THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



what influence the inhabitants of one continent may have exerted 

 on those of the other, are problems of great magnitude, the 

 solution of which lies in a careful study of the natives of the coast, 

 past and present, with a view to discovering as much as possible 

 of their history. These were the problems that attracted the 

 attention of Morris K. Jesup, Esq., President of the American 

 Museum of Natural History, and induced him to provide per- 

 sonally with great liberality the means for carrying on investiga- 

 tions. 



Since the ultimate conclusions of the expedition were to be 

 based on detailed comparisons of the types of man, cultures and 

 languages of the North Pacific coast, it was necessary to organize 

 several expeditions to collect the required information. It 

 seemed best to divide the area among specialists, each devoting 

 his energies to a certain group of tribes. The amount of work 

 to be done in both Siberia and America was very great, on 

 account of the great differentiation of tribes. It therefore seemed 

 necessary to set certain limits to the work of the expedition. In 

 Asia the isolated tribes of northeastern Siberia were made the 

 special subject of our studies, while in America the isolated 

 tribes between Bering Strait and Columbia River were to be 

 investigated. The problem to be solved in Asia was the relation 

 of the isolated tribes of Siberia to the Turkish and Tungus tribes 

 of that continent on the one hand, and to the isolated tribes of 

 northwestern America on the other. In a similar way the 

 problem in America was the relation of the coast tribes of the 

 Northwest to the inland and southern tribes of our continent 

 and to the Siberian tribes of the other. 



The multiplicity of tribes in America is clearly shown on 

 the map on page 68. Since the Eskimo of Alaska had been 

 studied by Mr. E. W. Nelson for the United States Government, 

 and since the Tlingit had been investigated by Lieut. G. T. 

 Emmons, U. S. N., who it is hoped may publish the results 

 of his researches, the principal work by the Jesup Expedition 

 had to be done in British Columbia and the State of Washing- 

 ton. The most important topics to be studied were the eth- 



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