NELSON] SCOPE OF THE WORK 21 



North cape, beyond Bering strait, taking- on board a sledge party 

 which had been left there early in the season. We then returned to St 

 Lawrence island, where a landing was effected and a fine series of valu 

 able specimens obtained, after which we departed for St Michael 

 where the collections were transferred to the Alaska Commercial Com 

 pany s steamer for shipment to San Francisco,, and the Condn once 

 inore returned to the Arctic. During the remainder of the season we 

 visited all of the Arctic coast of Alaska from Bering strait to Point 

 Barrow, including Kotzebue sound. 



The ethnologic collection obtained during my residence in the north 

 numbers about ten thousand specimens, which are deposited in the 

 United States [National Museum, under the auspices of which my work 

 in Alaska was done. With the exception of a comparatively small 

 number of specimens obtained among the Athapascan tribes of the 

 lower Yukon and among the Chukchi of eastern Siberia, the entire 

 collection was obtained among the Eskimo. 



Since my return from Alaska Mr John Murdoch has reported on the 

 collection and observations made by the International Polar Expedi 

 tion at Point Barrow. 1 



Although my collections cover many of the objects found along the 

 northern coast, I have been more explicit in describing those from 

 other regions visited by me rather than to duplicate the work of Mr 

 Murdoch. The preparation of the present work has been delayed from 

 various unavoidable causes, but despite the length of time which has 

 elapsed since my observations were made, but little has appeared 

 regarding the customs of the Eskimo in the region visited by me. 

 This being the case, the data collected at a time when the life of the 

 majority of the natives had not been so greatly modified by intercourse 

 with white men as at present, are of particular value. Since then the 

 introduction of missionary schools and the gold mining excitement 

 have resulted in greatly changing the status of many of the people, 

 and as a natural consequence their old customs and beliefs are rapidly 

 falling into disuse or are becoming greatly modified. 



In this work I have confined myself to recording the information 

 obtained and have made no attempt to elaborate any of the matter by 

 generalizations. However imperfect my observations were in many 

 cases, I trust the information gained will serve as a basis for fuller 

 investigation of a very interesting field. I was placed under great 

 indebtedness for favors received from the Alaska Commercial Company 

 and its officers at St Michael during my residence at that point. 

 Through the cordial assistance of Mr Eudolph Neumann and the late 

 M. Lorenz, who volunteered to carry on my meteorological observa 

 tions during periods of absence from St Michael, I was enabled to 

 accomplish much work that would have been impracticable without 

 such aid. I am also indebted to Mr Neumann for several of the tales 

 from St Michael. 



1 Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1887-88. 



