Our Arctic province : $b Alaska and the Seal Islands — John Shaqi
Our Arctic province : $b Alaska and the Seal IslandsElliott, Henry Wood
History
Our Arctic province : $b Alaska and the Seal Islands
Elliott, Henry Wood
Alaska -- Description and travel
A Pelagic Monarch.—Marked Difference between the Sea-lion and
the Fur-seal.—The Imposing Presence and Sonorous Voice of the
“Sea-king.”—Terrible Combats between old Sea-lion Bulls.—Cowardly in
the Presence of Man, however.—Sea-lions Sporting in the Fury of Ocean
Surf.—It has no Fur on its Huge Hide.—Valuable only to the Natives,
who Cover their “Bidarrah” with its Skin.—Its Sweet Flesh and
Inodorous Fat.—Not such Extensive Travellers as the Fur-seals.—The
Difficulty of Capturing Sea-lions.—How the Natives Corral them.—The
Sea-lion “Pen” at Northeast Point.—The Drive of Sea-lions.—Curious
Behavior of the Animals.—Arrival of the Drove at the Village.—A
Thirteen-mile Jaunt with the Clumsy Drove.—Shooting the old
Males.—The Bloody “Death-whirl.”—The Extensive Economic Use made of
the Carcass by the Natives.—Chinese Opium Pipes Picked with Sea-lion
Mustache bristles.
CHAPTER XII.
INNUIT LIFE AND LAND pp. 374-411
“Nooshagak;” Wide Application of an Innuit Name.—The Post and
River.—Countless Pools, Ponds, and Lakes of this District
bordering Bristol Bay.—The Eskimo Inhabitants of the Coast.—The
Features and Form of Alaskan Innuits.—Light-hearted, Inconstant,
and Independent.—Their Dress, Manners, and Rude Dwellings.—Their
Routine of Life.—Large and Varied Natural Food-supplies.—Indifferent
Land Hunters, but Mighty Fishermen.—Limited Needs from Traders’
Stores.—Skilful Carvers in Ivory.—Their Town Hall, or “Kashga.”—They
Build and Support no Churches here.—Not of a real Religious Cast,
as the Aleutians are.—The Dogs and Sleds; Importance of Them
here.—Great Interest of the Innuit in Savage Ceremonies.—The Wild
Alaskan Interior.—Its Repellent Features alike Avoided by Savage
and Civilized Man.—The Indescribable Misery of Mosquitoes.—The
Desolation of Winter in this Region.—The Reindeer Slaughter-pen on
the Kvichak River.—Amazing Improvidence of the Innuit.—The Tragic
Death of Father Juvenals, on the Banks of the Great Ilyamna Lake,
1796.—The Queer Innuits of Togiak.—Immense Muskrat Catch.—The
Togiaks are the Quakers of Alaska.—The Kuskokvim Mouth a Vast
Salmon-trap.—The Ichthyophagi of Alaska.—Dense Population.—Daily Life
of the Fish-eaters.—Infernal Mosquitoes of Kuskokvim; the Worst in
Alaska.—Kolmakovsky; its History.
CHAPTER XIII.
LONELY NORTHERN WASTES pp. 412-435
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account