The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-03-05
THE NATIVES OF ALASKA.
MODES OF LIFE or THE AMERICAN
ALEUT5.
Description OF Our subjects I'm the
Alaskan Fur IsIands-A Race that
~ Dying Out.


Il Dying out.
Hon. Louis H. Kimmell, of Lafayette,
Ind, government agent at st. Georges
island, Alaska says in the indianapolis
Journal:
1.-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-
BILE when fresh, but the natives are not
particular in that sense. If they are over
ripe or have chicks in them they are pre-
ferred, being then used in a sort of ONE
let, which they consider their choicest |
dish. So with the meat of the seal and
the sea lion-the stronger it smells the |
better they like it. Gathering gulls' eggs
looks hazardous, but the natives say there |
has never but one accident producing |
death occurred to any one engaged In 1T.
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-
scends sometimes near 1000 feet over the
sheer face of cliff, and then, swinging
from side to side, gathers the eggs.
The accident occurred through native
going out alone and fastening the rope to
stake or stone. He was found dead at
the foot of a 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 /, 500 to 5000 of these
foxes, for which the company pays fifty
cents each. The skins, cured, readily
bring $9 and 50 apiece.
"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 a 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
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.
sit wouldn't do for the ladies here to
see the waste of sealskins 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 seals1in and pure gold. Men
and women are fond of dancing, the
women especially. Their dances are un-
couth and barbarous, but their waltzing
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, ano
they have loathsome skin diseases. They
have glandular swelling in the neck.
, which seldom leaves them without a scar
r Speaking of dancing, Christmas, in the
! Greek church, according to the Russian
! calendar, which is old style, comes
twelve days later than with u.s. Las
year they had permission to use the gov
. ernment house, and beginning with theil
, Christmas, they danced every night fo
I two weeks They are inordinate te;
. drinkers; that, too, they learned of tn,
Russians, and they keep the tea kettle OF
day and night. That is the stronges
Q beverage they have, as not drop o
spirits is allowed by the government ol
! the island. Under the Russian
\ they had plenty of whisky 'vod
ki,' as the Russians and Aleut
t call it, and they have no good will to
a ward this paternal government for de
q priving them of it. The men, generally
: are about five feet two inches in height
the women shorter. 1t is a mistake t
: suppose them similar to our Indians
r They are not copper-colored. Their fea
: lures are Monaghan; they have higl
cheek bones, broad noses, and slant eyes
/ Some of them are dark, while Other
!, have skins much like the Chinese. Th
8 effort of the company to educate the
e children is not likely to come to mucf
The education is compulsory and in Eng
Is llsh, but even a1ter tne cMldren nav
o learned to read and have left school the
4 have refused to read or speak a word {
v English. In consequence of their dirty wa
s of living and their generally disease
e condition, they die young, The me
/ seldom live to be fifty years old; IL
# women live somewhat longer. They al
married in the Greek church, but IL
l. marriage tie is hardly observed at al
a We keep them all together upon II
a island and in frame huts, their unde
n ground houses having been destroyed {
w account of their filthiness and to get r
IS of the domestic animals, with whiC
le they fairly swarmed All the guns {
r. the island are in charge Of the COVER
r ment agent, and never more than thr
natives at time are allowed to ha
guns"