Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1914-01-09

| " udS Uccu llJIl0 UNDERSTOOD
A lcebergs, snow-capped noun
tains and frozen streams
and sense of shivers, con.
stitute the current opinion of this
valuable northern possession. Some of
the most beautiful scenery in the
world has been lost sight Of; wooded
islands. timbered valleys, and luxuri-
ant vegetation Is a pleasant sur
prise to the tourist The sun scarcely
sets on Alaska In summer, and vege-
tation, like most industries, works
overtime with amazing results. Ma
ture not only smiles in summer but
laughs aloud, writes J. H. Romig in
The Christian Herald.
As 1t would not be fair to describe
all the whites In Alaska - English,
neither would it be fair to call all
the natives Indians, though they may
% cousins, or be in customs and Ian
guage kindred The fact ID, they are
Al alike unable to hold the land, to
develop its resources and to compete
with the white race. They are, for
the most part, now but poor, dis
eased, under-fed and UNDERGRAD spec
tators of what is happening in this
northland. Filled with awe and won
der at the doings of the white race,
they can but look on with sorrow, as
their fish streams are taken, their
game destroyed. and their future
made blank to them.
Education Of No Value.
Besides the good work of the
churches. the government IL doing
what It can to educate the native;
but that is not much of an exchange
Tor his resources. He cannot eat or
Keep warm on education. The
whites do not need educated natives.
It Is all wonderful, but not Of value
to him. One native said: II will
teach my children to catch fish, fox,
bear and birds. and when old they
Will keep me; but the one taken to
school left me. He cannot work. He
cannot hunt The white man says:
He no savvy white man work and he
no savvy native kind any more"
There is more than one crude native
that does not send his child to school
because he sees no gain by doing 20
and he does see the separation of the
child from him.
Fewer and fewer are the chances
tor the tribes or villages and small
Or and smaller the opportunity to de-
velop the resources of the land. be-
cause no provision is being made to
keep any for the thirty thousand ma
DIVES now living. The government il
long IN considering Alaska's needs,
and too long in reserving a few areas
where people can perform some work
that Will bring them a living; where
they can be an asset and not a bur.
6en.
AZ an illustration take the Aleut
eribe. The Aleuts occupy the island
peninsula Of Alaska, and number
about one thousand. Three hundred
Of thorn are we'll cared for at the seal
|SIands; but the balance have moth
Ing lett but fish. a few fox, and the
basket industry. These people occupy |!
me- most western portion of the coun-
~. being in 172 degrees east lonxi.
tude. and from thence eastward to |
Unimak Pass, a distance of about
Night hundred miles-makinr less
nan one person to a mile. The time
mas when they were employed to kill
Neal; also their tribe supplied tho
men that manned the sea otter boats
md killed that most valuable of furs.
rhese furs are practically q thing of
No past, and the government has
pEohibited both the whites and the
natives from killing any of them
This is not adding greatly to their
TouDies. for these fur animals of the
- are now so scarce as to be of lit
- benef1t to the Aleuts any mora
me basket industry is now their
'hief support. Their baskets, though
he finest In any market, bring them
ess than one-fourth the retail prios
md provisions sell to them at about
nree times the cost. A woman VIII
work two weeks to make a BASKET
md then get two dollars for II. nav
sventy-nve cents for a pound of tea.
Wonty cents for pound of suRnr.
md seven cents pound for fiour.
nd what for clothing? The faths,
IN get few fish to dry, gather a
ew drfft sticks as thrown up By the
-. - no timber is found on the
In winter he catches a very
w blue fox, perhaps four or i've at
q collars each. Curio seekers nav
souSous prices for an Aleut baskst.