Last night I did an all nighter, and thought up this scenario for fun. I want to check out its plausibility, insha Allah.
Okay, so this is a late 18th century POD based on the idea of a much more expansive and an all around successful Russian America emerging by the 1800s or 1810s, stretching from Alaska to OTL Oregon. Russian settlers (mostly sailors, farmers, etc.) populate the coasts and inland, farming regions especially. Though it didn't enjoy a massive boom in settlers, the Russian population in Russian America is still significant. Outside of those regions, it remains largely in the hands of the Native Americans who've declared their loyalty to the Tsar in exchange for recognition, autonomy and defense. These loyal Native Americans stretch as far east as the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ with the purpose of a considerable buffer zone between the prosperous Russian coasts and a potential American/British aggressor. The rationale being that it's a lot more harder to successfully invade Russian America if its hinterlands is mostly just wilderness, Russian military outposts and angry Native Americans. The autonomy of these Native Americans varies greatly from being horribly abused and oppressed nearer to the Russian settlements to being effectively independent with Očhéthi Šakówiŋ. Eventually, this Russian America breaks off from Russia with the Russian Revolution, forming its own independent nation with a largely Native American majority with a significant Russian minority in the western parts of the country. This Native American majority country would've had been heavily exposed to outside technology, mitigating the setbacks they would have had if they were completely independent. The Alaska Gold Rush doesn't happen during Russian rule, leaving something fairly significant this independent country could boost its economy with whenever it finds it in the 20th century. The Russian minority I imagine would be something like 30 - 40% of the population but they eventually assimilate into the larger Native American society as time goes by.
In modern day, it's an independent Native American majority state with a heterogenous but Russian influenced and Eastern Orthodox culture.
This is a very rough draft, but that's my idea. How plausible is this concept? What could the population of this state be like?