SECTION V. 



CHARACTER, CONDITION, AND NUMBER OF NATIVES OF THE PRIBILOV 

 ISLANDS IN 1872, 1874, AND 1890. 



WHAT CONSTITUTES A NATIVE. 



There has been some divergence of opinion on the islands as to who 

 are the real "natives" thereof, because these natives enjoy certain 

 privileges that are very valuable to them, and coveted by all outside 

 Alaskan brethren. 



In this connection, the people, living here, are divided into three 

 classes — that is, the males: 



First. The natives, properly speaking, or those who have been born 

 and raised upon the Pribilov Islands. Not over one-tenth of the pres- 

 ent adult population can lay claim to this title. 



Second. The people who were living tbereon, but not born natives at 

 the time of the transfer of all Alaska, July, 1807. This class consti- 

 tutes a majority of the citizens of the two islands as they exist to-day. 



Third. The people who were living and working as sealers on the 

 Pribilov Islands at the date of tlie granting by the Government of the 

 ju-esent lease to the Alaska C'ommercial Company, August 3, 1870. 



Of the above three divisions, strict justice and true equity unite in 

 recognizing the third class as the "natives" of the Pribilov Islands. 

 This settles the question also to the best satisfaction of these people 

 themselves, and removes every quibble of dispute in the premises. 

 Accurate records of the men, women, and children living on each island 

 at tlie date of the lease in 1870, can be found in the church registers on 

 both St. Paul and St. George. 



According to Bishop Veniaminov, the inhabitants of the Pribilov 

 Islands belonged to the parish of Ounalaska, the priest of which was 

 obliged to vfsit them once every two years (to marry, baptize, etc.). 

 These islands were not known before the year 1780. Mate G. Pribilov, 

 then in the service of the Leybedev company, first, in the Eussian 

 name, found them : but at the same time he was not the first discoverer, 

 because, as the Bishop says, in his account, (Part I, chapter 1), ' on one 

 of them (southwest side of St. Paul) signs such as a pipe, brass knife 

 handle, and traces of fire were found, indicating that people had been 

 there before, but not long, as places were observed where the grass had 

 been burned and scorched. But if we can believe the Aleuts in what 

 they relate the islands were known to them long before they were visited 

 by the Russians. They knew and called them "Ateek," after having 

 heard about them. 



When Pribilov, in taking possession, landed on St. George a part of 

 his little ship's crew, July, 178(5, he knew that, as it was uninhabited, 

 it would be necessary to create a colony there, from which to draft 

 laborers to do the killing, vSkinning, and curing of the peltries. There- 

 fore he and his associates, and his rivals after him, imported natives 



' Zapieska ob Ostrovah Oonalashkenskabo (Jtdayln, St. J'etersburgh, 1842, Pt. I, 

 chap. 1. 



109 



