It's August 14, 1784, on an island just off the southern coast of present-day Alaska.

A young indigenous boy huddles with his family and hundreds of his people in a cove near the waterfront.

His mother offers him a bite of dried fish.

He takes the food in hand, but he's too anxious to eat.

For months, the Sukpiac people have been at war with Russian fur traders who are trying to dominate

their lands.

The Sukpiac far outnumbered the enemy, but the Russians have more firepower. After a

recent skirmish, the boy and his people retreated here to the safety of the sheltered cove.

But the Russians have followed them. The boy drops his dried fish as he sees out in the distance

on a ridge just across the cove, a group of armed Russian traitors

with cannons in tow. Others see them too, and soon the women and children begin to flee

as the Sukpiac warriors prepare for battle. The boy wants to fight too, but he's too young. His

mother grabs him by the hand and forces him to run. As the

Russians unleashed their cannons, the boy's mother drags him to the water's edge, where kayaks are

waiting. They climb inside and hunker down to hide. But the boy peeks his head out to watch the battle.

The Sugpeak warriors draw their bows, take aim,

and let loose their arrows. But the Russian weapons are more powerful. They tear down men,

women, and children alike. The boy's eyes filled with rage as he watches the Russians

advance toward their camp. He climbs out of the kayak and grabs a weapon from a fallen warrior.

His mother calls out to him to come back, but the boy ignores her and charges the Russians,

fully prepared to sacrifice his life to save his people and their land.

During the Refuge Rock Massacre, as this event will come to be known, countless Sukpyak will die.

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