760 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1895. 



Beech ey, visited their coast. They had, however, received from south 

 ern neighbors articles of European manufacture introduced by the 

 Russians, such as tobacco, copper, and other articles, some of which 

 were obtained, according to Murdoch s statement, 1 by way of the 

 Dioiuede Islands and Siberia. 



Visits by other navigators were made at long intervals, and it was 

 not till 1854 that the first whaling vessel came to the Point. 



Although the Point Barrow natives are provided with firearms, they 

 would be unable, by means of these alone, to obtain any seals, &quot; as 

 their own appliances for sealing are much better than any civilized con 

 trivances.&quot; l Mr. Murdoch, whom I have here quoted, states furthermore 

 that &quot;all are now rich in iron, civilized tools, canvas and wreck wood, 

 and in this respect their condition is improved. 7 Nevertheless, in so far 

 as the graphic art is concerned, they appear to be considerably behind 

 the natives of Bristol Bay and Norton Sound. 



The eminent Danish antiquarian, Doctor Henry Rink, 2 in his remarks 

 on the probable origin of the Eskimo, speaks of their former location 

 in Greenland as follows: 



According to the sagas of the Icelanders, they were already met with on the east 

 coast of Greenland about the year 1000, and almost at the same time 011 the east coast 

 of the American continent. Between the years 1000 and 1300, they do not seem to 

 have occupied the land south of 65 north latitude, on the west coast of Greenland, 

 where the Scandinavian colonies were then situated. But the colonists seem to 

 have been aware of their existence in higher latitudes and to have lived in fear of 

 an attack by them, since, in the year 1266, an expedition was sent out for the pur 

 pose of exploring the abodes of the Skra lings, as they were called by the colonists. 

 In 1379 the northernmost settlement was attacked by them, eighteen men being 

 killed and two boys carried off as prisoners. About the year 1450 the last accounts 

 were received from the colonies, and the way to Greenland was entirely forgotten 

 in the northern country. 



Doctor Rink says that the Eskimos of southern Greenland present 

 features indicating &quot;mixed descent from Scandinavians and Eskimo,&quot; 

 the former, however, not having left any sign of influence of their cul 

 ture or nationality upon the present natives. 



In 1585 Greenland was discovered anew, by John Davis, who found 

 it inhabited exclusively by Eskimo. 



In the work before cited, 3 Doctor Henry Rink remarks: 



Recent investigations have revealed differences between the Eskimo tribes which 

 indicate that, after having taken their first step to being an exclusively maritime 

 people, they have still during their migrations been subjected to farther develop 

 ment in the same direction, aiming at adapting them especially for the Arctic coasts 

 as their proper home. The farther we go back toward their supposed original 

 country, the more of what may be considered their original habits we find still pre 

 served. In the general history of culture these variations must certainly appear 

 trifling, but still I believe that a closer examination of them will throw light on the 

 question how the most desolate and deterring regions of the globe could become 



1 Ninth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology for 1887-88, 1892, p. 53. 

 -The Eskimo Tribes. Copenhagen and London. 1887. 

 3 Idem, pp. 3-5. 



