The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-26
YUKON INDIANS.
Good-Natured and Patient in Their
Sad Environment.

Good-Natured and Patient in Their
Sad Environment.
From Forest and Stream.
The Indians on the Yukon are good
natured and harmless. In many ways
they remind one of the southern negro.
They sing "My Girls High Born
Lady" and all the latest Bowery airs.
1t is said that the British drumbeat
sounds around the world, but nova
days popular songs do the same thing,
and in much more thorough way At
Guam, our new possession in the La
drones, the newspapers tell Us the ma
tives sing "Ta-ra-ra Boom aye"
and this air Is often heard along the
Yukon. No doubt it has penetrated to
Timbuctoo and the sacred city of Thi-
bet. Judging from the Yukon, native
music seems to be dying out. The
catchy airs of the music hall are sup
plying a world music.
The Indians have keen ears though
their voices can hardly be called melo-
dious. Some of them will catch an air
after hearing 1t once, and reproduce 1t
correctly by humming or on the mouth
organ. / never heard an Indian whistle
or sing at the full extent of his lungs,
though likely they do both.
Give an Indian a mouth organ, Juice
harp" as Huckleberry Finn's negro
had it, or an accordion, and you will
insure his happiness, no matter if he
is cold or starving. The Indian is as
yet ignorant of the banjo, but when he
is once introduced to it l think it will
be his faVorite instrument, as it is with
his sable brother. 1t must be borne in
mind that I am speaking of the In
terror Indians. The coast Indians are
different breed. They are fighters
and quarrelsome, robbing the white
man by eXOrbitant packing. charges
now that they have learned it isn't
wise to do the thing by force of arms
IT was these Indians who, by right of
their possession of the passes, made
the interior an unknown country for
cent date they effectually monopolized
the trade of the Yukon. They even
checknated the Hudson Bay company
when it attempted to gain an entrance
into the country from the east, captur-
ing and burning the post established
at Fort SelLirk in 1852. These Indians
siIt ppNtIluilJ Dullt, anu Il tWelNe-
year-old girl will trudge along with as
heavy a pack as the average white
man can carry while their skookum
packers carry as much as a horse.
Indians are not particular about the
condition OF their food, and win dis
pose of some pretty rank mcsses, but
one thing they will not eat Is wolf.
More surprising still. if true. is the
reported fact that Indian dogs will
not eat wolf These dogs rob white
mems caches, tearing open sacks and
gorgng on raw -four and oatmeal, and
nothing from soap to sulnh matches
is safe from their depredatlons. Want
ing to dispose of the CarCasses Of the
wolves we killed below Selkirk asked
the Indians if they could use them.
They said no. suggested feeding TO
the dogs, and they shook their heads
again. dog no muck much Wolf"
they said "Tedder way. wolf muck
muck dog"
When the time comes for starving.
the Indian takes it as a matter of fact,
and contentedly. Only once i'm a while
is there a weak-livered one who cries
and says: Muck muck all gone.
'Fraid poor Indian will die" They
peal the bark from pine and even pop
pie trees and eat the softer inner por-
tion. The pine bark is full of rosin
and nasty stuff, and there is certainly
no nutriment in it. II serves, however,
to fill the stomach and lessen the
gnawing at the inwards. One can
travel for miles along the Yukon and
never be out of sight of peeled trees.
marked with the characteristic arrow
shaped blaze. The fact signifies the
frequency of neriods of starvation, for
there are - a few hundred Indians
in all on the whole length of the up
Der river.