The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-04
NEAREST THE POLE.
The Tribe Peary Lived With for Over
Three Years.
THE EXPLORERS MINUTE STUDY
oFTHIS INTERESTING PEOPLE

III Has Made Complete Census. Record
ed the Family Relations. Climbed the
Genealogical Trees, Made Anthropome-
tricaI Measurements and Photographed
Nearly Every Person In Costume and
the Nude-Theories as to Their Origin
Their Life Is Simply Struggle for
These Assured They Are Happy and
Content.
Lieut. r. E. Peary wites in the New
York Sun: "Of all interesting aboriginal
tribes of men, there is no tribe more
strikingly so than that known as the
Attic Highlander. The snallness of the
tribe, its complete isolation and self.de-
pendence, its extreme northerly location,
and stress of hostiles conditions under
which it maintains it's existence, the hu-
man interest connected with it as the re-
suit of the writings of Kane, Hayes and
other Arctic explorers, and tho other I'M
certainty as to its origin and early his
tory, combine to place it at the head of
the list. The study of this tribe, and the
collection of accurate information in re-
gard to it, has been one of the objects of
my various expeditions, and the opportu-
mites for such study; owing to the
smallness of the tribe and its solitary
imprisonment among the great Arctic
glaciers, together with its particularly
kindly and tractable disposition, has
made it possible to obtain many valu-
able data in regard to its customs and
habits, and in particular to obtain an
absolutely q complete, census of the tribe,
with chronological descriptions and pho
tographs. In fact, the record, as at pres
ent obtained, has not its equal. in ethno-
logical archives. This record consists
first, as above noted, of complete census
of the entire tribe, showing number,
sex. and approximate age; secondly, a
record of the tribe by families, namely,
husband wife, and children; thirdly,
the genealogical trees Of the tribe, show
ing the ENTHUSIASTICALLY of every in
d ividual Gin some cases four generations
ars shown j; fourthly, anthropometrical
measurements of about one third of the
tribe; filthy, Photographic records of
nearly every individual.
A complete individual Photographic
record consists, except in the case of
qultesyoung children and babies, of five
photographs, namely, portrait, full
length in costume, and front, side, and
rear elevations in the nude. These pho
tograps, taken at a fixed focal distance
from the camera, show on placing the
photographs side by side the relative SIZE
shape. and other peouliarities of the in
dividual. Other photographs have been
taken showing the muscular structure
in various positions; also their various
athletic contests, occupations and
amusements. Other photographs show
their houses and tents for winter and
summer occupation, their canoes sledges,
weapons and implements, as well as varie-
ties of dress,
THEORIES OF THEIR ORIGIN.
The material thus obtained cannot fail
to establish something definite in regard
to the origin and early history of the
tribe. OF this origin, there are several
theories perhaps the most prominent of
which is the one advanced by Mr.. Glenn
ent Markham, the distinguished president
of the Royal Geographical Society. This
theory is, in brief, that these people are
the remnantsTof an ancient Siberia tribe.
the Onkilon, the last remains of which,
driven from their homes and out on
to the Arctic Ocean by the fierce waves
of Tartar invasion in the middle ages,
passed to the new Siberian Islands and
the nee gradually. over or along lands as
yet undiscovered, perhaps even across the
Pole to the northern Greenland archi-
pelago and Grinnell Land, and thence
southwark in different streams, as shown
today by the Eskimo on the coast of
Greenland, the Eskimo of the present
Danish colonies the Arctic Highlanders.
and tho Eskimo of northern North Anne
RIGA. and the American Arctic archipelago
Among other facts upon which this theo-
~ is grounded are the strong resemblance
Of the stone dwellings of the Arctic High
landers to the ruins of similar dwellings
discovered IN Siberia. There are also ap-
1t would seem as if this theory was
likely to be borne out by the additional
facts obtained. The facial character
istics of smany individuals in the tribes
are strik ingly Asiatic. The oblique set
eyes arc a common occurrence. The ma
tural aptness for imitation shown by
many is also strikingly suggestive of a
OuluCSO CUM cVPU'toSo SA~Np' h@A.A 49,
other interesting point was brought up
by the visit of young girl of their
people to the United States last year
The first and only thing that elected
expressions of vivid surprise and astonish
ment from the girl was the sight of a
Chinaman on the street, to whom she i'm
mediately ran and attempted to enter
into conversation. Later, while pass
ing along the streets Of Washington,
she was seen by several members of the
Chinese legation, who Immediately sur
rounded her and began talking to her
in the Chinese language evidently mis-
taking her for one of their own country
women.
THEY DO NOT KNOW WHENCE
THEY CAME.
On the other hand, it has been i'm
possible to obtain any satisfactory infor
nation from these people as to the direc-
ton from which they originally came.
They have general idea of land far to
the north. They are aware that that
land is inhabited by the musk OK, and
there are misty traditions of the existence