Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-07-30
LEATHERST0CK|NG
TALE VERIFIED
BY CENSUS
Measure Time By.
Shows and Suns and Dis
tances By Sleep in the Frozen
NofthIand.

Washington. July al Leather
stocking IS verified and Fennimore
Cooper is indicated, and their sub
sanitation comes as il should. through
the eensu bureau. II is from far
away Alaska. but it Is official, This
snbstantiation is found in a report
from CHEN Census Agent Mckenzie
telling an about the taking OF the CEN
% IN the Fairbanks district. Mr..
Mckenzie gives assurance that the In
dams ID measure time hy the SHOWS
and suns n distances 10y sleeps.
Indeed. ne asserts. that they have no
other standards 81 time or of meas,
urement. and in relating the fact he
cites an instance which throws no lit
tie light on the difficulties of enumer-
ating the red men
only the very young children. who
have been educated in the govern
ment schools. he SAYS. have any
knowledge Of their ages or births.
and the agents were instructed "a use
the age and birth months as nearly
as talk and observation would seem
correct. Time with them is computed
on suns and SHOWS, md distances. by
sleeps. Marriages. separations. births
deaths are all based upon such
calculations. and we were obliged TO
base our Information in the same
way"
lie then gives this Instance;
A Indian buck claimed 10 have liv-
ed geo nows After much talk and
use Of the sign language il was de-
termined that he was about so years
old. He was found to have been 20
SHOWS old when he got first woman;
have kept her four SHOWS, when
she got away; hat he got more
woman and keep her five SHOWS and
she die that he got ma woman for
20 nows more and finally that he
got young chicken and keep her all
iime eve since, now. on, 20 or so
snows
That there were other difficulties
in getting the facts regarding the
a~borigines is indicated by the follow
ing from the report,
Many OF the Indians know a suf-
ficient number Of English words To do
business with a white man. but when
81 was determined that they were To
De counted thev had q faculty fol
closing their mouths and knowing
nothing until an Interpreter Impress
ed upon them the fact tina the agent
came from the Great White Father
at Washington
Recording the habits and character
OF the people ne SAYS
- a. 49, rH.n.s -
and dirtv although in recent years the
teachers have taught the younger ones
that dirt has been the cause % much
their illness and the present gen
Grafton are keeping themselves
healthier by bathing. Their homes
are filthy 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
Ftirs secured. hides If moose and
carbon. are brought 10 the traders
and exchanged for food and clothing
but seldom for money. out 81 these
hides they also make moccasins
miftens and other curios which
trade in the same way. The fish
caught in the summer are dried and
for food for themselves and
their dogs during the winter
The Indians have no knowledge OF
their tribal or clan names and are al
ways called by their village or locality
name The Indians in the vicinity of
Chandler river are called 'Chandlar
Indians The same IS true Of the
Chena. Salcha. Tanana. Mansfield.
tribes. etc. The missionaries
and the bureau 81 education lave Zee
terminss. however. that an ~ the In
dians in the interior OF Alaska are
AthahaScan-K naiekohotaua with the
exception ~ those in the koyakuk dis
trict which are Athahascan-Koyako-
hofana