The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-12
REUNITED TO THE WORLD.

Inc Danish supply steamer uoutnaa ID
has returned to Copenhagen from her annual
visit TO Angmagsalik, on the east coast OF
Greenland, the only station OF DENMARK
on that coast II has been maintained by
the Danish Government for ten years for
the purpose of improving the condition OF
the Esquimaux living there, and developing
q little trade with them. II is an interesting
enterprise because Denmark's dealings
with aborigines are humanidng and phil
anthropic, and the material 1t had to deal
with here was In its natural condition.
As far as we know, the natives OF this
coast had never come into contact with
the white race until twenty years ago, when
they were discovered by Capt. Holm, a
Danish explorer. II was six years later be-
fore anything but fragmentary informa-
ton about them was given out, and then
Denmark published a sumptuous work In
three volumes devoted to the people and
their habitat. Probably no other book 80
exhaustive and costly has ever peen printed
about handful Of primitive people They
numbered only 54s souls when they were
discovered The first volume described
Holm's journey, with a description OF the
bleak coast between 85 degrees and SO
degrees north latitude, where the ESqui-
maux hunted and where they had built
their huts in two fiords. The second vol
Tune was devoted to a study OF the tribe
and the third contained no letterpress
excepting brief explanations OF the numer-
GUS photographs Of the people, their homes
and rude arts.
The supply steamer reports at Copenha-
gen that the East Greenland station Is in
a thriving condition. 1t has simply trans
formed the life Of the natives. They have
knives, timber, metal points for their har-
poems and hundred comforts and con-
veniences they never knew before. The
Danish Government buys their oil, furs,
skins and feathers. The station takes
everything they have to sell in exchange
for the commodities they require. The
missionary and his wife teach them not only
Bible texts and hymns, but also how to be
more comfortable in their homes.
A way has been found around the glaciers
jutting out into the sea which so long barred
attempts to travel around the south end Of
Greenland. A few parties have made
sedge journeys to the Esquimau settle
ments on the west coast and some indi-
viduals have settled there. They have never
heard OF spirituous liquors, and the inf1u-
enoe OF the whites has been wholly helpful
The Christian church which was started
In 1898, with seven native members, now
numbers over fifty converts; and as far as
the influence Of the whites is helpful to them
they are probably better of than any other
group OF their race. excepting In southwest
Greenland and Labrador.
They are pure blood Esquimaux, the only
unmiIed natives In Greenland, excepting
in the Smith Sound region; but though
they are OF the pure race, their features are
thinner and longer than those Of other
Esquimau1, and they are little taller than
the natives OF the west coast They have
the dimmest tradition that their fathers
came from the north, and considerable
evidence has accumulated pointing to the
probability that they are the descendants
Of natives who reached northwest Green
land from the archipelago north OF our con-
tinent, and then skirted the north and east
coasts OF Greenland to their present abode.
The natives say that several summers
before Holm discovered them a number OF
families started north to find new hunting
grounds, and nothing was ever heard from
them. Hunters had gone to search for
their friends. but no trace OF them could
be found. The mystery has been partly
solved by the explorer Amdrup, who found
in one hut thirty skeletons of natives at
the most northern point he reached, about
ninety miles north Of the chief settlement
at Angmagsalik.
The bones OF bears, seals and other ami
mails scattered around the hut seemed to
show that they had not persisted Of starva-
ton. New implements of the chase and
many that were partly completed indicated
that the unfortunate people had been lead
ing a very active life. The skeletons Of
the dogs showed that they had met the
fate OF their masters. No explanation Of
the mystery has been found but it has been
suggested that all might have died Of pois-
oning after eating diseased meat or fish.
Other remains of natives have been found
further north, but OF a more ancient date.
The East Greenlanders have a unique
interest because Of their recent complete
isolation and the remarkable manner in
which they were suddenly linked again
with the outside world after having for
cotton, perhaps for many generations, the
little they ever knew OF it.