Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-03-11

KS u bW of the evils brought in by
SNaSXG$AN the white man, have deci-
mated them and they grow
fewer and fewer. They are changing their
customs, and, ethnologically speaking, with
in a short time they will be little more than
a memory. have already written of the
natives of the Yukon valley, and later | shall
describe the Eskimos who live on Seward
peninsula and along the shores of the Arctic
ocean and Bering sea. | shall also visit the
Aleuts who inhabt the long chain OF islands
that reaches from the end of the Alaskan
peninsula almost to Asia This latter deals
with the Indians of southeastern Alaska and
those that skirt the coast as far north rs
the terminus OF our new railroad at Seward.
1t has to do with the Totem Indians, and
more especially with the Thlingets, who are
far different from the Indians of the United
States proper, and, indeed, from any others
on our western hemisphere.
The Indians Of Alaska look far more like
the Chinese and Japanese than like the red
light brown complexons Their eyes are a
trifle slantng, and their cheekbones are is
high as those of the Mongols, or the inhabit-
ants of Tibet. When dressed i'll European
clothes it is difficult to tell them from the
japanese who come north to work in the
fish canneres, and it is a question whether
they did not originally come from Asia,
crossing from Kamchatka in their canoes 20
the Aleutian Islands and gradually making
their way to the Alexander archipelago,
which they largely inhabit.
Bering strait is only 50 or 90 miles wide,
and there are two islands in the midst of
it., SO that it would be easy for the Chukchl
and other Mongolian tribes to cross over
from Asia to the mainland of this continent;
and it may be that the Thlingets made their
first migration that way. There is no doubt
that they have many of the traits of the
Mongols, and in some ways they are like
the Japanese. They are great imitators,
skilled in carving, and naturally bright and
quick witted Some of their customs are the
same as those that prevailed in Japan before
it adopted the western civilization; and it is
not hard TO imagine that these customs may
have come down from their Monaghan an
cestors For instance, when | first visited
Japan, now almost 80 years ago, every wild
ow shaved her head as smooth as billiard
ball III order to show that she was mourning
her husband. She also stained her teeth
black III order to- make herself unatttactive.
The widows OF the Thlingets shaved their
heads the same way until the missionaries
taught them better and they even painted
their faces black as a sign of mourning. The
black used was a water color and if this
were streaked with tears it was SIGN Of
emotion and brought the widow respect
through her grief for her dead husband.
Cremation is common in Japan 1t was
Tor years common in Alaska MANY OF these
Indians burned their dead. and thew had
hollow poles in which they deposited the
ashes. Some OF the tribes took the ashes
and pieces OF bone that were left and put
them IN sack which was kept in the family
dead house, the bones of each individual he
ing distinguished from the others bv the
colors of the sacks
The Chinese will undergo any privation
to have good funeral. The Alaskan Indians
do likewise. They take what they have and
borrow money from their friends to spend
upon the funeral of relative They put his
tavorite possessions on the grave. and cloth
ing and bedding alongside the coffin. After
the funeral is over they give great feast in
honor OF the deceased, and the food they