VM) INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEP]R INTO ALASKA. 



hu.s its di.sad vantages at first; l»ut later an official of forceful person- 

 ality could gradually assume here the real functions of leadership. 

 This would l)e well.- 



The organization at the village near South West Cape is apparently 

 patriarchal in character, as the office of chief is vested in a very old 

 man who has retained this dignity for a long time. As there are only 

 a very few people there, no doubt they are all intimately related. 



There is no council house at either village; evidently the people do 

 not frequently confer together over topics of a political nature. 



POLITICAL ECONOMY AND SOCIOLOGY. 



Traders are very influential men among these Eskimos, including the 

 captains of whaling vessels and the few men who devote themselves to 

 trading solely, making annual visits to this island, and especially the 

 teacher in residence at Gambell, Any one who visits these v people 

 must be prepared to trade with them or speedily take himself off. 

 Trade is effected b}'^ barter. Competition between the whaling captains 

 regulates the prices of articles, inffuenced also by the market prices in 

 the States, as witnessed this summer Ijy the war tax on tobacco and the 

 increased price on some other goods. Since the rush to Alaska began 

 some coin has been given to the natives by prospectors en route to 

 Kotzebue Sound, who secured water boots from the natives. As I dis- 

 covered one counterfeit dollar here, 1 warned the people to refuse to 

 accept money hereafter. A few greenbacks which appeared to be 

 genuine also found their way here lately. I accepted this money in 

 exchange for goods; otherwise it would have been of no commercial 

 value to them. 



In general, values do not fluctuate greatly here. Whalebone, ivory, 

 water boots, have a more or less fixed value. The imported articles 

 vary in value only slightly. The decreasing supply of whales, wal- 

 ruses, and seals has doubtless caused a steady advance in value during 

 the past decade; but from season to season the increase is not marked. 

 I have been told that one captain who was the first to visit these 

 people — possibl}^ thirty years ago — was able to take away a vast deal 

 of whalebone for next to nothing in return. The people had no use 

 for the big slabs then and used to throw them away. They saved the 

 bone after they observed the eagerness of the first captain to secure 

 it. The value has steadily increased, of course. At present, consid- 

 ering their remoteness from the States, these natives receive quite a 

 fair remuneration for their goods. 



Trade is carried on with the Indi;ui Point natives for deerskins and 

 bear skins, giving ivory and walrus skins and wooden plates and skin 

 canoes in return. In this trading the St. Lawrence Islander is generally 

 worsted, however, for he is compelled to trade against his desire and 

 receives an inadequate article in exchange. After another decade, 

 when the deer have been introduced here and distributed among the 



