Alaska -- Antiquities; Eskimos; Eskimos -- Anthropometry; Indians of North America -- Alaska; Indians of North America -- Yukon
The hair is sooty black, without gloss, and coarse, cut in an
even line across the forehead, but allowed to grow long at the
back of the head and about the ears, whilst the crown is cropped
close or shaven. The color of the skin is a light yellowish brown,
but variable in shade, and in a few instances was observed to be
very dark. In the young, the complexion is comparatively fair,
presenting a remarkably healthy sunburnt appearance, through which
the rosy hue of the cheeks is visible; before middle life, however,
this, from exposure, gives place to a weather-beaten appearance, so
that it is difficult to guess their ages.
The face is flat, broad, rounded, and commonly plump, the cheek
bones high, the forehead low, but broad across the eyebrows,
and narrowing upwards; the whole head becomes somewhat pointed
toward the crown. The nose is short and flat, giving an appearance
of considerable space between the eyes. The eyes are brown, of
different shades, usually dark, seldom if ever altogether black,
and generally have a soft expression; some have a peculiar glitter,
which we call gipsy-like. They slope slightly upwards from the
nose, and have a fold of skin stretching across the inner angle to
the upper eyelid, most perceptible in childhood, which gives to
some individuals a cast of countenance almost perfectly Chinese.
The eyelids seem tumid, opening to only a moderate extent, and the
slightly arched eyebrows scarcely project beyond them. The ears are
by no means large, but frequently stand out sideways. The mouth
is prominent and large, and the lips, especially the lower one,
rather thick and protruding. The jawbones are strong, supporting
remarkably firm and commonly regular teeth. In the youthful
these are in general white, but toward middle age they have lost
their enamel and become black or are worn down to the gums. The
incisors of the lower jaw do not pass behind those of the upper,
but meet edge to edge, so that by the time an individual arrives
at maturity, the opposing surfaces of the eye and front teeth are
perfectly flat, independently of the wear they are subjected to
in every possible way to assist the hands. The expression of the
countenance is one of habitual good humor in the great majority of
both sexes, but is a good deal marred in the men by wearing heavy
lip ornaments. * * *
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