The Nome nugget., 1901-12-07
~ter0babiy Held on h0tham
 Inlet, k0tzebue Sound.
A TRADING GROUND
Long Bet0se Columbus Discovered
 America . Lively Trade May Have Existed Across Berlng Straits Be- tween the Old World and the New.

MdIy vedfS DeIOIc Noluilbuo ulSCON- cred America there must have existed lively traffic between the old world and the new across the narrow straits where the easternmOst headland can be plainly seen on clear day from the most western cape of our continent. Alaska furs early had found con- venient outlet over the water, and that in those far-off days they must have penetrated way into China the DO. ses- sion in the hands of the Northern Alaska EskimOs of beads of very an- cient Chinese manufacture goes to show. Two decades ago, when I first landed among these Eskimos, such beads, which in case of perforated ori- ental amethysts, were still quite plen- tiful with them, as were also light green, highly polished jade imple- ments, like the famous and once very highly-prized feitsui which, no doubty were as well of Chinese origin.
 At that time incredulous and exag- gsi'ated values were still placed by the natives on such beads, which in cases had been held as heirlooms in families for years. A wall had grown around such, and they were said to possess special merits and virtues, and con- ferred large distinctions on their pos sessors. They also largely took the nf always eager to invest their surplus in them. Gu occasions 1 have seen rich natives ornamented for dance with strings of them, which, taken at their local value, would represent royal fortune. To give some idea of how highly they were prized in instances, will relate the following incident, which came under my special notice: happened at Cape LisbOurne in the winter of 1883, when Point Barrow native, accompanied by his wife and young son, bound south with sledlOad of furs, met a Cape Prince of Wales native on his way north on a trading expedition for furs. They camped to- gether, and trade was made right then and there. Both started for their respective homes the next day. The Cape Prince of Wales man had become possessed of the wife and young son, the dogs and sled and all the furs of the Point Barrow man, who wended his way home on foot, apparently happy and contented in possession of 8 large, dark blue glass bead that showed marks of great age. I could not learn what its special merit was supposed to be; its intrinsic value was nominal.
 The natives of the northwest coast of Alaska had a large number of beads at that time. In cases they held them absolutely priceless. Generally the beads would readily exchange between themselves for either so many fur skins or so many slabs of whalebone, or so many rifles or bottles of whisky, etc Every bead would have it's own special valuation. The high price of whale bone no doubt caused these beads to accumulate more and more on that coast. The natives there are good whalemen, and have exceptional op- portunities to make good catches of whalebone, for which the whaling ves- sels eagerly trade. Of late years the beads have disappeared to large ex- tent, bought up either by curio seekers or lost by the natives. Standards of value are changing with the Eskimos and old beliefs are passing away.
 The importation of these beads and jade implements from China must have stopped ages ago. am inclined to the belief that, with the overthrow of the old Chinese dynasty by Genghis Khan, this old great northern trade-rOute became obliterated. Anyway the Tchutchus, or Chowchuan, as they call themselves. the reindeer nomads who \ have held the lands of Northeastern Siberia since time out of tradition know nothing about such money beads today. Their origin has long since been forgotten by the Eskimo. Tradition between them always points to a place in Kotzebue sound as the source.
 As the Russian trading posts begar to near the Pacific, and as the voy sguers of the Hudson Bay Company began to drift down the Mackenzie river, both Russian and English good! began to pass freely over the Boring straits. The first worlds fair in all th' world was undoubtedly held at Shes holik, Holman inlet, in KOtzebus sound. There for ages and right up tt our time the traders of the East ant West used to meet. Here Russian ant English goods, after nearly circling th'