﻿NO. 7 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I926 145 



two ; they interdigitated and mixed together, cuhurally as well as 

 physically. 



3. From Tanana down stream to its mouth, the Yukon is now and 

 was evidently in the past peopled almost exclusively on the right or 

 northern side. This side is essentially that of the heights, the left 

 being mainly that of flats. But even in the flat country towards the 

 mouth of the river (north mouth) the settlements are all on the right 

 bank. The Indians and the Eskimo behaved alike in this respect, 

 as in a good many others. 



4. The old banks of the Yukon, where preserved, show occasional 

 sites of human occupation and yield stone tools, fragments of pottery, 

 more or less fossilized animal bones, and now and then barbed points 

 of ivory or other bone objects. 



The habitations in general were of the partly subterranean " igloo," 

 or pit-and-tunnel type. Traces of Russian presence are common. 

 The occupation of some of the sites is still remembered. A few appear 

 earlier than the coming of the white man. No trace was found or 

 heard of any remains that would suggest geological antiquity. 



So much for the Yukon. When the Bering Sea was reached, the 

 first more important visit was to St. Lawrence Island. This island 

 was formerly not much considered in archeology and anthropology. 

 It was believed to be rather an out-of-the-way place with small if 

 any connection with the American side, and on which there was not 

 much of importance. This idea must now be given up, for as a result 

 of what was seen and learned this large island should be one of the 

 principal points of attack for future research and is one of the most 

 promising. On the St. Lawrence and the little " Punuk " Islands 

 southeast of it, there are now being recovered by the Eskimo quantities 

 of objects made of ivory which through age has become more or less 

 " fossilized," and these objects in some cases show remarkable and 

 beautiful decoration. Definite information was obtained that on one 

 of the Punuk Islands numerous such implements are actually visible 

 frozen in old refuse heaps. A small party from the Revenue Cutter 

 " Algonquin " reached these islands this year ( 1926) and obtained, ac- 

 cording" to reliable information, several bushels of such articles and of 

 old ivory. These objects were brought away to be worked up into 

 beads, pendants, etc., which find ready sale. A number of them, parts 

 of which were still extant, showed human workmanship. These and 

 other facts indicate that these islands are of much promise, and it is 

 urgent to explore them before what they can give disappears. 



From St. Lawrence the voyage led to the Diomedes, passing King 

 Island. This island was at that time bare of population, all of the 



