An Anthropogeographical Study of the Origin of the Eskimo Culture. 137 
at Bering Strait. With the Coast Chukches and the Coast Koryaks, this larger 
boat was covered with skin, just as the umiak is. The form differs however, 
inasmuch as the first mentioned have an ordinary Eskimo umiak while the 
latter have a deviating form. With the Kamchadales and southern coast inhabi- 
tants the boats are, however, always of wood. 
The employment of nets by the North-east Asiatics has still to be men- 
tioned. They are not only used as fishing nets, but also for seal hunting. This 
seems especially to be the case in the autumn, when the seals go into the 
mouths of rivers!. The methods of setting the nets correspond with those 
employed by the Eskimo. 
It would be impossible, however, to describe this North-east Asiatic Coast 
culture in detail, as it is but little known. Not least does this apply to the eco- 
nomic conditions and the annual economic cycle. For the rest it is only with 
reserve that we can talk about a Pacific-Asiatic culture; it is only the eco- 
nomic conditions connected with the sea which have a character common to 
the Palæasiaties of the coast and the fishing population of North Japan. 
The Islanders in Bering Strait. 
As specially typical centres of Eskimo economic culture may be mentioned 
the small islands in Bering Strait, the Diomede Islands or Inalik, and King 
Island or Ukivok. Moreover, the isolated settlements on the lofty western and 
south-western coasts of Seward Peninsula may in several respects be reckoned 
as belonging to the above. In contradistinction to the St.Lawrence these small 
rocky islands are inhabited by American Eskimo. The Islanders themselves were 
regarded by Datu as a distinct tribe (Okeeogmut), co-ordinate with the tribes 
on Seward, with the western groups of which they agree in linguistic and several 
other respects. They wear labrets, DESHNEV found this to be the case as early 
as in 1848, and they use the kayak, but are especially excellent umiak-men, 
and as such should here be pointed out as those who have brought the use of 
these water-craft, within the Eskimo culture, to the acme of perfection. To 
increase the sea-going power of the umiak they have introduced the probably 
original improvement of placing inflated seal-skins or flaps of skin on both sides 
of this, in order to heighten the gunwales in rough weather. With these 
improved water-craft they make trips between the two mainlands, and carry 
on a traffic which, even before the Russians had settled down at St. Michael, 
had brought Russian goods to America. The Reindeer Chukches obtained the 
goods by barter from the west, and sold them to the Asiatic Eskimo, who again 
sold them to the Islanders, receiving in exchange wood, reindeer skin, and ivory. 
This connection across the strait probably dates very far back, even if it has 
grown additionally active since European goods reached North-east Asia. In 
1648, when Simon DESHNEV sailed through Bering Strait, he found that the 
Diomede-islanders were making war against the Asiatic Eskimo. A further 
! JOCHELSON, р. 542. 
