Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-26

Mary NIakridoff, the Reindeer Queen of
Alaska, is queening it all by herself now
For Sinrock Charlie Ahgensook is dead.
Sinrock Charlie was her husband and she
loved him. He died, leaving her in entire
charge of his immense estate, which means
many miles Of white tundra and the greatest
herd of reindeer ever owned by an Eskimo
Mary represents to her people not only
the highest degree Of rank and honor, but
of wealth, culture, and fashion as we'll
Her power over them is one with their
time-honored superstition. Her mother be-
fore her was Queen Of Alaska From her
came Mary's right to rule. Her father was
a Russian, who had The knowledge of few
written words, and thus caused her to rank
as the daughter of a scholar. Her husband,
Siuruck Charlie Augensook, owned aud be-
queathed to her his famous reindeer herd.
This has given her the distinction OF being
the wealthiest Of all her people
Therefore Mary is Queen IN every sense
of the word. Her clapboard house is pala-
tial to the Eskimo eve. Her garments are
regal Her word is law
Her home lies in the midst Of the vast
tundra where her reindeer pasture There
IN the cold land stretch miles upon miles of
her moss-covered ground white whether
with or without snow. for the summer moss
takes the place of the winter snow and
whitens the ground sprngiug up iu a few
hours after it is nibbled away On ap-
preaching you see only white ground The
deer are far off, where the moss Is thicker
Then of a sudden, as the sound or the scent
of your party reaches their ears or their
noses, the great herd Of 100 comes like a
whirlwind over the tundra. The word has
been passed among them that there is an
excitement, an arrival They come to see,
as boys rush to FIRE They come 10 listen,
they come to smell
Then, like a trained chorus entering for
a well-rehearsed number, they make for the
nearest knoll and draw up there They
draw up in a great semi-circle. They
stand with their antlers branching upward
like a forest, and there they trumpet loudly
for good half hour
That is the picture that you will always
remember of your FIRST sight of the famous
herd. It is a herd known Alaska over
When reindeer were imported from Siberia
by the United Suites Government they
were in many cases given TO reliable In.
dians. Sinrock Charlie was a good Indian
even before he was dead, and he was al
lowed I25 Of the deer. He was so successful
in raising them that he increased his herd
to 400 and died then, leaving Mary, his wife.
TO care for liis prvperer. ruts she has done
ever since, and she has shown as good bust
ness ability as Charlie did
lf Mary decides to receive you she will
come out to meet you dressed in her best
which is a costume Of such furs as a Queen
may we'll wear The parka is of the finest
reindeer fur, spotted and dappled It is
tremendous and flowing The sleeves are
either one, large enough for an ordinary
shoulder cape The parka develops into
a sort Of hood at the TOP and flares al the
edges being bordered with long red fox fur
that makes a halo around her face. No
wonder Marys people look upon her as the
rising sun.
Mary's home is a good-sized clapboard
house that accommodates her and her
adopted children and her servants. The
servants attend to the work of the house
and help Mary in her immense business
of raising reindeer The children are
countless. They swarm They have been
picked up here, there, everywhere, when
ever Mary has happened upon a waif who
was cold or in a hurry for his dinner
which was not forthcoming They are lit
tie and brown and greasy, and they are
bundled in miniature parkas with minia-
ture halos around their dirty little faces.
Augook is the most sinful of them and the
most promising. His hug is a very warm
aud furry and dirty one, but you will like
it. He will reach out his little arms to
you, out Of the far, frozen up North, where
even little boys hearts are frozen most
of the year.
The house contains a wonderful room,
with dresser and a looking glass There
is no such thing as this in any other Rs
kimo house. II is on display in the parlor
and the proudest Eskimo is always over,
whelmed with its magnifcence A sight
OF that dresser alone would quel an unruly
subject if Mary ever had one
The sleeping rooms are in loft above.
Thither one must climb every night by
means Of a shaky ladder Odds and ends
of rooms are used for the servants and the
work.
For Mary, although a queen, works like
all Of her people except that she carries
on business on larger scale She lives
by the profits that her reindeer bring her
and those are large
Mary is a healthy specimen and therefore
remarkable. She has never taken to the
houch habit, which is killing of the Alaska
Indian in great numbers She is too Keen on
business to be intemperate and she has no
use for drunkenness. She is an immense
woman, tall and broad with a heavy
masculine face and shock of straight
coarse black hair Her right arm is a
splendid one and deals promptly with
emergency cases, but never under the i'm
huence Of liquor.
Her education is profound, as the Indian
regards it. She knows a few words Of En-
gish, also Of Russian. This is being a
scholar She is wonderfully quick TO grasp
new ideas and can be taught readily any
words
Mary Makridof is as superstitous as the
rest Of her race, but her great love for Sim
rock Charlie broke down her superstition
upon the occasion Of his death. She let
him die in the house. Such a privilege
has never been accorded to any other
Eskimo by his people. The Eskimo's ter
ror Of death is supreme, born and bred in
him. A dying parent. child, husband or
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