CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS IN THE 

 ANTHROPOLOGY OF SOUTHERN ALASKA 



W. S. Laughlin 



Assistant Professor of Anthropology 

 University of Oregon 



Consideration of the anthropological problems of the Aleu- 

 tian Islands and of southern Alaska can best be approached 

 with the realization that much evidence acquired in the last 

 few years suggests an early homeland for the Eskimos in south- 

 western Alaska. The linguistic and archeological evidence in 

 particular point to over 4,000 years of Eskimo occupation in 

 this area. Similarly, population figures and ecological data 

 clearly indicate that this area was a climax zone for the Eskimos. 

 The rich natural resources, including many kinds of marine 

 animals such as sea-lion, hair-seal, fur-seal, sea-otter, whale, 

 and fish, in addition to land animals and birds, made possible 

 the growth of a large population nowhere else attainable by 

 the Eskimos or the Alaskan Indians. Large quantities of drift- 

 wood compensated for the absence of standing timber in the 

 Aleutian area. Many shell fish and edible sea weeds on the 

 reefs, together with a number of edible roots and land plants, 

 enabled the survival of communities when other food supplies 

 ran short. The presence of nearly a third of all Eskimos on 

 the Pacific Ocean coasts— 27,300 Aleut, Koniag, Chugach, and 

 Ugalak, out of a total Eskimo population of 89,700 at the period 

 of European contact— reflects not only the ecological wealth, 

 but also indicates that this area was an important source for the 

 elaboration and subsequent diffusion of many traits. We may 

 therefore expect to find that some of the traits shared in com- 

 mon by Eskimos and Indians were diffused from the earlier and 

 more populous Proto Aleut-Eskimo population. The early 

 growth of relatively large communities has many implications 

 with reference to the genetic stability of a large population. 



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