Conversation so far:
When was the Russian colonial period?
Arriving from Siberia by ship in the mid-eighteenth century, Russians began to trade with Alaska Natives.
What did they trade?
Rather than hunting the marine life, the Russians forced the Aleuts to do the work for them.
What did  they hunt?
CANNOTANSWER.
What else was significant during the Russian colonial period?
Catherine the Great, who became Empress in 1763, proclaimed good will toward the Aleut.

Question: How did they benefit?
Self-contained rewrite: How did Aleut benefit?