The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-18
ALASKA'S STICK INDIANS.
An Interesting Tribe Threatened
With Extinction.


Some interesting facts concerning one
OF the little known Indian tribes have
| been collected by Paul A. Fish, a pros
pector, who has just returned to the East
after four years stay in the almost I'M
explored sections of Alaska. More than
two years were passed among the Stick
Indians of the Copper River, once
numerous tribe. now reduced to about 300
souls. A few OF them go down to the
coast every year for trading. but their
home is in a valley difficult to reach, and
the majority of them had never seen a
white face until Mr.. Fish's party camped
among them in November. 1897. To es-
tablish communication in such a case is
not difficult, for nearly all the Indians of
Alaska and the Pacific Coast have picked
up Chinook" which is an arbitrary jar
gon invented by the traders of the Hudson
Bay Company and serving as a sort OF
aboriginal volapuk.
In appearance and in temperament the
Stick Indians differ very much from the
Indian tribes of the United States. They
are of small stature, have oval faces,
slantirg eyes and thick lips, and IL
dressed in European clothing, might
be mistaken for Japanese. Their DISPOSE
tion also is the opposite of that of the or
binary Indian. Instead of being stoical
and phlegmatic. these people are most
garrulous, and the traders liken them to
the Southern negroes. They have little
personal courage, except in hunting wild
beasts. when they sometimes take ex-
traordinary risks
For general government the tribe has
three chiefs "Suckman is known in
Chinook as the '-hi'u skookum," chief. The
"tantas," or lesser chiefs, are "Hunny-
gedda'' and "Nicoli.'' The people ruled
over by this triumyirate are scattered all
the way up and down the Copper River
Valley, one or more families usually liv-
ing at the junction of each of the small
tributaries of the Copper River. These
families consist of from three to thirty
persons of all degrees of relationship, and
the oldest man of each is supreme in its
government. The winter quarters are on
the river and here are built most of the
houses. These are oblong in shape, the
walls of logs the peaked roof of bark,
laid over poles and forming a tight cover
ing. Along each side is wide raised
bench covered with furs on which the
elders sleep. while the space underneath
is given up to the children, and sometimes
s
OF dishes and thee days food supply. Rows
of Stats keep the children, the dogs. and
the dried fish where they belong AT one
end is the entrance, only high enough to
crawl through, and at the other Is
smaller room into which all the family
can huddle in the very coolest weather.
Although a family occupies only one
house. 1t may own as many as ten or
twelve. This is owing to a superstition
which forbids an Indian occupying any
house in which a person has died. When
there is a death in the family, therefore,
the only thing to do is to build new
house. To avoid this it is usual to hustle
any sick person out OF the house with little
ceremony, and build a rough little shack
for his or her accommodation. When
death does occur in the house, the building
of the new dwelling is the occasion for
much iollifcation.
For the curing of disease they have both
medicine men and women, who are much
revered No one is allowed to contradict
them or to come near them when they are
eating. The treatment that they give con-
sists only of passes with the hands and
blowing on the affected parts but the peo-
pie have implicit faith in 1t. The dead are
buried on high land overlooking the river.
Over the grave Is erected little hut with
fence around 1t, and in this are placed
some of the more valued possessions OF the
dead man. So far as the white men could
learn, they have no idea of Immortality.
Indirectly, the traders coming sis ac-
complishing the determination OF the
whole tribe This is largely through the
great change in the food supply. The
staple food of the Indians was formerly
salmon. caught with scoop net. in sum-
mer. split open and dried on racks for
winter use Though not attractive at
first the white men found this fish very
palatable, saying that 1t tasted like
hickory nuts The Indians ate it without
salt. with sort of sausage made of noun
tain Sleeps meat and a few nuts. The
only thing that saved them from Scurvy
was their diet of berries in the fall
months, and the cranberries and juniper
berries which could be dug from under
the snow in winter They also had kind
of tea brewed from Pine needles. This
reasonably healthy fare they have given
up for the white mans pork and beans
and -four. Though this Is only fit for men
doing hard work. as soon as the Indians
get it, they give up working entirely. with
the natural result that scuryy and kim
dred diseases are carrying them off at AN
appalling rate. Thirty died In one month
last year. and the traders fear that none
Of them will be alive thirty years from
now.
The United States Geological Survey
has announced plans for the exploration
of this same region, and an appropriation
bill to pay its expenses is now before Con-
gress One section of the expedition Will
start from Bergman next summer for the
Copper River Valley
PROPHET COLES DEAD.