The Unangan or Aleut people (as they came to be called) were once quite plentiful in their native corner of Alaska. But within 45 years after Russian contact, their number plummeted to a mere few thousand—the population had become decimated by warfare, epidemics, starvation and the exploitation of Russian fur traders. The Russian monarchy attempted to enforce fair treatment, but it was not until the arrival of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1800s (decade) that the Aleuts' rights were argued in Russian courts.