The sun., 1900-11-25
KEEN ESQUIMAU TRADERS.
Strivss o. ALASKA sHRswB Ar sAN-
IVA 4 BtRGtIN.
Ths' Ws's turs snd S,or, 10 Hsehssss f"r
Supplies NJ Great tsius Ia Thsm Ihe
Trade Nsv Profitable 20 the white Wen
Nusine.s Done of the one cri,e Plan.


roRr CLARpScp, Masks Oc, s- Through
| Increasing contact With whit" men IRON th'
state. who yi.it tho far Sor'h every summer
VI" F"lulnauS Of arctic and suh-srcuo Nhsha
have become traders ~ srent shrcwdn"-s and
! ability, II ran never bc said that an fs1umau
"v"r got more In trade than he xove he usually
gets much lcss The Law of supply and de-
inand Ia universal however. and tho native Is
glad Ia give articles which are of great value
In the markets Of the Inited states In exchange
for cheap things which to him are rare and
useful and. therefore. valuable
The Esluinau IL not 10 be regarded A. q
savage. for he IL far from II trader might
bring shipload Of looking glasses and glitter
ing beads to this coast. and at the end of the
! short summer season he would have no bear
| skins no fox skins. no ivory, but he would
know more about the Esauimau character
Articles more useful are demanded. Not
few men who have failed In the gold fields this
year have conceived the idea that there is money
to be made in trading with the natives. and at
least one expedition for this purpose was ntted
out this year and others are promised for next
season. They will probably make another
failure The slender population on these coasts
is every year becoming smaller and the supply
OF furs and other articles formerly brought out
iOr uhue ny tne ndttNtr ID ueCTetShk
Nevertheless, to return 10 the statement made
at the beginning the natives become more adept
In trading as years go by. They are the
Yankees Of the far North. even II they do have
| the compilations Of Indians and many Of the
chief characteristics OF the japanese. Only
In comparatively recent years have whaling
ships penetrated any extent In to the waters Of
Arctic Alaska Owing to the wholesale slaughter
OF whales In the north Pacific the catch became
smaller and smaller each year until ships
entered Behring sea every year In consider
able numbers. The slaughter OF whales being
transferred to these waters and resulting
In depletion. the whaling ships entered the
Arctic Ocean In search Of the bowhead
The whaling men are the great traders OF
the region north and west Of this port. Whales
are sometimes scarce and the whalers are glad
10 add 10 the precarious profits Of a season 5
catch by trading for furs and other products
Of the country There are native settlements
on the coast Of northern Alaska and on the
islands OF Behrng Sea where not more than
one ship is seen In the course of a year At
other places three or four vessels call during
the short season Of navigation. The Bear,
the steam barkentino employed for years in the
Revenue Gutter Service on the Arctic cruise.
is usually one Of these vessels
''iNhu'SS dIhtuk HdRINts tlTOuRnCut tnir
coast last summer was distinctly injurious to
what the whalers call trade. At some settle
ments the natives were too sick to come out
TO the ships in their boats and in some cases
they were SO poor that they had nothing to
barter During visit TO Cape York. Cape
Prince Of Wales. Icy Cape Point Barrow. King
Island. st Lawrence Island and several points
on the Siberian coast this summer the best
possible opportunity was had 10 SEQ how the
native trades as compared with the methods
Of q lew years ago There was sickness on the
islands, but above Behring strait on the main
land the health Of the Esquimaux was rood
Every whaling vessel carries its stock Of
trade goods on northern cruise and even
the officers on the Bear. though in the service
OF the Government are allowed TO take along
limited quantity. In the case OF Govern
ment officers. the trading is not carried on for
profit. but for the purpose Of obtaining relics
Of the country and articles Of personal use.
The trade goods Of q whaling ship consist
Of pretty definite list Of articles. and change
little from year to year The EsquimauI's
wants are few and he knows little Of the lux
ures Of civilization. The list includes -four
In bags. cloth. tea. sugar. tobacco. hard bread
or sea biscuits cartridges, or needles and thread
The native has TO offer In exchange mukloks
or walrus hide boots fox skins. walrls ivory
bear skins deer skins. ivory buttons and vari-
Gus native implements and devices prised by
white men as curios. II is interesting to find
that different Esquinau settlements are head
quarters for different articles comprised In this
small list For example, If a whaler wants TO
trade for buttons he asks for them at st Law
renee Island. for the natives at Northwest Cape
are famous as makers OF ivory buttons King
Island Is the best place Of all TO trade for the
curious ivory pipes found only in this part Of the
world, and II visitor is so ambitious as TO wish
to carry kyak. or email native boat, back 10
the United States with him. he had better make
his trade with one Of the little native colony
on this same island For deer skins 60 10 the
Siberian coast or to Port Clarence: for fox skins
10 Kotzebue Sound: for brown and polar bear
skins TO any of the Esquimau settlements mort
Of Behring Strait on the shores Of the Arctic
Bear skins were scarce this summer, for
what reason no one teeus able 10 explain
Nearly every summer IL Is possible tn find
several OF these beautiful white pelt at the
thrce or four principal settlements between
Cape Prince Of " ales and Point Barrow Every
year, too, tho Isor'mau seens TO be disposed
to demand n little higher brice for his skins
They are gradually getting vague idea Of tho
market value OF there things in the United
States, OF, pC tp'fk more HCtuTutely, tncN are
learning how badl" the white ilsn wants the
thirgs the native man has tn trade Never
theless. 1t is usually possible TO buy on the
Arctic coast fine polar bear skin worth several
hundred dollars in New York or Boston for
three or four snail sacks ~ -four. two or three
eases Of hard hiead and few cartridges If
you make tho trade on these term. you have
paid from SIS TO $40 for tho skin. Frequently
n Is possible 10 ouy n polar hear skin for less
than SIS, 1t 10 hard to eay, what the average
prize really is.
The visit of a whaling ship to ono OF these
native settlements always exc.tes interest
among the Es1uimauy very much like that felt
bv the merchants In q small city when the
circus comes 10 town Il Is a holiday and a dev
for profitable enterprise, both In one A ship
Ia sighted by keen native eyes MS soon as 4
few inches of her toIhm,st shows mere spcck
above the horizon and the village become,
a place Of great activity Boots or mukloks
made during the winter with solcs Of walr1,s
hide and tors ~ halrscnl or decr skin are broupht
out. with walrus trsls. ivory buttons carved
IN tho form Of seals fox skins. hear skins md
q large collection of miscellaneous curios which
the white traders may fancy, The EsQuinauX
think all whlc men are rrs1y. This is averred
b. all White, who know the f.souirrau Ian guaae
as,A -