The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1904-12-31
REINDEER HERDS
FOR FROZEN ALASKA
To Furnish Food Clothing and
Conveyance. Salvation Of
The Starving Esquinos.

J
word or picture of jolly old Santa
Claus and his team of tiny rein
deer paving and prancing along
the house roof by the top of the
big chimney? And still there is
another story Of the reindeer which
is quite true, and yet seems like a
fairy tale in the telling. Oddly
enough this fairy story is 'ound on
the dull and statistic Il pages of a
volume of U S. Government Re
ports issued by the Department of
Agriculture.
In 1890, DR.. Sheldon Jackson,
whose name i. inseparably con-
nected with the introduction of
reindeer in Alaska, visited that
country for the purpose of estab-
fishing schools, a task which had
been assigned to him by the Co n
missioner of Education. He found
the Esquimos more in need of food
than schools, starving ir fact, be-
cause the relentless hunt of the
whale and walrus by large steam
vessels had largely reduced the
nun Der of these sea animals or
driven them away. TIE fur bear
ing animals and the carabou or
wild reindeer had practically been
exter minated by hunters:
In casting about for means to
help them, it occurred to DR.. Jack
son that the introduction of rein
deer would meet their wants, be-
cause if the deer were sufficiently
numerous itwould give them per-
manent supply of food. When he
first began, his efforts were greeted
with scoffing and ridicule, and
elaborate arguments were advanc-
ed to prove that reindeer could not
thrive in Alas ka. But he persever-
ed, and finally succeeded in con-
vincing Congress that it was the
cheapest and easiest way of pre-
venting the determination of the
Esquimos by starvation. In the
meantime, through the public press
DR.. Jackson described the starving
condition of the Esquimo people
and appealed to charitable persons
to assist in the Inauguration of the
enterprise. The response was prompt
and generous, something over 81,
600 being received, and by the aid
of revenue cutter in arctic waters,
assigned by the Secretary of the
Treasury to transport the deer, he
proceeded to procure the first rein
deer from the semisavage tribes in
Siberia, the first importation con-
sisting of only 16 head, which were
landed in Unalaska in the autumn
of 1891, to which were added III
head in 1892, and an institution for
their breeding was established and
named in honor Of Senator Teller
of Colorado, who had taken much
interest in the enterprise. In 1893
an additional 1877 head were pur-
chased, and 79 fawns were born to
the herd already imported. Dur
ing the same year Congress made
an initial appropriation of $4,000
"for the purpose of introducing and
maintaining in the Territory of
Alaska reindeer for domestic pur-
poses" Every year since then Con-
gress has appropriated an increas-
ing amount, the appropriation for
the past four years having been
$25, 900 per year.
At present it is estimated that
there are 1000 reindeer in Alaska,
and as the increase by birth is 40
per cent per year, it is estimated
that there will be by 1910 upwards
of 10000 reindeer in Alaska. DR..
Jackson estimates in his report for
1895 that there are $4,000 square
miles Of deer pasture in Lapland,
and that there are % reindeer to