The representative., 1900-12-06

particularly wishes to obtain. Conversation
something like this takes place. the white
man beginning the conversation:
What you want?''
Calico" replies the native, using the
one word by which all Esquimaux have
learned to describe all kinds Of cloth of
whatever character
"Capsini chow much) calico7' asks the
buyer
The native holds up four fingers, IN
holds up one or more fingers to denote
number. one of these is the thumb.
white man doesn't do it that way.
Fathom," replies the native. the occom-
panying use of the fingers denoting four
fathoms.
II the white man agrees to the trade he
measures the CLOTH extending both arms as
far as they will reach for the purpose Of
drawing the cloth across his chin. Then the
native takes 1t and stuffs it into his sealskin
poke The cloth is probably blue jeans or
denim, or it may be some print cloth cost
ing five cents yard in the United States.
which is vastly pleasing to the Esquimau
women and girls. Natives of both sexes
cover up really beautiful reindeer skin
parkies Esquimau coats with skirts made
from blue denim calico.
When the native named four fathoms as
his price for the walrus hide boots, the
white man knew that no better terms
could be obtained. 1t is positively and in
variably useless to try to beat down the
natives price; he may want the calico very
badly. but he will not reduce the price Of
his boots. II he can't get his four fathoms
OF calico, back the boots go into the poke
until another customer appears.
Oner native a price which to him Is
ridiculousiy low for his goods and he will
probably laugh at you. He seems to think
it is good joke and that you really can
not mean to be serious. At the price of
four fathoms of calico for one pair Of
mukioks, which is pretty low figure, the
profit to the whaler is enormous Esquimau
mukioks are the best kind Of footwear for
the region in which the Esquimaux lives.
and thousands of white men in the Alaska
mining camps and on the trails throughout
the territory wear them in winter. Mukioks
cost IS pair at Nome, IS miles from here.
Calico, even at Nome. is only Is cents yard.
At st. Lawrence island there is always
great supply OF buttons. Formerly the
custom was to carve them almost exclusive
ly In the form of seals. Now they make
them in all shapes imaginable, and some
OF them are decorated with colored spots
and with carved and colored heads of birds
and walruses. A little Esquimau boy who
had carved some buttons rudely from piece
OF ivory came on board ship at st. Law
renee island this summer with an oumiak
full of men and women from the settlement
at Northwest Cape. He asked everybody
on the ship for colored pencil, making
his wants known by producing tiny piece
of red crayon pencil which he must have
obtained from some whaler year and per-
haps two years before. He seemed to want
colored pencil far more than most white
boys want bicycle, but there wasn't
pencil to be found on the ship. Apparently
the boy wanted to use the crayon mixed
with water or seal oil for coloring the
carved spots and images on buttons and
walrus tusks.
Over on the Siberian coast different class
of natives is found. They are in some cases
nOmadic and move about from place to place
very frequently. But they are rich in the
possession of large herds of reindeer. The
government has bought some of these in the
last few years for the purpose of establish
ing reindeer stations along the coast on
the American side. A reindeer skin can be
obtained over on the Siberian side for three
of hard bread.
1t cannot be said that the contact with
white men is of very much benefit to the
EsQumaux on either side of the Behring
sea; in many respects it is distinctly harm
full. The laws against liquor selling among
the natives are very strictly enforced but
the whalers do sometimes evade it, and
mischief always results. Even if liquor is
not sold to the natives they are very likely
to make an alcoholic drink from flour and
sugar obtained in trade, and the conse-
quences are harmful. Left alone the ma
tives on the American side are happy and
contented with lot which might be far
worse, which white men are not improving.