New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-16
FOOD IN ALASKA.
TRYING TO PREVENT THE NATIVES
FROM STARVING.
IMPORTATION OF THE SIBERIAN ANIMALS TO
TAKE THE PLACE OF DIFFERENTIATED

TAKE THE PLACE OF EXTERMINAlhD
HERDS IMPRovIDENCE OF THE NATIVES.
When Russia in 1861. transferred the territory
then known as "the Russian Possessions III No''n
America to the United States. great herns OF
,,,d reindeer roamed at will in every part OF inc
region Of the Arctic Circle ana iurh'S"e" az"
abundant food supply. for part OF the year W "
Esoumau and Aleut people. Thc greater po''o"
~ those immense herds has since been ex'ermi-
mated and an important part OF the ioon supply
=, ,ho natives entirely exhausted Each year. az
o, nc the great rivers OF Northern and western
Alaska the Kuskokwu, the YUKON al" '"e
Koyak arc free from winters Ice. the younger
men from each native village pack thelr pe'.S an"
other objects of barter and 60 in their ha'arK'S
or sknboats to the various CONSTITUTING P"S'S
u,horo tbev spend almost the entire summer
Gambling drinking and carousins are INV" pm"
cipal occupation during their so)ourn At '"' ""'
ing nosts while the old men. too i'ep'e Io' ''e
longer Journeys. and the women an" '''''''" ~"
,.Le themselves to the banks Of the large rivers
70 await the coming of the immense shoaIs Oh req
solpor that frequent those streams Inc arrNa
OF the fish is eventful period 10 'he ""''''s
people Signal stations are estabhshed AT var,
GUS points downstream; women are on '"e HUN
ont and when the smooth surface Oh l"e ''''
river is ruflled by the great schools OF salmon
STRUGGLING against the current the intelligence Vi
,hor advance is instantly flashed from one station
TO another with great JOY and exnitauon.
II is a matter of astonishment now skiI'"i 'he
native women are In the knitting OF salmon nets
The long. hbrous roots OF spruce anu ''e ""
lock are used for this purpose split into me I"h6
threads and deftIv knit into nets. som" OF theh
mara than one hundred feet in length ana
strong enough to arrest the progress VI "a"
mon weighing as much az nifty pounds one ehh
NJ this long net is fastened on the shore anu 'nc
other carried toward midsream. where " IL kep
in postion by or two women III Il c"""e' "'
opallv when n great number OF salmon are COT
,ected behind the net. II is gradually ana SNl"'y
brought around in a scmcircle toward tn'' S"'''
where the other end is fastened ny inc """"
ra,,,g tho canoe or bidash The old men In
ca mn render no assistance whatever 10 the ""l"'"
=, fishing or caring for the fish when caught inc"
,rirc,naI occupation IL TO gorge Themselves with
hoiled fish and doze away the time IN the tents
huts. - -,
They have singular method ~ cooking OF "'''
ing salmon. Each family Is provided win N''He'
made by bending thin piece Of spruce lh'" '''"''
Ike that Of the barrel Of drum or ronnh cne,Se
hox With single wooden head. 1t is car"iulN
caulkei with spruce gum NJ tnrp'h'h' VIM" ~
use for cooking purposes It y hlle1 WIN "''''
AMI small red-hot stones "r powders are 'h'"""
into the water which Is thus maze - ""'' INC
salmon are put into u ana cooked
pos,de ,he firearms which the natives 81 that part
p, tho coast had been able To obtain through III"
traders and from the agents OF the hunS"" '"'
| cowrauv and Of the North American '"u'h"r''"
Company for years past ther P''"''"'' "''N
,,,io,rcnts are yet In general us" II j. no "h-
.,r,r,,n hing to see many old-fashion"l nh'-'''"
, aca where they have advanced beyond thh'
stage II has been often 20 exchange inc "'''-''
Tor the now antquatei percussion cap "'"p'".
/ Congress- has prohibited the sale ~ any KIM ~
I hroech- loading firearms 10 these people 'u, VIZ
..r,r,.r Is always able to outwit the l"siT''''''
'r -, ,b,s cas-. when Congress has maze
/ 49, ro,.,ston for maintaining the necessary hE'"'
| 3, enforce the provisions ~ law ana ""'''
| smugElers -, ,,o ,tud
,.n,u the almost total disappearance "' 'n' w.
