Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-12-20
ESKIMO AKIN TO INDIANS
Russian Explorers Say They
Were Originally Of One Race.
BOTH FIRST GAME FROM CHINA.

ing Party In Arctic Siberia Tells
How Their work Was Prosecuted
and It's Results - Interesting Ex-
After spending two years in east arc
tic Siberia, making a study of the
strange tribes that inhabit its bleak
shores, Professor Waldemar Jochelson
has returned to New York and made
report to the American Museum of
Natural History that is considered one
of the most important ever filed with
the department of anthropology of that
or any similar institution, says the
New York World.
Morris *. Jesup conceived in 1896 the
idea that the question could be settled
whether the American Indian was of
Asiatic origin or not-whether he came
to this part of the hemisphere from
across Boring strait or landed on these
shores from some other part of the
earth To him it seemed that primitive
man could not have passed from one
continent to another except by way of
the narrow strip of water away up in
the arctic region. He gave $4,000 to
the American Museum of Natural His
tory for the purpose of causing to be
made a study of the mysterious east
arctic Siberian tribes, with this point
chiefly in view.
What was known as the Jesup north
Pacific expedition was fitted out by the
museum, with the assistance of the
Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences
and the Russian Imperial Geographical
society. Professor WaldepIar JOchel-
son and Professor Waldemar Bogoras,
both Russians and associated with the
Russian Academy of Sciences, were
engaged by the museum to undertake
the task. They have brought back
with them conclusive proof, so they
assert, that the American Indian and
the Asiatic Eskimo are close kin and
that both originally came from China.
The evidence that these conclusions
are correct consists of 1000 specimens
and exhibits taken from among the ma
tive tribes of the remote Siberian coast.
Professors JochelSon and Bogoras have
among their specimens piece of Jap
anese iron over 200 years old found in
the far northland and many weapons
and legends which prove that the arc
tic Siberian and the American Indian
were one and the same centuries ago.
All of this is taken to prove that there
was what these explorers call a round
Pacific race" meaning that the inhab-
itants of China, Japan, arctic Siberia
and North and South America were
originally all one and the same race.
Professor Jochelson cannot speak
English, but a story of the experiences
of the expedition was told by Pro-
fessor BOgoras.
I'm the division of the work." he
said, 81 took the tribes farther north,
while the interior was gone over by
Professor Jochelson. l went straight
way to the most northern part of Ash
attic Russia, away out near Boring
strait. This brought me among the
Chukchi tribe. They are reindeer
breeders. For three years 1 wandered
with the band and became one of them.
I found that these people undoubtedly
belong to the same stack as the Ameri-
can Indian.
whether the Indian crossed over to
that country or whether the arctic peo-
pie crossed over to this continent L can
not say, but L am quite sure that we |
have, by our investigations, brought |
out sufficient proof to establish forever |
to the civilized world that there was
one round Pacific race of the same |
stock as the Chinese and japanese.
81 found the words of the Chukchi |
tribe are the same in many instances
as the words used by the American In
dams for conveying the same thought. |
1 have compiled a dictionary of the |
language of arctic tribes of about co.,
600 words, and while l was there 1 |
learned to speak their language. Pro-
fesSor Jochelson was all this time in |
the interior studying the life and Gus
toms of the Yookaghirs, the Koryaks
and the Yakats. We studied the Ian
guages spoken by the different tribes.
We picked up relics and specimens of
weapons and got the legends and ira
ditions Of the various peoples with
whom we went to live.
I'VE had cameras with us and took
pictures everywhere we went, and we
took with us American monographs
and had the natives speak into them,
thus being able to get records of their
voices, giving language and accent,
which can be used in furthering our
comparative study of the American In
dian. 1t was very amusing to see the |
Eskimo talk in the photograph and
afterward listen to his own words. They
thought it was live creature initiating
them.
Another interesting exhibit we have
for the museum is a board with pray
ers painted on 1t. The Chukchi tribe,
savage and wild as it is, has religion
all its own. 1t wOrships some deity,
and its method of prayer is to paint in
blood on a board picture of what it
wants and hold the board high in the
air. In this we can trace the Ameri-
can Indians former way of praying"