The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-02-09
IN LAND.OF POLAR BEARS
MuALERs' TRADE WITH WARY ANc
MERRY ESKIMO.

TRADE WITH WARY AND er
j. MERRY ESKIMO. s.s.s:4. "a
= - "
rov They Get Rare Pelts Cheap-Natives' !. =.
Anx,ous For Useful Articles and Ght- IL
terine Trinkets, Give In Return Heap g
of valuable Animal Skins.
Walter e. Clark writes as follows 70
he Philadelphia Record from Fort n
clarence. Alaska: Through the In h
.reasing contact with white hen from 8
the States" who visit the far North '
avery summer, the Eskimos Of Arctic
md sub-Arctic Alaska have become O
traders of great shrewdness and abili t
". It can never be said that an Es =
kimo ever got more in trade than nc
yave: he usually gets much less. The {
law of supply and demand Is unlvers. I
Il. however, and the native Is gao /,
10 give articles which are OF great
ralue in the markets Of the United
States in exchange for cheap tnipgs
which to him are rare and usetui' anu
therefore, valuable.
The Eskimo is not to be regarded rs
savage, for he is far from It a
trader might bring ship load OF LOOK
ing glasses and glittering beads to tn's
coast. and at the end of the short sum-
mer season he would have no bear |
skins and no fox skins nor ivory. but
he would know more about the Eskimo
character.
WILL TRADE WITH NATIVES.
Articles more useful are demanded.
Not a 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 pur.
pose was fitted out this year. and 9TH
ers are promised for next season. But
the slender population on these coasts
is every year becoming less, and the
visible supply of furs and other artl-
cles formerly brought out for trade by
the natives is decreasing.
It was only until comparatively re-
cent years that whaling ships pene-
, trated to any extent into the waters Of
{ Arctic Alaska. Owing to the whole
!. sale slaughter of whales in the North
{ Pacific the catch became smaller each
s year, until ships entered every year IN
{ considerable numbers Boring Sea- The
l. slaughter Of whales being transferred
r to these waters, and resulting In de-
). pletion, the whaling ships entered the
r. Arctic Ocean in search Of the retreat.
i" ing bow-head.
h AFTER THE WHALES FAR NORTH.
The whaling men are the great trad
=. ers of the region north and west o.
y this port. Whales are rometime'
- scarce, and the whalers are glad Il
:. add to the precarious profits Of sea
y sons catch by trading for furs ant
20 other products Of the country. Their
- are native settlements on the coast
Northern Alaska and on the island
of Bering Sea, where not more tina
q one ship is seen In the course of
It. year. At other places three or fou
,ir vessels call during the short season Q
ey navigation.
or Every whaling vessel carries II
ed stock Of "trade goods on Norther
re cruise, and even the officers Of til
en- United States Revenue cutter Bea
ok though in the service of the Cover
wv ment, are allowed to take along
in limited amount Of trade. In the col
he of Government officers, however, Il
tn trading is not carried on for prof
The but for the purpose Of obtaining reli
oh. Of the country and articles for perso
it'll al use.
o" ARTICLES NATIVES WANT.
The "trade goods stock Of whalil
-, ship consists Of a pretty definite l
Of articles, and the small varie
hr changes little from year to year. T
~. list includes -four in bags, cloth. t.
tho sugar, tobacco, hard bread or sea b
md cults, cartridges, needles and threa
IooI The native has to offer in exchar
ono mukloks, or walrus hide boots;
90 skins, walrus ivory, bear skins. d.
IT, skins, ivory buttons and various
vas tive implements and devices priced
orn white men as curios.
mn tOT DEOWn duu pOAdK UCuH crAIo
mo trader goes to the Eskimo settleme
rok, north Of Boring Strait on the sho
, ~ of the Arctic Ocean. Bear skins "
o,ro scarce this summer, for what rea
!. 4. no one seems able to explain.
wa. POLAR BEAR PELTS CHEAP.
that Nearly every summer It Is boss
ADS" to find several Of these beautiful w
Polar bear pelts at the principal
Elements between Cape Prince
ime- Wales and Point Barrow. Every y
The too, the Eskimo seems to be dispt
liant, to demand little higher prices for
the skins.
con. They are gradually getting va
lays. idea of the market value OF q
n at things in the United States; never
less, it is usually possible to buy
Gent the Arctic coast q fine Polar bear
that worth several hundred dollars in
who York or Boston, for three or four o
Which sacks of -four. two or three case
allen. hard bread and few cartridges
ho In you make the trade on these t.
sew you have paid from SIS to $50 fol
reck- skin. Frequently it is possible to
q his Polar bear skin for less than
rect 1t is hard to say what the ave
edged price is.
itions THINK WHITE MEN CRAZY.
an to Tho VISIT NJ q whaling shin To O,
OF 90 these native settlements Away
cites interest among the Esh
very much like that experienced b
of air -. 49,,