The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1918-09-06
NATIVES OF COPPER RIVER
ARE INTELLIGENT TRIBE

sufficient quantities for the natives to
store food for themselves and dogs.
Their teeth are generally very bad,
caused by the food they cat and mat
tention Many children are seen with
the first set worn almost to the gums,
and in adults 1t Is a common thing
to see the teeth worn to the gums
! while the body is yet in full vigor Of
manhood or w0manhond
Their faces show the great hard
ships they are forced to undergo be-
ing scanned and cracked with frost
and exposure to the elements. Their
hair turns gray much quicker than
does a white mans at the same age.
Owing to their ignorance OF methods
OF computing time. it is impossible
to definitely ascertain their exact
ages. Messiah, however. who used to
| live on the left bank OF the Copper
river about one days march from
! Taral, and who is supposed to have
! led the party which massaCred the
Russian soldiers in 1S4S, was then a
man of influence and years. and he
vas still alive in 1898. when Captain
Abercromhie made his trip through
the country.
The only sickness peculiar to the
Indians is caused from costWeness,
which doubtless is caused by the food
used in winter and which disappears
when berries and rsh come. They
also suffer mure or less from colds
i and pulmonary troubles. The chief
cause OF mortality is from consump.
ton. But one natural detormity was
noticed when Captain Nbe@cromhi" OBJ.
served them--u shrivcl"d leg yet the
= toes of near" all are abpormalIy
-, crooked from travelling on snoWshoes.
=, Their sagacity in following trails and
= hunting game is astonishing to one
not accustomed to the skill OF the
plains Indians.
The Russians used to call the PEG
. pie OF the Copper River reion Mid
nooskies Cmorc properly Midnoytsh,
and all belong to the great Tinneh
| family which peoples the interior Of
Alaska Those below the Ta2lina
river from their association with the
Russians. have adopted some ahbre-
waited forms OF the same. such as
Minusky. Monoosky. etc. while those
above style themselves Tatlatans. The
name Atnatana, the Indian name for
the inhabitants OF Atna Copper river
region, would be a fitting term for
10th tribes. who differ very little one
from the other. To particulariZe, the
term Mldnoosky has been used for
tn" people south Of the Tazlina, and
Tatiatan Tor those living north OF the
J copper river
The entire number Of Indians living
on the river and its tributaries is at
the present time about 400. divided
as follows: Men, l2S; women, SO;
children, 100 Between Alganik and
Wood canyon, a distance of about 10
miles. there are no settlements, yet
an occasional party goes down to
Bremner river to hunt and fish. on
the Chitina and its tributaries are
about 80 souls; on the headwaters
of the Tazlina and Lake Plaveznie
live about 90 natives. The Tatlataus,
including the settlement at Lake SuS-
lOta. number III. On the Copper. in
Guiding tributaries between the Taz.
| lima and Taral. are 2O9. Chief NicO-
lai who died this year, was the au-
tOCrat of the Chitina river and the
big fishing rendezvous, Taral while
between the latter place and the Taz-
lima this privilege was exercised by
Chief Liebigstag and Chief Cone
quanta. the former controlling the
lower part and the latter, with the
Il largest following. the upper The
chief native among the Tatlatans at
the time the white man first invaded
the Copper was Batzulneta. who was
also a shaman.
As far as anyone is able to judge
| from the sCanty records OF the Rus
slams, the change in these people up
to the time the Americans first in
vaded the district in 1898 was slight. |
! Their history as far back as the rec
ords are concerned will always be a
sealed book. They have many legends |
! telling of their origin. among which |
, are that their forefathers came from |
| the land of eternal SHOWS, across the |
big sea, in skin boats, and that heavy |
storms kept them from returning and
/ they dr!fted south. But there is no