INTKODUCTION OF DOMESTIC KEINDEEE INTO ALASKA. 183 



way. A,s stated, we turned into the hands of certain natives, who had 

 proven themselves the most reliable and in other respects fitted, the 

 trade goods we had left on hand after paying for deer bought directly, 

 their herding, etc., with the understanding that they should utilize 

 these to procure deer from the interior deer men and increase their 

 own herds with the view of turning them over to us if a continuance 

 of the reindeer business should be desired by the Department. 



That you were not able to collect more of the deer might have been 

 brought about by any or all of the following causes: (1) In the latter 

 end of winter and in the spring all traffic in live stock naturally stops 

 in this country, on account of the uncertainty of carrying it through 

 all right. Nobody cares to buy emaciated cattle if he has not the 

 means to feed them. Last winter was said to he an exceptionally hard 

 winter on reindeer in that part of the country. For the trade 

 intrusted to native agents, though it had been in part turned over 

 already to big deei' owners in the interior, these had not Ijcen able as 

 yet to procure deer. Peter, e. g., had invested most of the trade goods 

 advanced to him in Ogrook hides (big-bearded seal hides), which are 

 always in great demand by the deer men, and which he proposed to 

 exchange for deer in late summer. (2) The deer bought by us were all 

 bought from small coast owners in lots from one to four, though the 

 biggest part in charge of Peter and Towaragg, these would have laid 

 themselves open to crimination in the local point of view by turning 

 them over to you without the consent of every one of the original 

 owners. (3) These natives are very quick to take offense. If, for 

 instance, you showed favors to or seemed to rely on the statements of 

 one John Kimok, a South Head native, who is rather in the habit of press- 

 ing forward in dealing with white men, and who has a reputation of 

 being a coward and a liar among the natives, 3^011 would thereby have 

 caused a number of natives to become sullen and to hold themselves 

 aloof. A certain tact and knowledge of the individual natives is 

 necessary to successfull}^ deal with them. 



Then, too, it is hard to impress it on the native mind that one man 

 is acting for another; of the United States Government, they can, of 

 course, form no conception. As a rule, they mean honestly enough. 

 Numbers of them are sufficiently smart to know a good thing when 

 they see it, and itAvill be a comparative!)^ easy task to make it to their 

 interest to forward this business to the utmost of their ability. As 

 nearly eveiy coast native of influence has his trade relations with dif- 

 ferent deer men of the interior or Cape Serdze, a numl)er of native 

 agents in the same locality will not interfere with each each other. 

 Rightly handled, the different native agents could be brought to emu- 

 late one another in efficiency as purchasers of deer. As to cost, it will 

 prove itself decidedly cheaper than maintaining a purchasing post. 



