RESEARCH IN ESKIMO CULTURE 1 87 



the neighborhood of the north magnetic pole. In the British Museum 

 in London, and also in Edinburgh, there is the important, though 

 not very extensive, jnaterial from the Northwest Passage expeditions, 

 while the peoples of northern Asia, who have some connection with 

 the Eskimos, may be studied in representative collections at Lenin- 

 grad and Helsingfors. 



Need for International Cooperation 



The most important sphere of operations for the furtherance of 

 our knowledge of the Eskimos and especially for the solution of the 

 last and by no means negligible questions is, as I said at first, that 

 of archeological research. At a time when the present Eskimo settle- 

 ments are being modernized and all individuality is being effaced, we 

 turn to the ruins of ancient dwellings now leveled to the ground, 

 where archeology finds its material untouched by time and subsequent 

 development. 



This is one reason why it is so vitally important to have all old 

 sites of Eskimo occupation properly protected. In Greenland it is 

 already assured; no amateurs are allowed to undertake excavations. 

 May it soon be the same in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia! 



But, while we thus recognize that the work of the future must 

 lie to a very essential degree among the ancient dwelling places, it 

 would be most valuable to have these sites themselves marked off 

 on suitable maps. There are already several maps with sites of 

 occupation, old and more recent; the maps are too small, however, 

 for precise determination of locality. 



It would therefore be most advantageous if we could collect at some 

 convenient center all that is known as to Eskimo occupation and in- 

 dicate it on large-scale maps. This would also be the best way of 

 showing distinctly what is lacking. 



Work of this sort, however, calls for regular international 

 cooperation. And cooperation is the one thing most needed at the 

 present stage in our study of the Eskimos. 



