Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-23
Daily geuuehst ga,,r,.sl.
Marvellous Records Carved On eeas and
lvor-The Queer People Of the Farlhest
. North Excel all Other Absrlslnal People q
Picture. Makers.

was appointed the other day to an i'm
pcrtant consular place in Germany. His
study of the subject was made under the
auspices of the bureau of ethnology.
which for a number of years has been
conducting an exhaustive Investigation
of the photographs of North America.
Experts have personally visited nearly
all of the rock paintings and rock sculp-
lures known to exist within the limits of
the United States. while an immense
amount of valuable material was fur
nished by the extensive collections of alb
original picture-writings IN the national
museum.
The fact seems to be that the Esaui-
maux as picture writers are far ahead of
all other aboriginal peoples in the new
world. They engrave. with the utmost
delicacy of execution, elaborate stories on
walrus tusks and reindeer horns. These
stories are in some cases mere deScrip-
tons of their daily avocations, but more
often they are records of events or per-
sonal exploits of hunting achievements
and fishing incidents, etc. The forms of
various animals are most faithfully re-
produced, especially the walrus, the rem
deer and the whale. Dog sledges, snow
houses, whaling boats and every con-
ceivable object having relation to human
life in the arctic are represented with sur
prising vvidness. Human beings appear
only as skeleton silhouettes such as chill
dren draw. but the action is often Won
derfully clever.
OF course the Esquimaux are found
pretty much all around the arctic circle
and the picture writing of some tribes
differs from that of others. One of the
most remarkable examples thus far OBJ
tanned is a walrus hide on which is drawn
the complete history of a tribe in North
east Siberia for whole year. Everything
notable which has happened during that
period is put down in a sort of illustrated
journalism form. Around the edge of the
hide is an irregular line which is sup
posed to represent the coast line of the
region where the tribe dwells. There are
and men are shown pursuing reindeer
and engaged in a variety of other en-
pigments All the space inside of the
line. occupying the major part of the
surface of the walrus skin, is supposed
to be the sea, and whale hunts, seal hunts
and fishing expeditions are prOfusely de-
picted.
The Esquimaux of Alaska are as clever
picture writer's as any of their race. All
of these people, indeed, seem to possess
the artistic faculty in a high degree. One
reason for the exceptional interest felt in
the subject is that the EsquimauX are be-
lieved to be direct descendants of the cave
men who inhabited Europe hundreds of
thousands of years ago. Nobody knows
how long ago the cave folks lived. but
some of the best authorities put the time
back as far as 250, 900 years. Whether that
is an exaggeration or not, it is certain
that the customs, arts, implements and
weapons of the Esquimaux are astonish-
ingly like those of the people who occu-
pied the caverns of Southern France at a
period when that part of the world was
very cold. and when reindeer and other
arctic mammals roamed in immense num-
bers all over that region.
The most notable bond of union be-
tween the people of the caverns and the
modern Esquimaux," says w. Boyd Daw-
kns. lis the art of representing animals.
Just as the cave men engraved bisons,
horses, mammothS and other animals
familiar to them. so do the EsquimauX
represent the creatures on which they de-
pend for food. All the points of connec-
ton between the cave men and the Esqui-
maux can. in my opinion, be explained
only on the theory that they belong to
the same race. l believe that the Esqui-
mauX are the representatives of the cave
men, protected within the arctic circle
from those causes by which they were ex-
PEELED from Europe and Asia. Unaccus-
toned to war, they were probably driven
northward by other tribes. They stand
at the present day wholly apart from all
other living races, being distinguished by
language and shape of skull from every
other known people"
The material generally used by the
Alaskan EsquimauX for their picture
writings is waIrus ivory. 1t is durable
and will retain the most delicate etchings
Indefinitely. For such purposes the tuskS
are usually split into four rods. the pro-
cess of thus dividing them longitudnally
being very delicate. These rods. or other
articles intended to be engraved, are TAX
en- along on protracted hunting expedi-
tons, to be worked at during tedious
hours of watching for game. But most OF
the carving is done during the long win
ter In the underground snow nut, by the
light of the soapstone lamp filled with
whale Oil, which serves also as a stove.
Keeping the interior of the dwelling at a
sitting temperature. while outside the
thermometer stands at 30 degrees or so
below the zero of Fahrenheit.
The great supply of ivory in Alaska
comes from Bristol bay and the more
northern coast and islands. 1t Is said
mat the quantity of wa1rus tusss taken
annually in those waters will average
iWooo pounds. This estimate is given by
Or. Dali of the Smithsonian institution
VINO Is one of the greatest authorities IN
All matters respecting Uncle Sans arctic
province. In the collections at the mi
tional museum are number of utensils
Oh FOSSIL ivory obtained in Alaska. This
Sort OF ivory is from the tuSks of the
iehg extinct mammoth, which existed in
large herds in Alaska few thousand
seaIs ago 1T is not uncommon in many
pdIts OF the valleys of the Yukon and
"n nc" Usually the tusks are found
III ~, me surface of the ground, and not
,h nl,ea as in Siberia, but nearly always
Sa es are so hackened and fragile as to
'iaVe no commercial value.
r ~ tneir picture writings the Esqui-
ru also have the ribs and leg bones of
or; Needle cases and snuff-tubes
M mlaae from the larger wing-bone OF
- swan, engraved in the same way
emn'. .ne skin of living human beings is
of Sasy;,u Tor the portrayal of a variety
cerdis,s SO far as the women are con-
as a MI, noweVer. the tattooing is limited.
is dom nv IL 10 vertical bars on the chm. Ii
Tho -, ny passing needle and thread
oil nndon covered with lampblack and
pattarn me 'epidermis according to the
Skin q previously marked out on the
M nn, several stitches being thus taken
,;roSsn1' me thumb of the operator is
draw .t on the part while the thread is
ma, "n through, by which the coloring
of !, i,,i 10 retained and a permanent dye
In tbn oiut aihge is impaired to the skin.
WHY ny absence of needles. a strip OF
emnlovohe is utilized. Tattoo marks are
whaIiSu y! me men to denote success III
stannns - Dr. Hoffman mentions one in
sever Oh native who had the nukes OF
This , "idies tattooed across his chest.
littlo was ',, a sort of tally. In another case
mo,,t,, 'iiarKs at the corners of a woman's
a SILL iiuicated that she was the wife OF
nuceessful whaleman.
ar ny ehsravings made on Walrus ivory
ous 'e e horn are rendered conspicu-
et Sue 70 the eye by rubbing a black sub
~ G INTO the etched lines. Ordinarily
a knI aquimaux employ for this purpose
plass u Oh charcoal prepared from burnt
b ecrirp 9,wdered and mixed with oil. The
- nIn.l