SKETCH OF THE WESTERN ESKIMO 
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF THEIR RANGE 
That portion of the western Eskimo described in the present work 
is found mainly within the limits of the area which I have designated 
elsewhere as the Alaskan-Arctic district. This region includes the 
treeless coast belt, from 3 to 100 miles in width, which extends from 
the peninsula of Alaska northward to Point Barrow, including the 
adjacent islands. The Eskimo penetrate the interior of the country to 
the forested region along the courses of the larger streams. Their 
range into the interior is mainly along Kuskokwim, Yukon, Kowak, and 
Noatak rivers. On all of these streams they are found several hun- 
dred miles from the coast, and at their upper limits are in direct contact 
with the Athapasean or Tinné tribes. In addition to the Eskimo of 
the Alaskan mainland and adjacent islands, within the limits just 
mentioned, I visited also the Eskimo of the neighboring Siberian coast 
from East cape to Plover bay and St Lawrence island. The lives of 
these people adjacent to the Tinné, as well as those of the Siberian 
coast who are in constant contact with the Chukchi, have been some- 
what modified by their surroundings, although in their language and 
customs they are still unmistakably Eskimo, The people of the 
Siberian coast and of St Lawrence island are the most aberrant group 
of Eskimo encountered within the area covered by my work. = 
The belt bordering the Alaskan coast of Bering sea belonging to 
this district is mainly low, and much of it consists of broad, marshy 
tracts which are but little above sea level. This is particularly the 
case in the large, roughly triangular crea lying between lower Kusko- 
kwim and Yukon rivers.’ To the northward of this the country is more 
broken or rolling in character, rising gradually in many places to low, 
mountainous masses, several hundred feet in height and coming down 
to the coast at intervals as bald headlands, The islands of Bering 
straits are small and rocky and rise precipitously from the water, as 
does much of the adjacent Siberian shore. St Lawrence island is large 
and has an undulating surface with rocky headlands at intervals along 
the coast. 
North cf Bering strait the country is generally rolling, with flat 
areas about the head ef Kotzebue sound and north of Iey cape. South 
of the strait the coast country has a mildly arctic climate, but to the 
northward the results of a more rigorous environment appear in both 
plant and animal life. The climate of the Siberian coast is much 
severer than that of the adjacent Alaskan shore. 
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