The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-12-01
GIVES INTERESTING
TALK IN CHAPEL

in chapel on Tuesday nornine CIV bv
MISS Bone Of the Training School.
She spoke of the life and work of Dr.
Fred M. Spiers of Minneapolis who
has spent the best part of his life as
physician in Alaska. DR.. Spiers he-
ing personal friend of Miss Bone
maze tne talk even more interesting.
Dr' oplers was educated in the east
some thirty-five years ago and also
spent three years in Germany and one
year. IN France studying medicine. He
received tWo-year government ap-
polntment to Alaska but at the end
OF ms term he did not return home, in
stead ne remained there for twenty
years more working among the ma
tlves. Mrs. Spiers accompanied her
husband on the expedition, leaving
their daughter in New York with q
near relative.
During his stay in Alaska. DR..
Splers was located at Ochotzgachapa-
mute settlement and received his mail
at the Tenakee post office, located
three hundred miles north of the Arc
TIC Circle at the foot of the Endicott
mountain range. In this district mail
was "; received only twice year up un-
TIL 1914 when it was received once a
month during the frozen part of the
year. 1t was during the early part of
ms stay in the frozen land that DR..
Splers learned of the death of his
daughter, the sad news reaching him
eight months after she had passed
away.
The Eskimos of this most norther-
ly tribe are of the Mongolan race and
resemble the Japanese in many wavs
which is just another argument in
favor of the theory that Asia and
North America were at one time ioin-
ed by strip of land where Bering
Strait is now located. Their religion
is Buddhism.
The natives travel by means of the
malamut or eskimo dog. During the
summer months travel for the white
man is impossible due to the fact
that the country is one vast swamp.
tients were brought to him, tho dur
ing the summer months and his pa
tients were brought to him tho dur
ing the winter months he travelled a
great deal.
The Eskimo is the soul of honor.
Dr.. Spiers has said that crime is un-
known until one reaches the civilized
part of Alaska. His one misdemeanor
is wife-beating. After Mr.. Spiers
had sentenced one native chief to six
months at the wood-pile he had no
more trouble caused by this offense in
his district.
The diet of these people consists of
seal oil, whale blubber, fish and meat
of the wild animals. Tho the oils are
at first anything but palatable to the
white man DR.. Spiers soon found that
they were essential to the welfare of
the traveller.
The Eskimo will give away or
trade off anything except what his
squaw makes for him and the rein
deer that is given him by the govern
ment. They would pan gold during
Spiers, perfectly happy if they re-
ceived pound of tea in exchange.
The clothing consists of an under
garment of soft tanned deer-skin with
all the hair removed. then one-piece
suit with fur on the out side, and
lastly a great coat, fur on both sides.
The hide is tanned by the squaw
who chews the oil out of the skin. The
furs mostly used are the mink, Alas
kan fox and the marten, the Siberian
wolverine being used for the hood.
The best furs are extremely light in
weight, Dr. Spiers having a coat val
ued at $4,000 which weighed only
three pounds.
According to DR.. Spiers the Eski-
mo is an extremely poor man. He
says, IF turkeys sold for ten cents
dozen, a native couldn't buy the tail
feathers"
In the summer months the ther-
mometer reaches 95 degrees above
zero. At this time the mosquitoes
come in great swarms. At the time
Russia ruled Alaska capital pun
ishment consisted of stripping the ma
tive, tying him to tree and leaving
During the winter months capital
punishment consisted of stripping the
native and telling him to "mush,"
meaning to walk about mile where
he would fall down in the deep snow
and sleep forever.
Twenty years ago the Eskimo lived
in dugouts. Recently the government
has induced them to live in log cabins.
This cabin consists of basement
where the native lives in the winter,
and first floor where he lives during
the summer.
In 1914 Spiers returned to the
United States in order that he might
go to Siberia with the A. E. F., his
wife having died in Alaska. Last
July he returned to Alaska to COM
plete arrangements for the shipping
Of three totem poles to this country
and which he will present to the
Smithsonian Institute at Washington.
D. C. These poles are carved of wal
rus tusk ivory and are inlaid with
gold. b.