The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1903-10-24
IN UNt Nm

~ - -
SpeeIai Correspondence by Vii a
li4ill. NrWapaprr kutcgpriae Aasa-
cations special Commissioner
with United States seuatr Commit
t3r iu Alaska
= MICHAEL Alaska -The In
dlaus 80 thu ahau ttsef and az the
interior ot At4HAa geuetAlly are very
aysfaEeul iram Those ct the south
sSsteHu Part Of the country. aud
equally diHieeeHt irum the natives or
the WESTERN etsast ana 90 THE apatn-
western @lands. They are elaaaei
getisfaiiy aF etauelaslsts az nupns.
There secias 60 BE- little dpubf that.
iu eomuou eIta al other natives of
the esuntrF. they 0atuc originally
from Asia. bat climatic aud either
conditions have la Hhr centuries
whaeh have PASSED since thr natives
EraeHed Alaska aaa @atlHfrd.
caused notable differences n the ~
pcAfsnee, manners ard cuatufns 20
these natives.
rhs rinehs have many II the
same leEruda that are found among
the ather natives st Alaska The5
trace their origin Ea the fhunIrt
bird. - DO al the other natives 81
Aisssa. as Weil as many OF tboas u
TIE states
Tn Tipeha are mid ana gentle
and sery friendly To the whites
They are husultabie 20 a drEfee ana
their kindness and friendhness are
csrrtecs aimasl % the point wberc
thex arv faults
one trsii that thc Indians have in
a very marked deEFea - honesty
Until the white meu eame into the
cnuufrY the Indians Std not kauw
what Il was e. steal Here . nn rx-
ample pf thetf honesty. even after
theY had been robbed for years b.
the Hf@r men Tao Or three Fcsra
ago there Vas 80 lutte sunw IN the
Woyukuk valley that the Indians
cuuAa not feiluN their game one
band started for the mountains for
food. bat were unable q secure ans .
thing 20 keep them from starving
Thefe Vas not a caribou. not even a
o. 60 % hal 80 this little hand
% men. wufnsn and children atrus
gied hRck 70 their homes on tbs river
% die. Many OF them never reached
there and those that did were n
sura q condition that even the min
istrafi0ns Of the fsw missionaries
and sympathetic whites served TO
save bat a feW % them NaW. on
this long ruareh back thee indians
passed. hundreds % caches WHERE
prospeet0rs had stored their food
More than enough feed waa on the
trail to save sTery Indian IN the he
tie band. and. although the Indians
knew well that the foa1 VAS there
and that g would save their lives.
not sins@ cache was opened. not
a particle u food was stolen.
The Tinshz. like ali the other
races 81 uatiNss ~ Alaska are fast
dying orr On the Seward peHtnauts
there are nat more than hair the
number % natives that there we're
three years ago. They cannot aeeefne
accustomed - the " hite mon = food
or hts clothing They have aaid an
their cid fufs and the rapid dissp-
pearauce - the game makes IL al
most ffnpcssibis for them % secure
more. Even when they DO find them
the high prices which Tire whites pay
FOR them Induce the Indians % part
with them. A a result they arr not
properly clothed for the severe win
ters and there IL hardly one Of them
who lH not troubled with some tuber-
cuiaf disease. A couple ~ years ago
an epidemic % measles killed thou
sands % them and pneumonia has
caused the deaths ~ many more.
The advent Of the white men and
their nercilsxs slaughter Of the
game has deprived the Indians 81
their principal article 81 diet and
even the supply OF salmon IA RAPIDLY
growing smaller.
At 81. Michael the traveller finds n
new class Of natives. There are no
more % the Tilnrita Of southeastern
Alaska. or the Tlneha OF the In
terror.
sfst... ....s f.at,... - a.. =
NUTS or Eskimo. They are smaller
In stature than the other Alaskan
natives. but are larger. n r. SAID
than their brethren Of Greenland
and Labrador They have yellow
skins. small beady eyes. thick lips
high cheek bones and very coarse
hair. They look very much like the
Chinese and have many customs
habits and manners Of the Japanese.
and their drawings and ivory cary
ings are almost entirely Japanese On