SKETCH OF THE WESTERN ESKIMO 



GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF THEIR RAI^GE 



That portion of the western Eskimo described in the present work 

 is found mainly within the limits of the area which I have designated 

 elsewhere as the Alaskan-Arctic district. This region includes the 

 treeless coast belt, from 3 to 100 miles in width, which extends from 

 the peninsula of Alaska northward to Point Barrow, including the 

 adjacent islands. The Eskimo penetrate the interior of the country to 

 the forested region along the courses of the larger streams. Their 

 range into the interior is mainly along Kuskokwim, Yukon, Kowak, and 

 Noatak rivers. On all of these streams they are found several hun- 

 dred miles from the coast, and at their upper limits are in direct contact 

 with the Athapascan or Tinn6 tribes. In addition to the Eskimo of 

 the Alaskan mainland and adjacent islands, within the limits just 

 mentioned, I visited also the Eskimo of the neighboring Siberian coast 

 from East cape to Plover bay and St Lawrence island. The lives of 

 these people adjacent to the Tinne, as well as those of the Siberian 

 coast who are in constant contact with the Chukchi, have been some- 

 what modified by their surroundings, although in their language and 

 customs they are still unmistakably Eskimo. The people of the 

 Siberian coast and of St Lawrence island are the most aberrant group 

 of Eskimo encountered within the area covered by my work. 



The belt bordering the Alaskan coast of Bering sea belonging to 

 this district is mainly low, and much of it consists of broad, marshy 

 tracts which are but little above sea level. This is particularly the 

 case in the large, roughly triangular r.rea lying between lower Kusko- 

 kwim and Yukon rivers. To the northward of this the country is more 

 broken or rolling in character, rising gradually in many places to low, 

 mountainous masses, several hundred feet in height and coming down 

 to the coast at intervals as bald headlands. The islands of Bering 

 straits are small and rocky and rise precipitously from the water, as 

 does much of the adjacent Siberian shore. St Lawrence island is large 

 and has an undulating surface with rocky headlands at intervals along 

 the coast. 



North of Bering strait the country is generally rolling, with flat 

 areas about the head of Kotzebue sound and north of Icy cape. South 

 of the strait the coast country has a mildly arctic climate, but to the 

 northward the results of a more rigorous environment appear in both 

 plant and animal life. The climate of the Siberian coast is much 

 severer than that of the adjacent Alaskan shore. 



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