Alaska -- Antiquities; Eskimos; Eskimos -- Anthropometry; Indians of North America -- Alaska; Indians of North America -- Yukon
_Indian basketry._--No Indians were seen here, though some come
occasionally. But several of the stores, including that of the Seward
Drug Co. (Mr. Elwyn Swestmann), have an unexpectedly good supply of
decorated Alaska Indian baskets. It was found later, in fact, that the
Alaskan Indians, with the Aleutians, compare well in basketry with
those of Arizona and California.
_Anchorage._--June 12-13. Anchorage, on Cook's Inlet, is a good-sized
town for Alaska and the headquarters of the railroad. Here were met
some very good friends, particularly Mr. Noel W. Smith, general manager
of the railroad; Dr. J. H. Romig, formerly of the Kuskokwim; and Mr.
B. B. Mozee, the Indian supervisor. Here, at Ellis Hall, I lectured
on "The Origin and Racial Affiliations of the Indians," and the large
audience included seven male (some full blood) and two female (mix
blood) Indians--of the latter, one very pretty, approaching a Spanish
type of beauty. Near town I also visited with a launch two small Indian
fishing camps. From Doctor Romig information was obtained about the
Indians and some old sites of the Kuskokwim; and through the kindness
of Messrs. Smith and Mozee I was enabled to visit the Indian school at
Eklutna. Here at Anchorage I also was given the first and rather rare
old Indian stone implement.
The Indians at the camps included 6 full bloods--4 men, 2 women. One of
the men tested on chest. Typical full-blood results.
Type of full bloods: Color slightly submedium to medium brown, never
darker; heads, subbrachycephalic to full brachycephalic, rather small;
forehead in men more or less sloping in two; face, not large, Indian;
nose tends to convex but not high. Indian in features and behavior, but
features not as pronounced as general in the States tribes.
The full bloods in town: Medium to short stature, not massive frames,
moderate-sized faces, Indian type, but not the pronounced form; head
brachycephalic; hair all black; mustache and beard scarce, as in
Indians in general; color of skin submedium brown. Children in camp
(up to about 5 years) were striking by a relatively considerable
interorbital breadth, otherwise typical Indian.
_Birch-bark dishes._--At Anchorage, in several of the stores, but
particularly at one small store, were seen many nicely decorated
birch-bark dishes or receptacles. They are made by inland Indians, are
prettily decorated with colored porcupine quills, and evidently take
the place of the baskets of other tribes. It was difficult to learn
just what Indians made the best or most, though the Tanana people were
mentioned. No such fine assortment of these dishes was seen after
leaving Anchorage.
_Eklutna._--Sixteen miles from Anchorage, along the railroad, is the
Indian village and school Eklutna. Mr. Smith made it possible for me to
reach this place on a freight and to be picked up later the same day by
the passenger train.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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