The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1910-07-28
In Alaska They Have No
Standards of Time or
of Measurements.
THE CHILDREN
Educated in the Government
Schools Really Do Know
Their Ages: g.

WASHINGTON, D. G., July s5,
Misunderstanding" IS verified and
Fennimore Cooper Is indicated and
their standardization comes as 1t should
through the census bureau. It Is from
far away Alaska, but II is Official.
This substantiation Is found in a re-
port from Chief Census Agent Nc
Kenzie telling all about the taking of
the Census in the Fairbanks district,
Mr.. Mckenzie gives assurance that
the Indians do measure time by the
''snows' and suns" and distances by
sleeps" Indeed, he asserts that they
have no polar standards OF time or
OF measurement and in relating the
fact he cites an instance which throws
no little light on the difficulties OF
enumeratlng the red men,
Only the very young children, who
have been educated in the govern
fnent schools" he says, "have any
knowledge or their ages or births, and
the agents were Instructed 10 use the
age and birth months as nearly as
talk and observation would seem corr
rect. Time with them is computed
on suns and SHOWS, and distances by
sleeps Marriages, separations.
births and deaths are all based upon
such calculations and we were obiig-
ed to base our information in the
came way"
He then gives this instance:
! IAN indian buck claimed to have
lived 200 SHOWS. After much talk
and use OF the sign language it was
determined that nc was about $50
years old. He was found TO have been
/ twenty SHOWS old when he got his
first woman; to.have kept her four
SHOWS when she got away; that he
got more woman and keep her hve
SHOWS and she die; that he got no
woman, for 20 more SHOWS and finally
that nc got young chicken and keep
her all time ever since, now on 25
or 30 SHOWS"
That there we're. other difficulties In
getting the facts regarding the abor-
igines is Indicated by the following
from the report:
Many OF the Indians know suf-
acient number OF English words to
do business with white man, but
when 1t was determined that they
were to be counted they had a faculty
for closing their mouths and knowing
nothing until an Interpreter impressed
upon them the fact that the agent
came from the Great White Father at
Washington"
Regarding the habits and character
of the people fhe says
LAS a class they are indolent. lazy
and dirty although in recent Yeas the
teachers have taught the younger ones
that dirt has been the cause OF much
tof their illness and the present gem
Grafton are keeping themselves health
i Ter by bathing. Their homes are
flthy as a rule and conducive to the
diseases with which the Indians are
most afflicted.
"They spend their winters in hunt
Ing and their summers In fishing.
Furs secured, hides of moose and car.
ibou, are brought to the traders and
exchanged for food and clothing but
seldom for money Out OF these hides
they also make moccaslns, gloves,
mittens and other curios which they
trade in the same way. The fish
caught in the summer are dried and
used for food for themselves and
their dogs during the winter
1.-THE Indians have no knowledge OF
their tribal or clan names and are
always called by their village or To-
: callty names. The Indians in the VIZ
clnlty of chandiar river are called
/ ''chandlar" Indians. The same Is
: true OF the Cinema. saicha. Tanana,
Mansfield. Circle. tribes, etc. The
missionaries ard the Bureau of Ed
ucatlon have. determined, however,
that all Indhns in the Interior of
Alaska are Athabascan-K naioko-Ho-
tana with the exception of those IN
the Koyakuk district which are Atha-
Observation-Disclosures"