Evening star., 1916-12-03

ANDREAFSKI, Alaska.
E7HE Indians of interior Alaska
are excited over the building of
the government railroad. They
x see the whites taking up home
steads, and fear they will swallow the
country. They know the fate of the
Indians of the United States proper,
and they want the government to set
aside land where their fishing and
hunting will not be disturbed. Not long
ago the seven chiefs OF the tribes OF
the Tanana and Yukon valleys met at
Fairbanks. They came to consult with
their friends among the whites, and
see if the government could not be in
duced to give them reservation In
talking with them Judge Wickersham.
the Alaska delegates to Congress. ad-
vised them to have their people take
out lot of homesteads in one block
He said it would be difficult for them
to do this after the whites had come
One of the chiefs replied that he
thought all of Alaska belonged to the
red men. and he wanted to know what
the conditions actually were.
-
These Indians would rather have a
large reservation than number OF
individual homesteads. They want to
live together and keep out the whites.
Moreover. they need large tracts for
trapping. and the fur business will be
wiped out by the division of the land.
The government has been setting
aside reservations for the Indians in
various parts of Alaska. The Aleutian
Islands are practically one reservation.
Annette Island. where Metlakatla is
located. is another. and the Hyda-
burg reservation. consisting Of twelve
square miles on the western coast Of
Prince OF Wales Island. is third. The
tract of 500 acres on the Chilkat river.
not far from Skagway. has been given
TO the Klukwan Indians. and there are
forest reservations where the Indian
can trap and hunt at will.
The Indian chiefs who met at Fair
banks to counsel with the whites were
remarkable men. They We're tall and
fine looking. They wore clothes which
were much the same as the whites,
save that they had on their ceremonial
Jackets bordered with fur. and beaded
moccasins covered their feet Each
wore a great necklace OF beads. which
was probably badge OF his chieftain-
ship. and the hair of all was cut short
] have a photograph of the chiefs
Their faces are Mongolian In cast, and
several of the men looked much like
Japanese. All show great strength of
character. and / doubt IL a stronger
and better looking body of rulers could
be found anywhere. They are of AthA-
pascan stock, and they form a part of
that great family of Indians which Is
scattered throughout northern Can
ada, extending on into central Alaska
They are about the same the Nav
aJos. and some other Indians of our
southwestern states.
The Indians of Alaska are rapidly
decreasing in number. They are much
fewer than when we took possession
Of the territory: and in 1910. according
to the census. they numbered less than
twelve thousand. At that time there
were about twenty-five thousand ma
tives, and Of these so per cent were
Eskimos. That twenty-five thousand
was scattered over a territory one
sixth as largo as the whole United
States and three times the size of
either Germany or France. The Eski-
mos inhabit tho region along the coast
Of the Arctic ocean and Boring sea,
taking in the deltas Of the Yukon. the
skokwim and other rivers, and ex-
tending down into the Alaskan penin-
sula- The Indians are found here and
there on the mainland and especially
in the great plateau of the Yukon.
There arc some In the Aleutian Islands
and about Prince William sound. and
fN1rs are q great many along the
epaot and On the islands Of southeast
= f6U Alaska
tAS Alaslk. Indians are Of . half.