El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-04-15

MAJ The importation OF FeihUeel
! w into AIaska-perhaps the
most picturesque enterprise ever IN
| dertalxen by the government-has tuII
ed out a really wonoeriul sN.sIs
,rhere are now p, 600 of those anlmals
| in our arctic province and o1Ilelai
! advices state that the Eskimo, during
the lest wear. sold nearly $4,000 worth
If sheir meat and skins-this, one
should understand, being IN addltlon
70 the products Of the herds Whlcn the
ratives turned to account for their
own everyday uses, chiefly as clOtH-
ing and food.
Governor Clark Of the terrltory
no-ts that the number of reindeer IN
aro-ic Alaska promises to increase
from this time on with great ra9idlty-
The meat is much appreciated py
whites rs well as by natives; and IL
seems likely that the breeding OF the
animals and the export or their Ilesn
and other products to she states VIII
become before very long an INDUSTRY
CT large proportions. yielding much
profit to the owners of herds
Save Eskimo from starving
Most important, however, is the fact
that the introduction Of reindeer mas
saved the Eskimo from lkera1 starVa7
ton They are a very intelligent peO-
pie ard well worth saving IL IS
great mistake 10 imagine that they
are an inferior race. Time and again
they have made good their boast that
they can outrun, outjump and out
throw the white man But the lat
ter not content with introducing wills
Ky and diseases among them. mas Oe-
stroyed almost to the point OF EXTERN
nation. the walruS and whales tand
incidentally the land mammaIs) on
which the Eskimo depended mainly Tor
their subsistence.
The reindeer is able to furnish prac-
tically all the necessaries Of life TO
people situated as they are. 1t is food,
clothing. house. furniture, implements
and transportation It's milk and 1lesn
furnish food The skin is made into
clothes, bedding. tent covers, harness.
ropes and fish lines. The hard skin OF
its forelegs supplies an admirable COW
ering for sneWshOeS- Its sfneWs are
convertible into strong thread It's
bones are soaked in seal oil and burn
ed for fuel, and its horns are fash
Toned into various household imple-
ments and weapons for hunting The
living animal is trained for riding and
for drawing a sled. and travels 150
miles a day without fatigue
First Reindeer I'm 1891.
Siberia in 1891. and importations Of
the animals continued until 1902 By
that time. with the natural increase,
there were 1915 reindeer in Alaska,
distributed in nine herds AS above
stated, there are now $1,000 reindeer
in the territory, and these are in SO
herds The herds are established in or
near the native settlements, and as
they grow more numerous they are
split up. Thus in 1910 seven new herds
were established. and six additional
ones will be created during the pres
ent year.
The reindeer service as it is call
ed, is conducted as an integral part
of the educational system IN Alaska,
the teacher at each government sta
ton being in charge OF the local herd
District school superintendent and
their assistants are skilled deer men.
In the summer time. when reindeer
camps are established. the animals be-
ing driven out on the plains to browse,
travelling instructors are employed to
go about from camp to camp and teach
the Eskimo apprentices the art OF rein
deer management.
Teaching the Boys.
From the beginning it has been the
policy of the government to take Es- !
manage reindeer. They serve an ap-
premiership OF five years. at the end
of which, if found satisfactory and re-
liable to each one Of them few deer
and to each one Of them a few Of deer
are given. They are then in a position
to take care Of themselves, being fur
nished with a means of livelihoOd-the |
object OF this method being to accom- |
plish the distribution Of the animals
over as wide an area as possible.
At present. through the operation of !
this system, more than so percent of !
the reindeer in Alaska are owned by ,
natives. The apprentices attend school !
in winter at the stations and are in d,
structed in keeping accounts, methods t,
OF marketing deer. and other practical ,
matters connected with the industry /
that are not a part Of the ordinary |
course required TO attain the art OF /
deermanship. No apprentice can be- /
come a herder unless he is able to /
read, write and cipher.
The policy pursued is to take as
many apprentices as appropriations \
permit. and turn the deer over to them /
as rapidly as they learn how to take
care Of them and appreciate them. In
addition to the government stations,
there are 10 mission stations, which
herds and apprentices. AL
ready the industry has become one OF !
the most important economic factors
in the life of the Eskimo, and the
civilizing influence which its develop
ment has had upon them is remark
able. In a word. the result Of the