Alaska -- Antiquities; Eskimos; Eskimos -- Anthropometry; Indians of North America -- Alaska; Indians of North America -- Yukon
Thursday, July 29. In anticipation of being called up again during the
night, at Point Hope, which is evidently another important spot for
archeological exploration, for the natives are said to bring many old
articles for sale each year, I do not undress and go to bed earlier,
but have, because of the anticipation, closeness of air, and a cat
jumping on my face just as I am dozing off, a very poor night; and no
call came after all. In the morning there are cold showers, the sky is
much clouded, and the wind keeps on blowing from the north-northwest,
threatening, the officers say, to drive the ice toward this shore,
which would be bad for us. It is cool and disagreeable. We have
anchored to the south of the spit on which stands the village and can
not unload or get ashore. Nor can the natives come here to us.
The village consists of a schoolhouse, a little mission (Rev. F. W.
Goodman), an accumulation of houses, semi-subterraneans, and tents. A
few tents are also seen a good distance to the right--a reindeer camp.
Otherwise there is nothing but the long, low, sandy, and grassy spit
projecting far out into the ocean.
Later. The north-northwest still blows, and so the ship has to anchor
to the south of the long spit on the point of which is the village. Of
this but little can be seen, just a few houses, and it seems near and
insignificant.
The captain is evidently waiting again for the natives to come out, and
I am helpless. Finally, however, a boat is made ready and I am taken
to the shore with the mail. This is piled on the beach, and with two
officers we start to walk toward the dwellings opposite to us, which
are the mission. Heavy walking in the loose sand and gravel of the
steep beach, and as we ascend it is seen the buildings which seemed so
near to the shore are about a mile or more away.
A man coming toward us--the missionary, Archdeacon Goodman. Tell him
my mission; says he has some business on the ship, but will come, and
there will be no trouble in helping me to a "good deal of what I want,"
which sounds fine.
In the absence of the missionary, go to see the teacher. The school is
over a mile in the direction toward the point. Find him at home and
helpful. In 15 minutes, with his aid, engage two native boys, give two
sacks to each, and send them out over the long flats (old beaches) to
pick up every skull and jaw they can find. They go cheerfully, and we
depart shortly after to see Mr. La Voy, a movie-picture man, who has
been staying here for some time making movie pictures of the natives,
and at the same time collecting all the antiquities they could bring
him. We go to see his collection, but find him not home; has gone for
mail. The rare mail in these regions is, of course, the most important
of events. So back to the school (a good many rods from the sod house
part of the native village to the left), and then--it is now near
noon--to the mission, a good mile from the school and more from the
village.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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