INTRODUC I'lON OF DOMESTIC REINDEEB INTO ALASKA. 185 



which would have to be considered. I shall be glad if I can be of help, 

 and will give the names of those Siberian natives who are best in posi- 

 tion to forward the undertaking whenever asked to do so. It is 

 obvious that the agency should be intrusted to a man thoroughly con- 

 versant with the native character. Tact is as necessary to successful 

 dealing with natives as with other people, and it is the man who knows 

 how and has the patience to look at things with native eyes who makes 

 the successful trader. 



A great mortality among the reindeer in this section of Sil)eria 

 might be made an objection against buying deer here. Without doubt 

 this is caused by an overstocking of the poor pastures here, and a 

 drainage of deer into Alaska will help to obliterate it. This cause is 

 well understood by the Siberian native, and often formed the subject of 

 discussion between some of them and myself. After we had stopped 

 buying deer on account of the tumultuous elements, many deer were 

 offered for sale to us, but we made it an invariable practice to tell 

 them to wait till summer. I will reiterate, in conclusion, that if the 

 undertaking is carried on for a few years on the indicated lines by the 

 United States Government, there will succeed a natural outflow of 

 reindeer from Siberia into Alaska, fed by the numerous deer herds, 

 near and far, all over Siberia. 



Respectfully submitted. 



Conrad Siem. 



January, 1899. 



