Evening star., 1926-12-11
RASMUSSEN GIVEN !
GEOGRAPHIC HONOR.
Awarded Life Membership in
Society When He Lee
lures on ESkimos.

Eulogizing the Danish government
for it's humane and wise treatment
of the Eskimos Of Greenland and
lauding DR.. Knud Rasmussen for his
valuable contribution TO scientific
knowledge by his lifelong study Of
the Eskimo tribes, Maj. Gen. a. w.
Gree.y, dean Of Arctic explorers, last
evening presented DR.. Rasmussen
with an honorary life membership
in the National Geographic Society
when the latter addressed that so
ciety at the Washington Auditorium.
DR.. Rasmussen Is the twenty-hfth
man to be invested with this honor
by the National Geographic Society.
In replying to Gen. Greedy, who rep.
resented the society's trustees In the
presentation, DR.. Rasmussen paid
high tribute to the society for rec
ognizing that geography means mot
only exploration, but adventure and
romance and for its wide dissemina-
ton of the results Of It's expeditions
and geographic knowledge in general
among interested laymen as we'll as
among scientists.
Describes e0,OO0-NIile Trip.
DIR. Rasmussen described a 10000
mile trip ne mado by dog sled and
afoot In the Far North. from Green
land, across northern Canada to
Alaska, visiting practically every
Eskimo tribe In the world. lie SAID
that civilization owes a great debt to
these people who "inhabit the shores
Of icefilled oceans whore no other
population could survive. This debt
is large in the aid which Eskimos
have given to all Arctic explorers,
he said.
The speaker departed from the Gus.
tomary description of the habits and
customs of the far northern people to
dwell upon their spiritual life. philos-
ophy, culture and religious beliefs.
The Eskimo, he said, is always
smiling, dancing. playing and singing
His honesty and kindliness is all the
more noteworthy since life among
primitive tribes Is so rigorous that old
people must be left TO starve and girl
babies often are killed because they
are too great an economic burden.
Some of the Eskimo folk lore, stud
led for many years by DR.. Rasmussen,
discloses beliefs that suggest the Oar
winian theory. For example they tell
of a time when animals changed into
men, and when there were many kinds
VI dIllIfldiS anu oliAy oiiC SAAbN VA AANN''
Others suggest the scriptural account
Of Creation, as when they tell Of the
days when all humans were men, but,
the speaker humorously added, they
will inform you that those times were
very. peaceful, but monotonous."
Rich Store of Fables.
The writer of animal stories would
garner a rich harvest of tales from
those which the Eskimo relate--tales
which show the Imagination and point
a moral. as do many OF our own
ancient fables.
The motion pictures portrayed life
among the Greenland tribes, those OF
Northern Canada. and then show the
Alaskan Eskimos indulging in their
wolf dances. elaborate rituals accom-
panied by songs, in which the parti-
cipants wear animal masks and pro-
trude their heads through holes to
carry on their pantomimes. Every
Eskimo, the speaker said, composes
his own song and his own poem.
Among the most remarkable OF the
pictures were those of herd OF 10000
reindeer, a development from small
herd introduced in Alaska by the
United States Bureau of Education.
These originally were provided in or
der to give the Alaskan Eskimos a
means of earning a living: but they
now promise to add substantially to
our meat supply.