Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1906-11-08
FURTHEREST WEST
Americas Extreme Western
Point and the People Who
Live There.

The most western point of the Am
erican Continent is gold granite
mountain 2, 500 feet high very abrupt
on the seaside and sloping gently to-
ward the interior.
From this mountain one can see
long stretch Of the mainland of Siber-
la. The American point is Cape
Prince of Wales.
The string of islands running be-
tween the two leaves only fourteen
miles of open sea between them.
The passage is not difficult one and
is often made in a few hours in the
open skin boats of the Esquimaux,
who inhabit both coasts. Every win
ter it is possible to cross ON the ice.
Cape Prince of Wales has the reputa-
ton of being the most Indictment place
in the world But the very elements
combine in making it one of the great
hunting places of the Arctic regions.
The whale, walrus, bear and seal, fol-
lowing the ice south in the fall and
north in the spring, pass through this
comparatively narrow channel.
This accounts for the Cape having
one Of the largest Esquimaux settle
ments on the Arctic coast The Cape
village is the clearing house for large
region. Furs come from far up the
Yukon and the interior to be exchang-
ed for Siberian reindeer skins.
| The natives are heavy, strong of arm
and back, and very light on their feet
They are short legged but very fleet
footed and great jumpers. They begin
to practice jumping as soon as they
can walk.
| Their fayoite way of jumping is tt
spring up and kick with the toes Of
both feet and come down again OF
their feet Many of them can in thi'
way touch point from twelve to thir
ty inches above their heads.
In looks they resemble the japanese
far more than the Chinese, says tn
Southern Workman, but they are light
er in complexion and very ruddy fac
ed. The girls and young women ar
good looking; some are handsome
Their eyes are clear brown and YER
bright and their eyesight is marvel
GUS.
Their food is what the sea produce
seal, walrus, whale and fish. Th
hair seal is the most useful. 1t furr
ishes the skin for footwear, mittens
! trousers, material for nets, ropes an
bags for oil.
The flesh is used for food; the blul
Der, which is the largest part of tn
: seal, furnishes oil for food, light an
; heatg The quantity of seals seems
be unlimited Unlike the fur seal
the hair seal never comes ashore.
! is captured in nets and when the, il
2 forms it is shot.
The walrus furnishes the GOVERN
= for the big canoes and also for Il
I houses and makes the. heavy rope
The flesh is stored on scaffolds, whe
= the natives cache most of their SUI
. plies. At all seasons of the year thel
is an abundance of fish. Every riv
y teens with salmon, grayling and trou
10 All winter tomcod and founders a
caught The Esquimaux dry lar
81 quantities in the summer, but the
favorite food is always fresh meat
- fish.
= This fresh supply accounts for Il
u remarkable health of the Peep
y Scrofula and tuberculosis are not col
mon. The excessive meat diet oft
10 produces scurvy, but in mild for
81 Hunting and travelling in the extrel
. cold and wet bring on rheumatisl
IA and many are crippled from it and
accidents. It cannot be said that tn
are long-lived people.
In temperament they are excita
~ and emotional, fun loving, happy a
~, sociable The hard conditions un,
re which they live do not seem to ms
nd them gloomy or morose; they are
IL ways cheerful, and they joke with {
a. a. another necessarily. Morally they
Flo above the average native people. II
Sc. respect property rights and stealing
not common. Their marriage relati
are very loose. Polygamy is not &C
no mon, but they break off marriage
lations and make new ones with lii
reason and without disturbing
5re neace of the community,