﻿56 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  has 
  a 
  great 
  practical 
  value 
  as 
  an 
  asset 
  to 
  the 
  communities 
  in 
  which 
  

   these 
  ruins 
  are 
  situated. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  intention 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  bureau 
  

   to 
  keep 
  abreast 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  institutions 
  in 
  this 
  regard. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  the 
  bureau 
  has 
  entered 
  upon 
  two 
  new 
  lines 
  of 
  work 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  will 
  not 
  only 
  increase 
  its 
  scientific 
  output 
  by 
  

   intensive 
  research 
  but 
  also 
  appeal 
  strongly 
  to 
  the 
  popular 
  interest 
  and 
  

   to 
  the 
  diffusion 
  of 
  knowledge 
  already 
  acquired. 
  For 
  many 
  years 
  it 
  

   has 
  not 
  been 
  found 
  practical 
  to 
  continue 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  

   Islands, 
  which 
  is 
  mentioned 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  items 
  of 
  ethno- 
  

   logical 
  research 
  in 
  the 
  above 
  act 
  of 
  Congress. 
  A 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pan 
  Pacific 
  Convention 
  in 
  Honolulu 
  shows 
  an 
  increased 
  interest 
  in 
  

   the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Polynesian 
  islanders 
  and 
  their 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  peopling 
  of 
  America 
  from 
  the 
  South 
  Seas. 
  Mr. 
  Gerard 
  

   Fowke, 
  a 
  collaborator 
  of 
  the 
  bureau, 
  was 
  commissioned 
  to 
  attend 
  this 
  

   convention 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution, 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  

   instructed 
  to 
  gather 
  whatever 
  information 
  he 
  could 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  

   archeology 
  of 
  the 
  people, 
  if 
  any, 
  that 
  preceded 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  race 
  of 
  

   the 
  present 
  day. 
  Although 
  his 
  results 
  were 
  negative, 
  it 
  is 
  gratifying 
  

   that 
  the 
  bureau 
  took 
  part 
  in 
  this 
  convention,* 
  as 
  it 
  opened 
  up 
  several 
  

   lines 
  of 
  work 
  in 
  other 
  islands 
  which 
  it 
  may 
  later 
  be 
  advantageous 
  to 
  

   follow. 
  The 
  Sandwich 
  Islands 
  lie 
  practically 
  on 
  the 
  periphery 
  of 
  

   the 
  sphere 
  of 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Polynesian 
  culture, 
  and 
  local 
  investi- 
  

   gators 
  have 
  the 
  Hawaiians 
  well 
  in 
  hand. 
  There 
  is 
  considerable 
  to 
  do 
  

   in 
  mapping 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  temples 
  and 
  ancient 
  buildings, 
  but 
  this 
  

   work 
  is 
  being 
  rapidly 
  done 
  by 
  local 
  archeologists. 
  It 
  is 
  desirable, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  the 
  bureau 
  take 
  up 
  archeological 
  work 
  in 
  Samoa 
  or 
  

   some 
  island 
  nearer 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  race 
  which 
  has 
  

   occupied 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Ocean. 
  The 
  imperfect 
  

   facilities 
  for 
  transportation 
  from 
  one 
  island 
  to 
  another 
  and 
  the 
  loss 
  

   of 
  time 
  in 
  transit 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  handicap 
  in 
  this 
  work. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  line 
  of 
  research 
  which 
  promises 
  even 
  more 
  to 
  the 
  scientific 
  

   investigator 
  and 
  the 
  tourist 
  is 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  culture, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  the 
  architecture, 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  of 
  the 
  aborigines 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  In 
  

   the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  canning 
  industry 
  the 
  Indians 
  who 
  formerly 
  inhab- 
  

   ited 
  southern 
  Alaska 
  have 
  been 
  drawn 
  away 
  from 
  their 
  aboriginal 
  

   villages, 
  leaving 
  them 
  deserted 
  and 
  their 
  totem 
  poles 
  and 
  buildings 
  

   to 
  the 
  mercy 
  of 
  fire 
  and 
  decay. 
  The 
  monuments 
  are 
  rapidly 
  going 
  to 
  

   destruction, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  desirable 
  that 
  steps 
  be 
  immediately 
  taken 
  to 
  

   preserve 
  these 
  buildings 
  or 
  a 
  typical 
  example 
  of 
  them 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  

   utterly 
  destroyed. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  these 
  settlements, 
  Kasaan, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  made 
  a 
  national 
  

   monument. 
  Steps 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  preserve 
  others. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  T. 
  T. 
  Waterman 
  was 
  sent 
  by 
  the 
  bureau 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  whole 
  

   question 
  — 
  primarily 
  to 
  secure 
  whatever 
  vanishing 
  ethnological 
  data 
  

   is 
  still 
  extant. 
  He 
  was 
  instructed 
  to 
  gather 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  sym- 
  

  

  