The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-24
BR|M CLIFF DHElLERs'
KINGS ISLAND INHABITED ny 4
STRANGE EsoUINArx TRIBE.
"ueerest Village IN ALI the NORTH
iand. On the Side - . Hixh naaaa-
tic Reek-Nen oe Large stature,
women Of Hercalean strength.

cruise In Boring sea He tells a strange
tale OF remarkable tribe OF Esquimaux
that he visited during fishing trip in
Boring sea.
According 10 Aiken's story. Kings island,
In Bering sea. il inhabited by tribe Of
eiin dwesiers. whose homes. cut into the
rocky cliffs OF the island. resemble in many
respects those built by the famous cliff
jewellers Of New Mexico. Aiken tells OF a
village OF some forty huss. occupied by
about 800 Esquimaux which they have
named Onk-Ivak. In stature, manner OF
living and dress. the strange inhabitants
differ from the other natives On the island
and mainland Of the north. Where they
came from and how they came TO select
the Bit Of black. hasaitic rock that is mark
ed on the charts as Kings island. 10 a nys-
terry. The original Inhabitants died on
number Of years ago from a pestiience and
1t has been Stunned by the other natives
ever since. Aikens' story of the tribe fol-
lows:
ION a bleak. little pile of rocks known
as Kings island. near the ssth parallel OF
latitude. in Boring sea. is located the Es-
quin,au village of ouk-Ivak. the strangest
in all the northland. and occupied by
tribe Of natives entirely different from any
OF the other Innuit tribes. I visited 1t
some time ago. while away from the whal-
er on a trading trip. The island is about
a mile long and three quarters of a mile in
width. On three sides black cliffs of ba-
saltic rock rise TO a height OF perhaps LOCO
feet. On the third side a ragged ravine
cuts into the cliff and forms n snowy stair
case to the top of the mountain
ION the sides of this ravine is built the
strange village that makes ore think for
moment that he Is among the ruins OF
the New Mexican cliff dweilers' abodes.
Forty or fifty huts perched on the side OF
the cliff, almost one above the other, COM
prise the village. The cliff jewellers OF
Mexico burrowed their huts into the side of
a slope, but the Esquimau clin dwellers
make excavations into the solid rock. They
cut back into the steep slope OF the Cliff
about twenty feet. then wall up the open
side towards the sea with drift wood. This
gives the hut three sides of rock and one
Of wood. They lay rafters across this top
and put over a covering or skin. On top
of this is piled more driftwood, and lastly
layer of rock.
THE entrance to these hints is rather
complicated, although the reason for 1t is
not apparent. The Esquimaux build il long.
tunnel-like hall of the same material OF
which the hut is constructed. This hall
ends under the floor OF the hut. and you
crawl into 1t through an 1s-inch hole in
the floor. They probably build this hall as
an additional protection against cold, but
as the other natives live without such pro-
lection. we never could see why the Kings
island people should find It necessary.
"A summer house il built on top OF the
winter hut. as the latter Is too damp to
live In during warm weather A wooden
frame is put up and sealskins stretched on
all sides of 1t. Too keep the fiimsy affair
from blowing away. it is anchored TO the
hill with sealskin ropes. A walk Is built
around the hut TO the rock wall against
which Il Is built. The winter hallway IS
abandoned and entrance TO the summer hut
is effected through an oval hole cut in the
aide.
Another remarkable feature about the
Kings island natives is their great
strength, especially in the women. The
men have a better appearance than most
Alaskan natives and the women would In
some cases be good docking were 1t not
for the dirt that covers Their chubby
faces. The men are all very large, most Of
them six feet and over. They have small
black eyes that fash in peculiar fashion
and high cheek bones. Their faces are
covered with a full beard that Is brown
like their hair. The men have holes
punched in both sides Of Their lower lips
in which pendant ornaments Of brass are
hung They have remarkable powers OF
endurance and can go without food for Q
hong time.
The women OF the strange tribe are fuI-
ly as large as the men and very well built.
They do most of the work and their
muscles stand out ike whipcoHis. They
do not dis.igure their faces with holes for
ornaments. l saw one OF these women
pick up $50 pounds OF lead, put 1t on her
shoulder and carry It around without APP
parent effort. They often have to go TO
tho mainland in search Of food and have
been known TO travel thirty or forty miles
without anything to eat.
Their strength - more remarkable
when one considers the food on which
they subsist. Their favoi,e article Of food
Is carrton fish and seal oil. combination
that white nostrils cannot bear the APP
ptoach of. Their principal fish Is salmon.
These are caught in the fall and buried
In the ground intact. Not even the entrails
are removed. During the winter the Their
mometer remains between thirty and for
~ degrees below zero and the fish keep
after q fashion. When taken out Of the
ground they look sound enough, but the
stencil IS something terrible The Kings
islanders, however, do not notice the smell
and eat the fish with relish. 1t is said
that severaa white men have starved on
the island because the Indians could give
them nothing bat this salmon. They would
become ravenously hungry and eat the
fish In spite Of the smell. but the stomach
would not keep IL down,
THE islanders could keep their FISH
perfectly il they orA.y desired. Al the foot
OF the canyon there IA q large natural
cave into which the surf thunders at high
tide. IL runs back into the cliff num-
Der OF fee, and at the end is perpetual
bank OF snow. How II gets there is quss-
ton Possible through some rift In the
rocks that extends from the top OF the
island In this snow bank the Indians
have cut little rooms In which they store
the seal and walrus meat they are FORUM
af, enough 10 secure. The meat freezes
and can be kept for an indefinite length
OF time In spite Of the possession OF this
wonderful natural refrigerator the Indians
continue TO pant the salmon in the ground.
They have had lit4ie else TO live on
during the past few years. The America
H. A~fu htsz