An Anthropogeographical Study of the Origin of the Eskimo Culture. 211 
these erected their booths in a rectangular form like buildings in Japan 
— hut of course this whole idea is only a conjecture. For the rest it is 
the Eskimo language and way of thinking, the Eskimo dress, and also 
the Eskimo mode of living in its entirety which has maintained itself 
in the face of the foreign culture and stamped the new culture with a 
decidedly Eskimo character. 
For the rest I wish to emphasize the fact that I do not assume the 
Eskimo to have adopted any great number of essential Japanese im- 
plements and methods of use. As regards culture, the influence has had 
more of an inciting character, collaterally with the taking place of inter- 
breeding. Possibly, however, the traces of relatively high technique 
which one encounters with the western Eskimo, i. e., weaving and 
pottery, are possibly to be apprehended as originating from the Japanese. 
The Eskimo metal technique has possibly the same origin. The most com- 
mon conception is certainly that the Eskimo, when from the North 
they had reached down to the regions south of the mouth of the Yukon, 
learnt both weaving and pottery from the North-West Indians; but I 
am inclined to believe that both Eskimo and North-West Indians have 
adopted these accomplishments from Asia; that is directly or indirectly 
from Japan, or perhaps other East Asiatic culture lands. 
I have already expressed the view that several possessions of cul- 
ture of Palæeskimo origin first received their final fashioning in the 
regions round Bering Strait and under Neoeskimo conditions of culture. 
Amongst other things I have mentioned that possibly only here in this 
region has the kayak attained the double paddle and that here, also, 
an improved form of the dog sledge probably was adopted. None of 
these improvements, and especially not the last mentioned, can, however, 
be supposed to have originated from the Japanese, and I state the point 
in order to emphasize the fact that it must not be supposed that it was 
only the Japanese sailors who influenced the Eskimo in the Bering terri- 
tory. 
What I suppose to be the case is, that the so-called Neoeskimo 
culture and population originated around Bering Strait 
through the influence of various neighbouring peoples, 
especially of the so-called Pacific Asiaties, and that amongst 
these latter it is the Japanese seafarers and fishermen who 
have played the most inciting and refashioning rôle, even 
if, perhaps, they have not yielded the greatest direct con- 
tribution to the improvement of the Neoeskimo technique. 
Naturally it ought not to be forgotten that the Eskimo have received 
some influence from American neighbours, but the really essential in- 
+ With regard to weaving at Point Barrow the reader is referred to Мовросн 
I, р. 316. Steransson has lately found most peculiar traces of an old Eskimo 
pottery as far east as Langton Bay, east of the mouth of the Mackenzie. 
STEFANSSON, I, pp. 327 sqq. 
14* 
