from their families and communities, and sent to Mt. Edgecumbe to be indoctrinated, orphaned or not. A noted and unintended benefit was the subsequent creation of a statewide organization, the Alaska Federation of Natives, or AFN (formerly, the Alaska Native Brotherhood, or ANB).
Note: Labeling subsistence lifestyles as "primitive" is an historic Eurocentric approach used to justify theft of natural resources such as land use, and the destruction of cultural heritage. This particular labeling was established by political philosophers in the mid-1600s and was debunked by anthropologists in the mid-1900s, but remains popular among white supremacists, and the miseducated.
Note: Living in close quarters is a requirement for survival in the North. No sane person would attempt to use limited resources to heat empty space in an area where trees do not grow. People before property.
Note: The cultural and language diversity that has always existed among the indigenous circumpolar peoples is now acknowledged. The term "Eskimo" was officially abandoned by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000.
—-
The following was contributed by Find a Grave member #47310768.
Baha'i World Vol 15
NAPOLEON BERGAMASCHI
1935 -1971
Magnanimity is necessary, heavenly exertion is called for. Should you display an effort, so that the fragrances of God be diffused amongst the Eskimos, its effect will be very great and far-reaching . . . 'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan
Napoleon Bergamaschi, called "Nip" or "Bergie" by his friends, was part Eskimo. He was born in Nome, but lived in south-eastern Alaska from the time he was twelve years of age. He was orphaned as a young child and attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools at Wrangell and Sitka. He adapted well to life in the south-east, married a girl from Metlakatla, settled in Ketchikan, and became part of the sophisticated life and cash economy there. Successfully acculturated, his Eskimo heritage seemed remote indeed.
In July, 1961, Napoleon became a Baha'i. He was a quiet, though vital, member of the
Ketchikan community. Five years later he arose to plant the banner of the Faith of Baha'u'llah
in the one remaining unopened territory assigned to Alaska in the Nine Year Plan, St.
Lawrence Island - a lonely spot in the middle of the Bering Sea, closer to Siberia than to the
Alaskan mainland, difficult to reach, offering only a subsistence living from hunting and
fishing, blighted by severe weather and long, cruel winters. The only settlements on the island
are Eskimo villages, Savoonga and Gambell, with a language, culture and customs different
from other Eskimo communities. Napoleon had never been a part of primitive life nor had
he followed the old ways of the Eskimo people, but with his three children aged ten, eight and
four, he settled in Savoonga where he found he had a half-brother who extended hospitality. Because there was no other housing available-a common problem in northern communities the families lived in crowded conditions in a small, two-room cabin for nearly a year during which time Napoleon became a worthy boatman, learned to speak the language and won the
love and respect of the island people who, in turn, won his heart. Lack of accommodation
caused Napoleon and his family to leave their post until arrangements could be made to house them. A prefabricated house was designed in Juneau, financed from Kodiak, organized from Anchorage, and constructed in Savoonga by Napoleon from materials gathered in Seattle and shipped on the boat that makes one visit to the island annually. En route to Savoonga, Napoleon learned that Keith Koontz who had expressed an interest in the Cause during Napoleon's first sojourn there had embraced the Faith. "Yahoo!" was Napoleon's enthusiastic response as he threw his hat in the air; the first fruit of his pioneering in Savoonga had been garnered.
After two years a group of dedicated Baha'is existed in Savoonga and Napoleon faced the
difficult decision of having to return to the mainland where his eldest child could enter
high school. The family then pioneered to Wrangell where Napoleon assisted to form the
first Spiritual Assembly at Ridvan, 1971.
On November 7, 1971, while driving down an icy street to meet a friend who had called for assistance, a sudden crash quickly crushed out his life. Napoleon Bonaparte was turned
back by the icy blasts of a Russian winter. Napoleon III contemptuously cast aside the Tablet addressed to him by Baha'u'llah and sank from glory into oblivion. Napoleon Bergamaschi restores honour to the name he bears as he rises from obscurity. He recognized his Lord, joyously received His Word, and planted His banner in the frozen heart of the Bering Sea.
JOHN E. KOLSTOE
His mother Ida died of heart disease in 1943, when he was 8 years old.
He was named after his father Napoleon, an immigrant from Gurro (Piedmont), Italy, who lived in Nome for 30 years, and died at Maynard MacDougall Memorial Hospital in Nome of metastatic lung cancer in 1950.
His father's father was Giacomo Napoleon Bergamaschi, also an Italian immigrant, and a miner in Montana.
He had a sibling, and half-siblings from his father's previous marriage to Bessie Aleosick. His nephew, through his half-brother James, was also named Napoleon Bergamaschi.
He was a student at Mt. Edgecumbe in Sitka.
He worked as a boomman at the Ketchikan Pulp Mill for 10 years. He married Dee Mather in September 1955; they divorced in August 1964. He was the father of three.
He later moved to Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, then left Savoonga to work as a boomman at the Wrangell location of Alaska Wood Products.
