Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-11
#aisefllaneuus &sadins.
WHITE ESQUIMAUx.
Recent Discovery of New Tribe on Arc
tic Coast.

ethnologist standpoint to the discoV-
cry of the lost tribes Of Israel, Is the
discovery made by Professor VII
hialmar Stefansson Of the American
museum of natural history, Of the lost
| tribe Of 1000 white people who are be-
! lieved to be direct descendants OF the
| following Of Lief Erickson Iief the
| Lucky, who went to Greenland from
| Iceland about the year 1000 and later
discovered the north coast Of America.
The people living on Victoria island,
thirty degrees east Of the mouth OF
the Mackenzie river more than 2,C0O
miles by the coast line, are still In the
stone age. While the civilization OF
nearly 1000 years has grown they
| have stood still.
One of the remarkable incidents Of
Professor Stefansson's five years OF
exploration is the fact that he left his
winter headquarters near Banksland
four years ago with only sufficient
flour and other cereals to sustain HIM
self and his Eskimo associates for two
weeks and enough salt and tea to last
for a month On this scant supply OF
food he lived for four years on the
bleak, inhospitable shore Of the polar
sea, caribou, seal and beaver furnish
ing his only meat and clothes.
In 1910 Stefansson returned to the
mouth of the Mackenzie river, where
he was Joined by DR.. R. Anderson,
former classmate from the university
Of Iowa
In his trips around the region at the
top of the world Stefansson discovered
thirteen new tribes. Ten of these
tribes had never seen nor heard or
white men. Two other tribes had seen
the members Of the Franklin explor-
ing expedition.
The tribe of white people, whom
Stefansson declares are purely OF
Norwegian origin, never had seen
other people of their own color Their
number is about 1000. More than
half of them have red hair, blue eyes,
fair skins and light eyebrows and
boards. They live on both shores OF
Coronation gulf, on the mainland OF
North America and Victoria island,
which. was formerly known as Prince
Edward Island.
Different From the Eskimo.
It was for this people that Roland
Amundsen, discoverer Of the south
pole, searched while making his trip
through the northwest passage.
Amundsen, 1T will be remembered,
said natives had told him Of a race
Of white people living to the north
ward. He sent an expedition along the
shore of the island, but saw nothing
Of the tribe, nor did they see anything
of him.
Many other arctic explorers have
brought down from the north, stories
Of this tribe of lost white people, but
the tale came to be regarded as an
Indian legend.
Ethnologically, the newly discovered
tribe is entirely different from the Es-
kimo, not only in the shape Of the
skull, but in general features, color of
eyes and texture Of hair. They have
not a single trace of the Mongolian
type
While they retain some of the Gus
toms Of the Norsemen who were lost
from Iceland in the twelfth century,
their method Of living is entirely diff
ferent. The conditions under which
they live are the most primitive sort.
No vegetation, except moss and few
stunted willows, grows in their habitat.
They are meat and flesh eaters. The
island abounds with caribou and the
sea with seal and other fauna They
use bows made of willow bound to-
gether with sinews and their arrows
are tipped with flint and native copper,
which is pried out Of ledges or found in
steam beds on the mainland. Their
knives are made Of copper, with horn
handles, and made in much the same
manner as implements were made by
the early Norsemen who inhabited
Greenland.
Legend of Flood.
Like nearly every savage tribe they
have a legend of flood which long
time ago devastated the world. This
legend, anthropoligists say, is uni
versal among savage tribes and there
fore cannot be regarded as proof that
this particular tribe is descended from
Christian forefathers.
Professor Stefansson accounts for
their existence by the fact that in the
year 9S2 Greenland was discovered
and settled by 5000 Icelanders. One
thousand of these people sailed from
Norway and missed Greenland, but
landed on the coast Of Newfoundland,
where they established a colony, built
fourteen churches, two monasteries, a
nunnery and other structures, the
ruins of which are still standing.
These people crossed to the coast of
America for timber. There were no
Eskimos at this time, either on Green
land or Newfoundland. The Norsemen
settled in two colonies, one on the
north and one on the south side of
Newfoundland.
In the fourteenth century Eskimo
came from the north and exterminated
the north settlement. Their record
was complete till 1441, when the black
plague scourged Europe and for two
centuries communication between
Newfoundland and the old country
was cut off.
When communication was restored
the people of the second settlement
were missing. Their graveyards,
buildings and other adjuncts of their
semi civilization were found. The
theory was formed that the people had
drifted to a settlement further west
across the narrow straits, where they
intermingled with Eskimo, whom they
took along with them to the island on
which their descendants made their
headquarterers.
They still use the bone needles that
tal h,y hot