The Alaska daily empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1912-1926, 1920-07-14

1t is also possible that the Eskimo
was compelled to look for new
home, when some stronger race with
better military organization and equip
ment for war than that of the
Stone Age savage, gradually swept
them from their hunting grounds
compelling them to make a still
greater struggle for existence. These
new prehistoric races, without ques-
of the Eskimo
At that time Northern Europe
was wrapped in an ice sheet, which,
biologists tell us, at that period
today we find marks of the scraping
of enormous glaciers on the top of
English mountains and the Great
mountains of Scotland, as well as on
the high peaks of Northern Europe.
AT the same time seas were con-
nected from continent to continent
with great glacial ridges, and a
good many of the seas were valleys
covered with this ice. By a gradual
melting Of it, naturally the count
less millions of gallons of water
changed the topography of the en-
tire hemisphere, forming new seas.
new rivers and. in some places, new
lands by its tremendous pressure
Some lands which were thickly
populated at that time have en-
tirely disappeared without leaving
L single sign of their existence,
with the exception of occasional
chains of mountains now and then
found by geological surveys, sub
merged by some upheaval
| will not try to go very deeply
into this subject, as l think the
study of the Stone Age Of the
Eskimo will only partially help 70
take us out from the speculative
labyrinth of prehistoric knowledge
AT the same time my essays might
give a few connecting links to the
chain of the past which preceded
the Bronze Period"
Anyone who knows the Eskimos
gift of hunting, his knowledge of
building quickly a snow house and
his endurance, would not be sur
prised il he had traversed from
some northern point of the world
to Greenland, over the frozen seas,
lived on scanty food obtained
through the ice holes, or the occas-
ional kill of some animal on whose
path of the migration he undoubtedly
followed. At night he rapidly con
structed a temporary igloo and with
scanty supply of fish oil for his
stone lamp, he obtained a sufficient
amount OF heat to preserve life and
dry his clothing
1t is possible that these misra-
tons took centuries. l can picture
to myself thousands of fur clad say
ages in an endless chain, dragging
their belongings on frozen skins,
or sleds which were improvised
from blocks of ice, followed by wom-
en- and children. 1t is a grim pic
ture of hardship and starvation, but
at the same time full of grit and
persistence, with a slogan solid
land or bust" ! can also picture
spots covered with ruined snow
houses or skin tents, and dead bodies
of those who succumbed, scattered
right and left. by the side of some
still living savage who remained
behind so as not to be a burden
to his tribe.
How long it took them to traverse
those thousands Of miles, no one can
now tell, but without question their
dog motive power was known to
them at that time. Necessary stops
to procure food or repair clothing, or
find some localities filled with new
seal breathing holes, might have com
PEELED them to stop. How many OF
them succumbed before new land
was reached, will always remain Tn
answered.
In the year 900 Greenland was
discovered, and the first colonists
were transmitted there. At that
time no population was found, but
there was evidence 10 SNOW tnal at
one time this land was thickly pop
ulated in some places. A great many
paths were found covered with oc-
casional remnants of primitive human
dwellings, and scattered stone wea-
pons and fragments of bones. What
wonder that the colonists called this
land "A land of Desolationi"
Later l will go deeply into the sub
ject of the Eskimo language to prove
that the root of it can not only
be traced to Greenland, but that all
its gradual notifications commenced
first with noticeable changes of the
letters and then with a complete
change of the word
My study of the Eskimo Stone Age
is based mostly on their implements.
utensils. articles of clothing and
their old legends and picture writ
ings. | would like to go on record
with the bold assertion that no i'm
plement, utensi or article of cloth
ing was ever invented by them.
will only admit that there was posi-
bly, a slight modification and i'm
provement in some of them. This