The Wrangell sentinel., 1937-11-12
AMONG THE WIFE TRADERS
 NAME OF NEW ALASKA BOOK

A copy of Arthur Eide's new book, Among the Wife Traders" has been received by the author at Ju- neau and the first shipment from Norway is expected shortly.
 The book, printed in Norwegian at Oslo and bound both in paper and in boards, describes the living conditions and tribal customs of the residents of the Diomede islands Eide, a well known Juneau resident. is also the author of a book of Es- kimo folk-tales which is now in use in Alaska Territorial schools.
 The descriptive advance notices of the new book have been trans lated as follows:
 "The book records a white mans remarkable experience as a school teacher to a primitive people.
 Tn the middle of Boring Strait, halfway between Alaska and Siberia lie two small islands, Big and Little Diomede, known to the Eskimo as Ingalit and Imaklit. Little Diomede belongs to the United States, Big Diomede to Russia. Little Diomede is one of the most God-forsaken spots on the globe; water is at a premium as no wells or river is found on the island. Here the people live a very primitive life.
 Tt is a hard struggle to civilize these semi-barbaric tribes with their ancient spirit of worship and powerful medicine-men. In 1907 a school was built on Little Diomede but only three white teachers alter mated teaching there until 1913; then the Bureau of Indian Educa- tion decided to close the school, as they figured that to educate these people was wasted money and effort.
 "OnIy a few white men have visi- UT Eide, who halls from the north ern part of Norway. He came as al you2s man to the United States. In San Francisco, Calf, he studied the- ology in the Berkeley Seminary. Here he met an Eskimo girl, Anna Koodlalook, who as child had been adopted by the Alaska missionary Sheldon Jackson.
 She was educated at Harrisburg, Penn, then she became assistant teacher with Charles Hawkesworth in her home village, Point Barrow. Here she also acted as interpreter for Viljalmer Stefansson, the Arctic explorer. When she was in San Fran cisco studying to become a nurse Eide was attracted to this charming girl from the north. They were both born in the Arctic under the North ern Lights, and the Midnight Sun and they both were preparing for the same life work They married, applied for a position as teachers in Alaska, were accepted and sent to| the Little DiOmede Island.
 Here Arthur Eide and his Eski mo wife were received with open arms by the islanders, but when he introduced modern sanitation, the medicineman, OtOktak, decided that Eide was not a friend any longer but a dangerous man-and then when Eide began to dig in the an cient graveyard for historical evil dence, the medicine man prophesied that evil days would come upon the people.
 Sure enough, the following fall furious storms came upin the is land, and the people almost starved to death.
 "Otokatak called the people to- gether at night, and Eide was con-I demned to death. Eide, who was at the meeting, decided to meet fireI with fire and called the people to- gether at the schoolhouse. Here heI told the starving Eskimo that theI medicine man is only humbug andl that he was powerless to help them, and that the only salvation for them was to turn from him to the white mans God. In their extreme need, they prayed with the remark able result that the storms died, plenty of game was secured. Eide had saved his life and the medicine man had lost face.