At the time of his death, he was raising his children. He died in Wrangell after his car skidded on ice and ran into the back of a parked pickup truck (which would never have happened on St. Lawrence Island).
He was buried on November 10, 1971. His obituary was published in The Wrangell Sentinel, November 12, 1971.
———
Apologies for reproducing the cultural macro- and micro-aggressions expressed in the "historical" piece, below.
Note: Native Alaskan children were once regularly removed (taken with or without permission) from their families and communities, and sent to Mt. Edgecumbe to be indoctrinated, orphaned or not. A noted and unintended benefit was the subsequent creation of a statewide organization, the Alaska Federation of Natives, or AFN (formerly, the Alaska Native Brotherhood, or ANB).
Note: Labeling subsistence lifestyles as "primitive" is an historic Eurocentric approach used to justify theft of natural resources such as land use, and the destruction of cultural heritage. This particular labeling was established by political philosophers in the mid-1600s and was debunked by anthropologists in the mid-1900s, but remains popular among white supremacists, and the miseducated.
Note: Living in close quarters is a requirement for survival in the North. No sane person would attempt to use limited resources to heat empty space in an area where trees do not grow. People before property.
Note: The cultural and language diversity that has always existed among the indigenous circumpolar peoples is now acknowledged. The term "Eskimo" was officially abandoned by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000.
—-
The following was contributed by Find a Grave member #47310768.
Baha'i World Vol 15
NAPOLEON BERGAMASCHI
1935 -1971
Magnanimity is necessary, heavenly exertion is called for. Should you display an effort, so that the fragrances of God be diffused amongst the Eskimos, its effect will be very great and far-reaching . . . 'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan
Napoleon Bergamaschi, called "Nip" or "Bergie" by his friends, was part Eskimo. He was born in Nome, but lived in south-eastern Alaska from the time he was twelve years of age. He was orphaned as a young child and attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools at Wrangell and Sitka. He adapted well to life in the south-east, married a girl from Metlakatla, settled in Ketchikan, and became part of the sophisticated life and cash economy there. Successfully acculturated, his Eskimo heritage seemed remote indeed.
In July, 1961, Napoleon became a Baha'i. He was a quiet, though vital, member of the
Ketchikan community. Five years later he arose to plant the banner of the Faith of Baha'u'llah
in the one remaining unopened territory assigned to Alaska in the Nine Year Plan, St.
Lawrence Island - a lonely spot in the middle of the Bering Sea, closer to Siberia than to the
Alaskan mainland, difficult to reach, offering only a subsistence living from hunting and
fishing, blighted by severe weather and long, cruel winters. The only settlements on the island
are Eskimo villages, Savoonga and Gambell, with a language, culture and customs different
from other Eskimo communities. Napoleon had never been a part of primitive life nor had
he followed the old ways of the Eskimo people, but with his three children aged ten, eight and
four, he settled in Savoonga where he found he had a half-brother who extended hospitality. Because there was no other housing available-a common problem in northern communities the families lived in crowded conditions in a small, two-room cabin for nearly a year during which time Napoleon became a worthy boatman, learned to speak the language and won the
love and respect of the island people who, in turn, won his heart. Lack of accommodation
caused Napoleon and his family to leave their post until arrangements could be made to house them. A prefabricated house was designed in Juneau, financed from Kodiak, organized from Anchorage, and constructed in Savoonga by Napoleon from materials gathered in Seattle and shipped on the boat that makes one visit to the island annually. En route to Savoonga, Napoleon learned that Keith Koontz who had expressed an interest in the Cause during Napoleon's first sojourn there had embraced the Faith. "Yahoo!" was Napoleon's enthusiastic response as he threw his hat in the air; the first fruit of his pioneering in Savoonga had been garnered.
After two years a group of dedicated Baha'is existed in Savoonga and Napoleon faced the
difficult decision of having to return to the mainland where his eldest child could enter
high school. The family then pioneered to Wrangell where Napoleon assisted to form the
first Spiritual Assembly at Ridvan, 1971.
On November 7, 1971, while driving down an icy street to meet a friend who had called for assistance, a sudden crash quickly crushed out his life. Napoleon Bonaparte was turned
back by the icy blasts of a Russian winter. Napoleon III contemptuously cast aside the Tablet addressed to him by Baha'u'llah and sank from glory into oblivion. Napoleon Bergamaschi restores honour to the name he bears as he rises from obscurity. He recognized his Lord, joyously received His Word, and planted His banner in the frozen heart of the Bering Sea.
JOHN E. KOLSTOE
He was named after his father Napoleon, an immigrant from Gurro (Piedmont), Italy, who lived in Nome for 30 years, and died at Maynard MacDougall Memorial Hospital in Nome of metastatic lung cancer in 1950.
His father's father was Giacomo Napoleon Bergamaschi, also an Italian immigrant, and a miner in Montana.
