New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-10-27
RASMUSSEN LIVED.
WITH ESk|NOS
Danish Defender Of Dr. Cook
Authority on Frozen North.
IS AUTHOR OF A POLAR BOOK.

He Went to Greenland With Danish
Expedition In 1902 to Study Racial
| History of the Greenlanders, Etc.
Returned There In 1906, to Be Gone
Six Years.
Knud Rasmussen, the Danish ex-
| p1orer, now at Julianehaab. Greenland.
| who defends DR.. Frederick A. Cooks
claim as to the discovery Of the north
pole, was a member of the Danish lit
erary expedition which left Copenha-
gen early in 1902 and spent two years
among the Eskimos in Greenland.
| Rasmussen's assertions of his belief
! in Cooks story after talks with Eski-
mos familiar with Cooks exploits have
materially strengthened the Brooklyn
doctors position in various circles
which have shown an inclination to
doubt parts Of his narrative.
Rasmussen spent the two years he
was in Greenland on the stated occa-
sion in studying the racial history Of
the Eskimos
The other principals of the expedi-
ton were L. Myths Erickson and
Count Harad Moltke. Organized orig
inally as private enterprise, the OBJ
jects were deemed of such Importance
from a geographical and chronological
point of view that the total expenses
of the expedition were assumed by the
Danish kingdom.
Went to Cape York.
The expedition arrived in Greenland
in June, 1902. It left Upernavik for
Cape York in March. 1908. spending
nearly ten months among the polar Es-
kimos, and left for the south again in
June, 1904, breaking it's journey by a
stop in west Greenland and returning
to Copenhagen in September, 1904
In August. 1906, Rasmussen left Co
penhagen for Greenland, intending to
be gone six years to complete his re-
searches into the chronological and So
cial habits Of the Eskimos, the tour, as
originally planned, to cover the entire
north coast of North America as far as
Alaska.
For this work Rasmussen is peculiar
~ fitted, as he is part Eskimo himself.
His mother is a south Greenland Eski-
mo. His father is Christian Rasmus-
sen, Danish clergyman. who spent
over twenty years as missionary
among the natives of southwest Green
land. At the age Of fourteen Knud
Rasmussen went to Denmark with his
parents and entered the University of
Copenhagen. from which he was grad
uated with honors.
Three Branches Of Race.
The results of his early associa ton
with his kinsfolk, supplemented by his
more mature studies Of 1902 and 1903.
were published in Danish under the
titles of 1.-The New People and THE
Lash of the North Wind They were
translated into English in 1908 and
published under the title Of people of
the Polar North" The book deals with
three distinct Eskimo branches which
comprise the population of Greenland
first. the west Greenlanders. being
the civilized and Christianized inhab-
itants Of west and southwest Green
land; second. the east Greenlanders,
being the former inhabitants of the
southeast coast. now practically de-
serted except in one area on the east
coast known as Angmagsslik, and
third, the polar Eskimos.
In this record Of the lives Of the most
northerly dwelling people of the world
comprising the nomadic groups be-
tween the degrees of 76 and 7S north
Latitude. are embraced their legends
religious beliefs and fables-everything
in fact. connected with their folklore
and their present views of life. In the
preface to his book Rasmussen says:
"When was a child l used often tt
hear an old Greenlandic woman tel
how. far away north. at the end Of the
world, there lived a people who dressed
in bearskins and ate raw flesh. Their
country was always shut in by ice, an(
the daylight never reached over the
? tops Of their high fields mountains,
Whoever wished to go there mus
travel with the south wind, right W
, to the lord of the wild north gales
Even before l knew what travelling
meant l determined that one day
, would go and find these people"
'"The Eskimos,'' he says. "are mucI
a like animals. The men love tAel
wives but when the fancy tales Their
they rnaltreat them in manner tina
we civilized men would consider bru
, tai. But say the Eskimos, If affec
, ton is to be kept alive the wome1
!, must occasionally that the man Il
strong
II Even the presence of civilized NAL
who had Eskimo blood in his VEIN
aroused the suspicious of the south
: east GreeniaL2ers. All sorts Of TIL
mors. he says. were circulated abou
his coming. ''cIiefiy hawked about b.
old Christian women whose tongues re
uy,;ro3 :, iffJo eynrf.iso - To win fl1ni