Popular Science Monthly 



837 



Photo by Bureau of Education, Washington 



Ready to start a reindeer race at Igloo, Alaska. Two hundred Eskimos, all of them engaged 

 in the reindeer industry, fourteen wild deer and numerous collie dogs took part in the sport 



How the Eskimos of Alaska Held an 

 Exciting Reindeer Fair 



THE first reindeer fair held in Alaska 

 took place recently at Igloo. It was 

 attended by about two hundred Eskimos, 

 all engaged in the reindeer industry on 

 Seward Peninsula. The fair was a great 

 success; for it gave the Eskimos a chance 

 to exchange views on such problems as the 

 best way to raise and drive reindeer and the 

 best types of sleds and harness. 



A herd of eight hundred deer was ex- 

 hibited. They were not confined in a 

 corral, but were kept in place by the crowd 

 of eager sightseers, ever 

 alert to prevent an ex- 

 cape. Intelligent, train- 

 ed collie dogs hovered 

 around the outskirts of 

 the crowd to round up a 

 deer that might break 

 through. 



Interesting features of 

 the fair were the lassoing 

 contests and the races. 

 Thirty minutes each day 

 for three days were de- 

 voted to lassoing. Only 

 bulls without horns were 

 lassoed. The winner of 

 the contest had eleven 

 deer to his credit. The 

 bulls are difficult to lasso 

 because of their wariness. 



The driving race was 

 held over a course a mile 

 long. There were four- 

 teen wild deer in it. 



Photo 

 Museum of 

 American Indian 



A "swallow stick 



old relic from the Virgin Islands 



The Old Indian Priests Had No Easy 

 Time of It 



THE Indians are faith curists. But in 

 South America certain tribes, more 

 highly developed than others, had priests 

 instead of medicine men in their religious 

 ceremonies. These tribes were very partic- 

 ular about their priests. They argued that 

 in order to be a successful intermediary the 

 priest must be thoroughly cleansed of all 

 impurities himself. 



To make perfectly sure that the priest 

 was worthy, a "swallow stick," such as the 

 one shown in the illustration, was thrust 

 down his throat. This, 

 of course, acted as an 

 emetic, and satisfied the 

 audience that the priest 

 was purged of his iniq- 

 uities and could proceed 

 with the ceremony. 



The "swallow stick" 

 in the photograph is one 

 of four specimens 

 brought from the Virgin 

 Islands to the United 

 States by Captain Theo- 

 dore De Booy, explorer 

 for the Museum of the 

 American Indian, of New 

 York City. It is esti- 

 mated to be over four 

 hundred years old, and 

 is made of the rib of 

 a sea cow. Three inlays 

 of mother-of-pearl form 

 the teeth. The eyes are 

 shells set into hollows. 



a 400-year- 