He had a sibling, and half-siblings from his father's previous marriage to Bessie Aleosick. His nephew, through his half-brother James, was also named Napoleon Bergamaschi.
He was a student at Mt. Edgecumbe in Sitka.
He worked as a boomman at the Ketchikan Pulp Mill for 10 years. He married Dee Mather in September 1955; they divorced in August 1964. He was the father of three.
He later moved to Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, then left Savoonga to work as a boomman at the Wrangell location of Alaska Wood Products.
At the time of his death, he was raising his children. He died in Wrangell after his car skidded on ice and ran into the back of a parked pickup truck (which would never have happened on St. Lawrence Island).
He was buried on November 10, 1971. His obituary was published in The Wrangell Sentinel, November 12, 1971.
———
Apologies for reproducing the cultural macro- and micro-aggressions expressed in the "historical" piece, below.
Note: Native Alaskan children were once regularly removed (taken with or without permission) from their families and communities, and sent to Mt. Edgecumbe to be indoctrinated, orphaned or not. A noted and unintended benefit was the subsequent creation of a statewide organization, the Alaska Federation of Natives, or AFN (formerly, the Alaska Native Brotherhood, or ANB).
Note: Labeling subsistence lifestyles as "primitive" is an historic Eurocentric approach used to justify theft of natural resources such as land use, and the destruction of cultural heritage. This particular labeling was established by political philosophers in the mid-1600s and was debunked by anthropologists in the mid-1900s, but remains popular among white supremacists, and the miseducated.
Note: Living in close quarters is a requirement for survival in the North. No sane person would attempt to use limited resources to heat empty space in an area where trees do not grow. People before property.
Note: The cultural and language diversity that has always existed among the indigenous circumpolar peoples is now acknowledged. The term "Eskimo" was officially abandoned by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000.
—-
The following was contributed by Find a Grave member #47310768.
Baha'i World Vol 15
NAPOLEON BERGAMASCHI
1935 -1971
Magnanimity is necessary, heavenly exertion is called for. Should you display an effort, so that the fragrances of God be diffused amongst the Eskimos, its effect will be very great and far-reaching . . . 'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan
Napoleon Bergamaschi, called "Nip" or "Bergie" by his friends, was part Eskimo. He was born in Nome, but lived in south-eastern Alaska from the time he was twelve years of age. He was orphaned as a young child and attended the Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools at Wrangell and Sitka. He adapted well to life in the south-east, married a girl from Metlakatla, settled in Ketchikan, and became part of the sophisticated life and cash economy there. Successfully acculturated, his Eskimo heritage seemed remote indeed.
In July, 1961, Napoleon became a Baha'i. He was a quiet, though vital, member of the
Ketchikan community. Five years later he arose to plant the banner of the Faith of Baha'u'llah
in the one remaining unopened territory assigned to Alaska in the Nine Year Plan, St.
Lawrence Island - a lonely spot in the middle of the Bering Sea, closer to Siberia than to the
Alaskan mainland, difficult to reach, offering only a subsistence living from hunting and
fishing, blighted by severe weather and long, cruel winters. The only settlements on the island
are Eskimo villages, Savoonga and Gambell, with a language, culture and customs different
from other Eskimo communities. Napoleon had never been a part of primitive life nor had
he followed the old ways of the Eskimo people, but with his three children aged ten, eight and
four, he settled in Savoonga where he found he had a half-brother who extended hospitality. Because there was no other housing available-a common problem in northern communities the families lived in crowded conditions in a small, two-room cabin for nearly a year during which time Napoleon became a worthy boatman, learned to speak the language and won the
love and respect of the island people who, in turn, won his heart. Lack of accommodation
caused Napoleon and his family to leave their post until arrangements could be made to house them. A prefabricated house was designed in Juneau, financed from Kodiak, organized from Anchorage, and constructed in Savoonga by Napoleon from materials gathered in Seattle and shipped on the boat that makes one visit to the island annually. En route to Savoonga, Napoleon learned that Keith Koontz who had expressed an interest in the Cause during Napoleon's first sojourn there had embraced the Faith. "Yahoo!" was Napoleon's enthusiastic response as he threw his hat in the air; the first fruit of his pioneering in Savoonga had been garnered.
After two years a group of dedicated Baha'is existed in Savoonga and Napoleon faced the
difficult decision of having to return to the mainland where his eldest child could enter
high school. The family then pioneered to Wrangell where Napoleon assisted to form the
first Spiritual Assembly at Ridvan, 1971.
On November 7, 1971, while driving down an icy street to meet a friend who had called for assistance, a sudden crash quickly crushed out his life. Napoleon Bonaparte was turned
back by the icy blasts of a Russian winter. Napoleon III contemptuously cast aside the Tablet addressed to him by Baha'u'llah and sank from glory into oblivion. Napoleon Bergamaschi restores honour to the name he bears as he rises from obscurity. He recognized his Lord, joyously received His Word, and planted His banner in the frozen heart of the Bering Sea.
JOHN E. KOLSTOE
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