ETHNOLOGICAL RESULTS OF THE POINT BARROW 



EXPEDITION. 



BY JOHN MUKDOCII. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska, was 

 organized in 1881 by the Chief Signal Officer of the Army, for the pur 

 pose of cooperating in the work of circumpolar observation proposed 

 by the International Polar Conference. The expedition, which was 

 commanded by Lieut, P. II. Kay, Eighth Infantry, IT. S. Army, sailed 

 from San Francisco July 18, 1881, and reached Cape Smyth, 11 miles 

 southwest of Point Barrow, on September 8 of the same year. Here a 

 permanent station was established, where the party remained until 

 August 28, 1883, when the station was abandoned, and the party sailed 

 for San Francisco, arriving there October 7. 



Though the main object of the expedition was the prosecution of the 

 observations in terrestrial magnetism and meteorology, it was possible 

 to obtain a large collection of articles illustrating the arts and industries 

 of the Eskimo of the region, with whom the most friendly relations 

 were early established. Nearly all of the collection was made by barter, 

 the natives bringing their weapons, clothing, and other objects to the 

 station for sale. Full notes on the habits and customs of the Eskimo 

 also were collected by the different members of the party, especially 

 by the commanding officer; the interpreter, Capt. E. P. Uerendeen; the 

 surgeon, Dr. George Scott Oklmixon, and myself, who served as one of 

 the naturalists and observers of the expedition. It fell to my share 

 to take charge of and catalogue all the collections made by the expedi 

 tion, and therefore I had especially favorable opportunities for becoming 

 acquainted with the ethnography of the region. Consequently, upon 

 the return of the expedition, when it was found that the ethnological 

 observations would occupy too much space for publication in the official 

 report, 1 all the collections and notes were intrusted to me, for the purpose 

 of preparing a special report. The Smithsonian Institution, through 

 the kindness of the late Prof. Spencer F. Baird, then secretary, furnished 



/ Report of the International Polar Expedition to Point Barrow, Alaska, by Lieut. P. H. Ray, Wash 

 I ington, 1885. 



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