The daily Alaskan., 1922-08-03
EXPERIENCE OF MISSIONARY
 WHILE IN THE NORTH

Chicago, July.-Completing a six thousand mile journey from
 Point Hope, Alaska, which consumed three months and six days-Two months and eight days of which were spent in "mushing" a thousand miles behind dog sled through the snow, Rev. William A. Thomas, Episcopal Missionary at Point Hope, three hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, brings a remarkable story of a self-goyerning Esquimaux community which has been success fully carried on at Point Hope for the past six years.
 Under the tuteIage of the mis- sionaries equal suffrage has been established among the Tigaras. who annually in town meeting elect from among themselves the OmaliE, or council of Leading Men, who, in turn enact the local laws and see 10 their enforcement among the thou sand natives who inhabit the re- zion. This democracy of the frozen north even has its own prohibition law, which was adopted three years before the prohibition amendment was adopted in the United States. says Rev. Thomas.
 This unique venture in Home Rule was inaugurated six years ago, after the breakdown of the autOcratic rule of a tribal chief, and following the instruction in which has been given the younger generation of Es- quimaux through 3l years at the Episcopal School at Point Hope, Rev. Thomas reports:
 "Orlginauy the Omalik was com posed of seven men" " says MT. Thom- as. But it was found later that five was a better number from the be ginning of the experiment the right of suffrage was given to men and women alike, in the selection of the council ChristmGs was fixed as the day of the election because on that day all of the tribesmen come into the settlement for feasting and mer- ry making, and we are able thereby to get the fullest expression of the sentiment of the people. The names are written Cn a blackboard, and the five securing the greatest num- Der of votes are declared elected. while that one of the five who re- ceives the greatest number of votes becomes the chief councilman.
 Rev. Thomas points out that the Esquimaux are a singularly orderly and law abiding people so that the work of the Omali& is largely con- fined to the enactraent of routing municipal regulations. He says: There are no police and no courts The missionary gives some quaint H.
 ustrations of the manner in which Esquimaux self-government works For example, the Omalik has a regu- laticn against gossips. Any person, male or female, found guilty Of gos- s.ping, is called before the entire community and publicly rebuked by the chief Omalik. All forms of ly- irg are drowned upon, but partiCu- larly among the young. A young man caught lying to his parents is to carry a certain amount of water for the public use; or, as an alter native, to give a days time to as sist some aged couple in cleaning up their igloo or hut. A lad who stole some tobacco was sentenced to clean out his victims dog house Another native who was guilty of a trifing theft, was sentenced to accompany one of the officials on a jaunt Of 4l9 miles to Point Barrow, walking all the way behind a dog sled. He
 was furnished his meals on the journey, and, of course, had his rest periods, but the penalty lay in being 1 compelled to giTe his services during
 the trip in the management of the dogteam."