SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I929 139 



]\Ialy, Decent in Anthropok\c:y at the Charles University of Prague, 

 who accompanied me on the whole journey and assisted me in pho- 

 tography and in every other way. 



The main work began at Fort Yukon on June 8, and nine days were 

 spent here in examination and casting of the Indians. On the sixteenth, 

 we started on the trip down the river in a light open 1 8-foot Peter- 

 borough canoe with an " Elto " outboard motor, visiting every vil- 

 lage, camp, and site that could be located, down to Pilot Station, 

 where we arrived on August 2. The journey was facilitated by the 

 almost continuous daylight but was often made disagreeable by rainy, 

 stormy weather. Over 1.500 miles was covered in the canoe, besides 

 which an important side trip was made in a larger boat through the 

 Shageluk Slough and the lower Innoko, as well as a series of trips in 

 the mouths of the river on the Coot or its launch — all this, it is 

 gratifying to report, without accident or illness, and though the work 

 was sometimes of a rather delicate nature, without incurring the ill 

 will of any jierson. The latter was perhaps due to the fact that the 

 objects of the study and collecting were frankly explained in every 

 case to whites and natives alike through lectures or individually, and 

 that all recent burials were strictly respected. In many cases of the 

 older remains I was not only told of them and conducted to the spot, 

 which in some cases I could not have located alone, but was even as- 

 sisted in their removal. There could be but little secrecy, and so the 

 work was carried on considerately but quite openly. They soon knew 

 me all along the river as the " skull doctor," laughed over it with 

 much good nature, and were as friendly as possible, especially among 

 the Eskimo on the lower river. In return they were given such medi- 

 cal and other assistance as was feasible and were paid suitably for 

 every archeological specimen they brought, of which there was col- 

 lectively quite a number. In l)ut one case were we near trouble. At 

 Ingrehak, below Russian Mission, a local full-blood brought me to a 

 rotten above-ground grave with a clean skeleton of an old male. This 

 was in full view of the nearby part of the village and some natives 

 were looking on amusedly. But just as the parts were all gathered I 

 saw below (the grave was on a slope) an old woman who appeared to 

 be provoked at something and was talking to herself rather loudly. 

 On sending the Indian who accompanied me down to see what the 

 trouble was I learned that the old woman claimed the bones to be those 

 of her long departed husband, and was saying: " Why don't they go 

 further back of the hill where they find real old bones and leave this 

 old man (said to have died about 30 years ago) alone." This was 

 very promptly done, to the complete satisfaction of the old dame 



