THE ALEUT PEOPLE. 35 



The earnings of the natives are treated as a community fund, which is distributed 

 to the workers in several classes, according to their skill or experience. The amount 

 due to each family is credited to them on the books of the lessees and is drawn upon 

 by them through the island store as it is needed. 



THE SUPPORT OF THE ALEUTS. 



When, in 1890, the quota of seal skins fell to about one-fifth its former number, and 

 when it was still further reduced under the modus vivendi of 1891-1893, the income 

 of the Aleuts became so greatly reduced as to be inadequate to meet their wants. To 

 cover the deficiency the Government has each year since that time appropriated an 

 additional sum of money for their support. The liberal, not to say prodigal, character 

 of this allowance can be judged by the fact that for the season of 1896 these people 

 exhausted, in addition to their earnings, of about $16,000, from the taking of seal and 

 fox skins, the full Congressional appropriation of $19,500. They pay nothing for rent, 

 taxes, or for medical attendance, and during the greater part of the year their meat 

 is free. There are few laboring communities whose people can boast of such generous 

 conditions of support. 



The original colony of Aleuts transported to the islands numbered, according to 

 Mr. Elliott, 137 souls. To these additions were made from time to time. In 1871 

 Captain Bryant tells us that the population of the two islands numbered 426 persons, 

 of both sexes and all ages. No new accessions have been made lately, and the 

 population has dwindled to slightly less than 300 at the present time. 



The Aleuts are a gentle and tractable class of people. They are courteous in 

 their manners and unusually skillful in their work. They have the usual aboriginal 

 weaknesses for rum and the vices of civilization, but as a result of the isolated 

 position of the islands, and the strict control which the Government is able, through 

 its officers, to exercise over them, the people of St. Paul and St. George are a 

 respectable and orderly class. 



THE GOVERNMENT AGENTS. 



The interests of the Government on the islands are in charge of agents of the 

 Treasury Department, who supervise the work of the natives, look after their wants, 

 and enforce the authority of the Government. The natives are allowed, in large 

 measure, nominally to govern themselves. They have a head chief and second chief, 

 who deal directly with the people, and are in turn dealt with by the Government 

 agents. The relations of the people with one another are controlled by a council of 

 the wise men, chosen, like the chiefs, by the people themselves. 



On the whole, the lot of the Aleut on the Pribilof Islands is an unusually favored 

 one. He works but a few months in the summer and is liberally fed and clothed by 

 the Government. If the seal herd is again restored to its former capacity, he may in 

 time even become wealthy. The chief social drawback in his relations lies in the want 

 of consecutive work. The lack of anything to do through the long winter induces 

 laziness and gambling. Even useless work if continuous would be a real boon to the 

 Aleut. 



