St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-12-27
A DISAPPEARING PEOPLE.
Eskimox in All Parts of the Arctic
Country Are Diminishing
in Number.

Just before Mr.. Peary started on
his Journey homeward some of the
Eskimos of the Smith Sound region
came to him and begged to be taken
south. The mysterious epidemic
which ragged among them last spring
filled them with fear that if they re-
manned in the north isolated any long
would perish, leaving no traces eX-
cept the ruins of their rude homes,
says the New York Sun.
When Mr.. Peary went among them:
IL years ago, they numbered nearly
800 souls. In 1897 he found that the
number OF the natives had been re-
duced TO 234. It is proba BILE that these
most northern inha bitants of the
world now scarcely exceed 200. The
very hard conditions of their lives, the
bronchial and rheumatic ailments
that frequently afflict them and the
epidemics which come all too often,
are causing the death to exceed the
birth rate; and yet the last II years
OF their lives have been the most pros
porous they have ever seen. Peary
has killed great deal of food for
them, he has given them implements
and utensils which have lightened
their labor to a considerable degree
and has helped them in many ways.
It is doubtful if they ever will see
among them again SO good and true
a friend.
The defamation of the Alaskan Es-
1iimo in the past half century has been
irightful. When explorers first went
among them it was estimated that
they numbered not less than 1000 or
5000 souls. 1t is now believed that
from Point Barrow to the Aleutian is
lands not more than 500 Eskimos
could be found if an accurate census
were taken. For the past half century
the destruction of sea life by whalers
along these Alaskan coasts has great
~ depleted the food resources and in
creased the hardships of these hapless
natives. 1t is possible that the efforts
the government and the American
board of missions is now taking to i'm
prove their well being will reduce the
frightful rate of mortality that has
long prevailed among them. Mission
aries and teachers have begun to set
tie in their small centers of popula-
ton. Last summer school was es-
tablished among the Eskimos at Cape
Prince of Wales. efforts will be made
to improve their hygienic condition
and the government is placing rein
deer within their reach in the expecta-
ton that this new resource will prove
of lasting benefit to them.
All through the enormous waste of
arctic islands north of our continent
explorers have found along the wind
ing shores the ruins of hundreds of
Eskimo habitations. These numerous
traces show that once. perhaps many
generations ago, probably thousands
of Eskimo hunted the seal, walrus
and polar bear among the channels
between the islands. This region APP
peured to the first white visitors to be
all the more desolate because such
numerous traces of human occupancy
were found but no men and women.
Every token of the existence of hui
man beings there had fallen into ruin.
A few hundred of these denizens of
the arctic archipelago still live
among the eastern islands, but they
appear to be rapidly dying out When
DR.. Franz Boas was in Bafin Land.
second in size only to Greenland, he
estimated the total population at 100
souls.
The natives of southwest Greenland.
nearly 10000 in number, are scarcely
holding their own, though the Danes
are promoting their welfare in way
to meet the commentator of the
whole civilized world. Every precau-