Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-02-19
The ThlinkIets.

An Alaska letter to the San Francisco
Chronicle says:
A Southern Alaska Indian looks like
his Arizona cousin and has his vices,
but in other respects he is usually an
inferior article. Cunning workman
though he is, fashioning curious and
well-carved household utensils out of
native woods and bone. making nets
and baskets and silver bracelets and
rings for nose and fingers. still the pueb-
10 dweller distances him in manufac-
turing blankets, dying woods, carving
stones and making silver ornaments,
and Is generally handsomer, cleaner,
Drawer and altogether more attractive
man. An Apache. meanest of Southern
lndians-will fight and show spirit, but
an Alaskan never. The far South ma
tive is low-souled tramp; an oily. fish
eating, superstitious, licentious creation;
treacherous and wilful. He is as stoical
as though carved from wood; he is with
out pride; bigamist; sordid creature.
afraid even of his wife, whom he al
ways asks to trade for him and always
leaves penniless and helpless That is,
the ThlinkletS were generally a mean
class before they began to see the bene-
fits of the white man S civilization. As
general thing it does not improve the
moral standing of Indians to have white
men come to live near them. They
copy but few of the virtues of the new
corners, but are pretty sure to indulge
in most of their vices. When Alaska
was more forsaken than it is at present,
the Indians did not get drunk whenever
they could, which they do now; nor did
they sell their wives and daughters to
the highest bidder. But they had other
faults, such as putting innocent people
to death, because they thought they had
an evil spirit; burning wife with her
dead husband, that both might 60 to the
happy hunting grounds together, and
other such pleasantries; and while civ
ilization has rendered them more de-
PRAYED in some things, it has, on the
other hand, brought work to them, and
offered a glimpse, at least, of better
modes of living, of which some have
taken advantage. ...
There have been converts to Chris
tianity made here and there, and a few
have moved into comfortable quarters,
and very many have learned to work
hard and save little money. One no.
tees the few advancementS made with
pleasure, and only regrets that there
has not been more progress. If Mon
tesquieu was right in calling that peo-
pie happy whose annals are tiresome,
Alaska Indians must have been SUI
premely contented. During the years
of their occupancy of Alaska they have
done actually nothing toward develop
ing the natural resources of their pos
sessions. Not only have they never
built any towns. but they have neglect
ed the timber, overlooked the ores, and
refused to cultivate the garden districts.
Whatever has been done up to the pres
ent time is due to the white man Be
fore his advent a native was content to
paddle about the waters in his canoe,
and to live upon the fish and game
which hunger compelled him to catch.
As an actuality, an Indian here is a bad
ly-housed, oily, depraved and lazy be-
ING. As = possibility, he may be made
useful in developing, under proper tut
eiage, the vast resources of the little an
dcrstood, but undeniably rich, territory
which we own