-NELSON] CONSEQUENCES OF WEALTH 305 



Among the Malemut, as also among the Eskimo of Beriug strait and 

 the adjacent Arctic coast, an active trade is carried on. In this region it 

 is common for the shrewdest man in each village to accumulate several 

 hundreds of dollars worth of property and become a recognized leader 

 among his fellows. 



The Eskimo are very jealous of anyone who accumulates much prop 

 erty, and in consequence these rich men, in order to retain the public 

 good will, are forced to be very open-hauded with the community and 

 thus create a body of dependents. They make little festivals at which 

 are distributed food and other presents, so that the people appreciate 

 the fact that it is to their interest to encourage the man in his efforts 

 toward leadership, in order that they may be benefited thereby. 



In every trading expedition these men are usually the owners of the 

 umiaks, and control the others, even to the extent of doing their trad 

 ing for them, but the authority of such a leader lasts only so long as 

 he is looked upon as a public benefactor. Such men make a point of 

 gathering an abundant supply of food every summer in order that they 

 may feed the needy and give numerous festivals during the winter. 

 Sometimes they obtain a stronger influence over the people by combin 

 ing the offices of shaman with those of headman. 



Whenever a successful trader among them accumulates property and 

 food, and is known to work solely for his own welfare, and is careless 

 of his fellow villagers, he becomes an object of envy and hatred which 

 ends in one of two ways the villagers may compel him to make a feast 

 and distribute his goods, or they may kill him and divide his property 

 among themselves. When the first choice is given him. he must give 

 away all he possesses at the enforced festival and must then abandon 

 the idea of accumulating more, under fear of being killed. If he is 

 killed his property is distributed among the people, entirely regnrdless 

 of the claims of his family, which is left destitute and dependent on 

 the charity of others. This was done at the time of the killing of 

 A-gun-a-pai -ak, at Unalaklit. This man was a native of the Kaviak 

 peninsula, on the coast of Bering strait, and had been forced to leave 

 there after having killed a man, for fear of the dead man s relatives 

 taking blood revenge. He had located at Uualaklit, and by his domi 

 neering character and ability as a trader became one of the niost prom 

 inent leaders among the people of that region. He plotted to capture 

 and rob the trading station at St Michael, and was prevented from 

 carrying out the plan only by the timidity these people manifest when 

 dealing with white men. 



He constantly made trading voyages by umiak to Bering strait in 

 summer, and in winter made long sledge journeys. Wherever he went 

 lie was accompanied by various hangers-on and was feared by the people 

 he visited. During my residence I knew of several murders he had 

 committed, some of which were very atrocious. In one instance he 

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