/ reindeer OF Alaska a few years ht'' NV ' -,
,,,,,ng that interesting animal began to"''n NV
/ las, OF January. The ice ~ snow nuts "''' "'''
! Aonod The tundra which covered tn" "hole 'o""'
try and which on account - itS wet ana S"''S'
! character In summer was rra'u'"nS mn
h,a become frozen 10 great d"pth' Inv ''"
oc,,vo men Of each village. who had h"en Sf'e''''
os hunters were dispatched day or wv" !" ~
.a,c. ~ tho rest Of the village 10 ascertain w
trail OF the herd Of reindeer ana to come ny WIN
them BY tht time n herd was "''''""'''
many Of them slaughtered, the rest OF 'h' N"'"N'
,op women and children. had arrived. the tents
were pitched and n feast began IN 'ho'' ""'
they usea spear made Of sprnc" or '"f'n' 49,
az. Zoo, long and pointed with an iron head. "heh
,bev had hudded the reindeer I'm bunches on '"'
margin OF a lake on the ice they were '''F ~
merit in killing them. Several hundred deer "er'
! sometimes assembled in a single group h'"' '"'
shore and half as many hunters
/ ,,ho, t,,nroved firearms were introduced among
| ,hon, the slaughter of reindeer Was terrible. hY
! 1877 so many OF the hunters In that region h"'
cured firearms such as the winchester ana HH"'' >
rife through Illicit trafiic. that the via re"''' "
/ xortbcrn and Western Alaska had been pra'u'aiS
/ x,orntnated The destruction OF Wild Ahska rem
/ d..r through these means. has. during IN" "H'
fen wears been about a. enectv" ms ina, 81 "o
,unalo or bison Of the Western plains III me S1'o
period. ,n, r..
Tho renort OF Mr. Pctron appointed by the IN
,orior Donartment In 1870 to take the census "a
Alaska shows that. by fairly accurate estimates
uo native population OF the Territory VAS anou'
Loo scattered over an area OF n'o''
thrco hundred thousand square miles Fo'
,nerlv the sea otter. the reindeer 'h' '"' ~"
and the sea lion and the wairus Afforded 'h' Il"
,ives OF Northern and Western AlasN" WI" AZ
| ,,,utarcc ~ food at all seasons but the hhNo'
1T, ,ron the herds OF Wild reindeer ana 'h'
marine animals just named. after the co"'i"o""'
trade In improved firearms. has P'"'",'"S
,,, tho reindeer and most OF the other
animals To illustrate how enecuNe '''" r'9"
-, ,ooo 4, ia necessary only to say that not
- ,b,n twenty years ago the sea OTTER VAN ~
abundant along the Northwest coast OF N"e'i'"
tina, the skins had scarcely any comhe'''"' '"
30, 4, ,soi the most inferior quality brought M "b'
- ,mo ner skin with the OF improved firearms u
/ tho last fifteen years the natives o' NJ ''"'
- ,,.o oIuost cxtcrmnated that rich FUR
,o.r,pc animal I5y the same means VIA REINDEER
ar. almost exterminatcd by ls's Many OF 'h'
natives I'm consequence. were IN STATE " S'
,,, ~, that time at a critical period OF the year
,,o tina, during the few months OF Inc
.a,ron season they had abundance but II car
carce,v he regarded improvident on ther par
that they did not lay IN store OF T,sn G on
ss, rorosa available that region 10 preserve VIZ
emrpius supply that Is by cannns ana IN, hat XII
do do hot understand and have no means WIN "h''
r TO carry II on. .,,, tho r,tiv.s of tina
-" frnn, starving by hundreds finally prtsehte'
, ,aIS 70 the missionaries four or hvc years ago
nr sheldon Jackson. who was sent aDout MI, W.
III 400 nv The Boa-d OF Home and Foreign Mis
,ons OF the Presbyterian Church Of the mite
e., IN establish missions and an ihdustrh'
s.h.eJ in Alaska and who has been the Unite