Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-02-01
THE NATIVES OF ALASKA.
NODES OF LIFE OF TIE AMERICAN
ALEUT3.
Description of Our Subjects i'm the
Ala skan Fur Islands-A Race that
is Dying Out.

Description of Our Subjects i'm the
Ala skan Fur Islands-A Race that
is Dying Out.
Hon. Louis Fl. Kimmell, of Lafayette,
Ind, government agent at st. Georges
Island, Alaska, says in the indianapolis
Journal:
''The natives OF Alaska subsist on seal
meat, the meat of the sea lion and on
gulls' eggs. In June and July the island
is literally covered with gulls. They lay
great quantities Of eggs, which are gath
cred by thousands. The eggs are palata-
ole when fresh, but the natives are not
particular in that sense. If they are over
ripe or have chicks in them they are pre-
terred, being then used in sort of ONE
let, which they consider their choicest
dish. So with the meat of the seal and
the sea hon-the stronger it smells the
better they likeit Gathering gulls' eggs
looks hazardous, but the natives say there
has never but one accident producing
death occurred to any one engaged in it.
Two men, or as often man and woman,
go together, taking with them long rope,
One, lying down with his feet braced
against the solid earth or stone, holds
one end of the rope, while the other de-
sends sometimes near 1000 feet over the
sheer face of cliff, and then, swinging
from side to side, gathers the eggs.
The accident occurred through a native
going out alone and fastening the rope to
stake or stone. He was found dead at
the foot of cliff the rope broken. The
breaking of the rope was credited to the
blue foxes, who were charged with hav-
ing gnawed it in two. Each winter the
Aleuts trap from 1, 500 to 8, 900 of these
foxes, for which the company pays fifty
cents each. The skins, cured, readily
bring So and 50 apiece.
1.-THE Aleuts have no great variety OF
amusements. They pitch half-dollars,
and are expert at it. They also play ball.
There are no rules in the game, which
appears to be nothing more than knock
about. AS there is no timber on the
island---not tree-there is no uniformity
in their clubs, anything goes, any kind of
stick or a seal rib. They are intensely
fond of cards, and are always playing a
Russian card game, which do not pre-
tend to understand, never having tried
to learn it. A while ago they were
about at their wits end to continue their
card playing. Their packs were about
played out the spots worn off They
had seen me drawing and coloring, and
came with their well-worn cards to put
new spots on them.
1t wouldn't do for the ladies here to
see the waste of sealslzins that have
seen-to see the Aleut women in their
fur clothes made of pup seals, which are
finer, but, because of their size not as
valuable as the sealskins of commerce.
"They do not estimate things as we
do, those misguided Aleuts, and they
actually prefer bright calicoes and brass
jewelry to sealskin and pure gold. Men
and women are fond of dancing, the
women especially. Their dances are un-
couth and barbarous, but their watzing
is really exceedingly graceful, and they
like to dance every Sunday afternoon
after coming from their Greek chapel.
They are indebted to the Russian sailors
and soldiers for their waltz, as they are
for their religion Civilization has al
most done for them as it has done for the
Sandwich Islanders There is no leprosy
among them, but they have scurvy, and
they have loathsome skin diseases. They
have glandular swelling in the neck,
which seldom leaves them without a scar.
Speaking of dancing, Christmas, in the
Greek church, according to the Russian
calendar, which is old style, comes
twelve days later than with US. Last
year they had permission to use the gov
ernment house, and beginning with Their
Christmas, they danced every night fol
two weeks. They are inordinate tea
drinkers; that, too, they learned of the
Russians, and they keep the tea kettle on
day and night That is the strongest
beverage they have, as not drop Of
spirits is allowed by the government or
the island. Under the Russians
they had plenty Of whisky, 'vod-
XII, as the Russians and AleutS
call it, and they have no good will to.
ward this paternal government for de-
priving them of it. The men, generally,
are about five feet two inches in height
the women shorter. 1t is a mistake tC
suppose them similar to our Indians.
They are not copper-colored. Their fea-
lures are Mongolian; they have high
cheek bones, broad noses, and slant eyes
Some of them are dark, while Others
have skins much like the Chinese. Tht
effort of the company to educate thei
children is not likely to come to much
The education is compulsory and in Eng
lish, but even after the children hav,
/, learned to read and have left school the,
have refused to read or speak word o
English. In consequence of their dirty wa.
of living and their generally diseased
, condition, they die young. The mel
seldom live to be fifty years old; tn,
E women live somewhat longer. They are
married in the Greek church, but tn,
marriage tie is hardly observed at all
We keep them all together upon tn,
! island and in frame huts, their under
, ground houses having been destroyed OIL
; account of their filthiness and to get ri(
! of the domestic animals, with whicl
! they fairly swarmed All the guns OIL
. the island are in charge of the govern
i, ment agent. and never more than thre
natives at a time are allowed. to hav
guns"