Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-22
ESKIMO ANCESTOR
TYPE STILL LIVES
BY ALASKAN RIVER
Dr.. HrdIicka Returns From
KuskokWim Watershed
Population Study.
TUBERCULOSIS MAKES
iNR0ADS ON SURVIVORS
Scientist Believes Highly Intelli-
gent Race Can Be Saved-Cod-
Liver Oil Works Wonders.
BIZ THoMAs R. HENRY.

BY THOMAS r.. HENRY.
Discovery Of the ancestral type of the
Eskimo race, still living unchanged in
the watershed of the Kuskokwim River
in Southwestern Alaska, was announced
today by DR.. Ales Hrdlicka, head OF
the Department of Physical Anthro-
POLICY of the Smithsonian Institution.
Or. Hrdlicka has just returned from
o Summers work in Alaska. bringing
so cases of skeletons and vast quantity
of anthropological data from neld
not hitherto explored. He believes ne
has found the living representatives OF
the ancestors of one OF the two major
groups Of the aboriginal North Ameri-
can population.
Tuberculosis Has Cut Population.
There are still about 5000 of these
Original Eskimos" scattered IN snan
villages In the densely forested country
along the river from Kuskokw1m Bay
to the foothills Of Mount MCKINLEY,
DIR. Hrdlicka says. Formerly the popu-
iatiof1 was much greater, but Tor the
ysst 10 wears it has been decimated Dy
tuberculosis. introduced In the days Oh
Russiarl occupation. He found approx
imately one-third Of the populatlon SUI
fering from tuberculosis In some IoIm
and conducted medical clinic IN ~
HlHNTGnE
were almost as Iiotapie as the aiisiaAo
biological discovery.
pr. Hrdlicka proceeded IN . boat from
VILLAGE to village, taking physical meas
sIreYnents and excavating ancient GENE.
faries He found, first, that the present
s,onulation was differentiated very n!tie
from the ancient population, propaDy
the first human occupants OF the area,
secondly, both dead ana living We
clearly Eskirnos, as dinerenGiateu from
Tndiai1s. but without any OF the exag-
cerated Eskimo characteristics which
are found among the tribes OF the Arc
tic coast Of North America ana Green
land Increasing evidence LED MIN 70
the conclusion that these people were
yerv close to, IL not absolutely identlcai
With the Eskimo ancestors VINO nIst
rnicrated to North America from 81
IBERIA. The more marked Eskimo cnar-
acters, he believes. are evolutionary
developments in q people forced into
difyscnft environment. Those who came
~ the KuskUkwim watershed found
themselves In q comparatively frienoly
environment, similar 70 that they nae
left in Asia, and /. where physical
changes were not necessary 70 insure
survival.
People Came From Asia.
he does not believe that the Kus-
kokwirn people were the actual ances.
TORS az the Northern Eskimos, put
rather the descendants OF the same
stock which differentiated elsewhere.
THE discovery enables DR.. Hrdlicka 70
reconstruct much Of the history OF the
early settlement Of North America. the
migrants came from Asia, he says, IN
driblets. All were OF closely alneo
yelloW-brown stock. First came those
more closely allied to the Indians who,
In the course of centuries, found tneir
way down the Pacific Coast TO Mexico
and south America and finally, by way
Of the great rivers, into the interior.
This continued for many centuries.
ToWards the end OF this migration
period came q people OF much the same
stock, but already somewhat .oineren-
tiated physically. who found their prog
ress inland and southward blocked AZ
make their way up the Kuskokwim
while others proceeded northward ana
westward along the coast. Finally, the
vanguard Of them reached Greenland,
only to md, according to the latest evi-
derice. SAYS Or. Hrdlicka, that the white
Morse settlers were there before them.
Then followed the bitter struggle IN
which the white men, fighting o better
adapted people and changing cnmate'
Gle for survival during this long NIL
sration such physical changes had taken
place as to make the race very distinct
from the Indian. But all the time this
group left behind continued TO survive
and flourish along the Kuskokwim,
Alaskas second greatest river.
Both dead and living, DR.. Hrdlicka
SAYS, are very close to the Indian type,
but yet notably differentiated from II.
~ ans.So
@like finding the head OF the skeleton"
Of prehistoric Alaska.
Finds High Intelligence.
DR.. Hrdlicka was greatly impressed
with the character of these original
Eskimos' and is anxious that something
be done to save them Tor their own
value as American citizens. He found
them, he says, highly intelligent, ener-
eetic, friendly and happy people, most
OF whose children already speak Eng
lish. Wherever he went crowds came
70 watch his excavations, point out OLD
burial places, and help with the heavy
work. They understood, he says. MS
scientific objective and were quite anx-
ious 10 learn the story OF their own an
Most Of the Alaskan population, Dr.
Hrdlicka said, is very mixed-Indian
Eskimo and white-so that 1t Is dim
cult to md pure bloods from whom u
determine types. But the Kuskokwim
region is so difficult Of access that III
population has gone its own way. DR.
Hrdlicka was surprised to find about a
per cent pure Eskimo, with only abou
IS per cent mixed Eskimo and Russian
and 5 per cent Of other mixtures. s.
Il was comparatively easy to differenti
ate the original type.
When DR.. Hrdlicka noted the ex
IRENE prevalence Of tuberculosis he wa
sstonished to fnd that during the n
years since the Russians FIRST came vi
the Kuskoltwim the entire population
had not been wiped out. Aside from
tuberculosis he found the people ex
tarordinarily healthy. But they had NJ
built-up Immunity against the tuberci
bacillus and their manner Of living wa
such as to augment its ravages. Elk
aminations showed, however. that ma
ture in some way had wrought som
remarkable cures. q curious condition
among 3 people attacked by q new ant
deadly disease.