hbdliCka] ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE YUKON 161 



The Yukon Eskimo 



the living 



As 'with the Indians farther up the river, the necessities of the 

 writer's journey did not permit more than visual observations, but 

 in 1927 Henry B. Collins, jr., succeeded in measuring six adult males 

 at Marshall. 



In general, the people of the Yukon delta and from this to Paimute 

 are true Eskimo. By this is meant that in the majority of indi- 

 viduals they can readily be told as a type apart from the Indian and 

 belonging plainly to that of the extensive family of the Eskimo. 

 But when the differences are to be defined the task is not easy; some 

 of the distinguishing marks, though well appreciated, are somewhat 

 intangible. 



The physical differences are essentially those of the physiognomy. 

 The head is neither narrow nor scaphoid, or even very high. The 

 Indian face is more prominent and more sculptured; that of the 

 Eskimo appears fuller, especially in the lower part, and flatter. Part 

 of this is due to the bony structure, part to the differing amounts 

 of fat. An eversion of the angles of the lower jaw, which is relatively 

 frequent and sometimes excessive in the Eskimo male while almost 

 absent in the Indian, may give the Eskimo face almost a square ap- 

 pearance. Take with this the seemingly somewhat low Eskimo fore- 

 head, the not very widely open and somewhat on the whole more 

 slanting eye, and the characteristic Eskimo nose with its rather 

 narrow and not prominent nasal bridge, the ridiculous monklike cut 

 of the hair (in the older males), the often rather full lips with, in 

 the males, a tuft of sparse mustache above each corner of the mouth ; 

 add to all this a mostly smiling or ready-to-smile " full-moon " ex- 

 pression, and it would be impossible to take the subject for anything 

 else than an Eskimo. The Indian's face is more set. less fat, in the 

 males at least, less broad below, with seemingly a higher forehead, 

 sensibly made-up hair, not seldom a bit more mustache, and a nose 

 that generally is both broader and more prominent. 



But the differences are less marked in the women and still less so 

 in the children, especially where similarly combed and clothed. And 

 there are, particularly on the Yukon, not a few of both Indian and 

 Eskimo who even an expert is at a loss where to class. They may be 

 due to old mixtures ; no new ones are taking place ; but it seems that 

 there may be present another important factor, that of a far-back 

 related parentage. 



In the color of the skin and eyes, in the color and nature of the 

 hair, there is no marked difference between the two peoples of the 

 Yukon. In stature the Eskimos are slightly higher. 



