330 ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY IN ALASKA [eth.ann.46 



(Kichardson, Arctic Searching Expedition, p. 202) and Dall (Proc. 

 Am. Ass. Adv. Sci., 18G9, p. 2G6) says that in Alaska the Tinneh 

 Indians call them ''Uskeeme" (sorcerers). 



The Eskimo call themselves " Innuit," said to he the plural of 

 in-nu, the man, hence " the people " ; the same being as a rule the 

 meaning of the name by which the various tribes of the Indian call 

 themselves. 



On the Asiatic coast the Eskimo is known as the " Yuit," " On- 

 kilon," " Chouklouks," or " Namollo "; while in the east appears the 

 name " Karalit." 



None of this has thrown any light on the origin of the Eskimo. 



Opinions Bt Former and Living Students 



Origin in Asia. — Many opinions on the origin of the Eskimo have 

 been expressed by different authors. Among the earliest of these 

 were those of missionaries, such as Crantz (1779), and of the early 

 explorers, such as Steller, v. Wrangell, Liitke and others. They were 

 based on the general aspect of the Eskimo, particularly that of his 

 physiognomy; and seeing that in many features he resembled most 

 the mongoloid peoples of Asia they attached him to these, which 

 meant the conclusion that he was of Asiatic derivation. Quite soon, 

 however, there began to appear also the opinions of students of man. 

 The first of these was that of Blumenbach, as expressed in his In- 

 augural Thesis of 1781. In this thesis, more particularly its second 

 edition, he classifies the Eskimo expressly as a part of the Caucasian 

 or white race. But after obtaining an Eskimo skull and an Eskimo 

 body he changes his opinion and in 1795-1806 he comes out with a 

 definite classification of the Eskimo as a member of the Mongolians; 

 and a similar conclusion, with its implied or expressed consequence 

 of a migration from Asia to America, has been reached since, mainly 

 on somatological but also in j)art on linguistic and cultural bases, 

 by a large number of authors, including Lawrence, Morton, Picker- 

 ing, Latham, Flower, Peschel, Topinard, Brinton, Virchow (1877), 

 Quatrefages and Hamy (1882), Thalbitzer, Bogoras and numerous 

 others. With all of this, the conception of the Asiatic origin of the 

 Eskimo has not passed the status of a strong probability, lacking a 

 final conclusive demonstration. 



A chronological list of the more noteworthy individual statements 

 is given at the end of this section. 



Origin in America. — Since the earlier parts of the nineteenth 

 century the opinion began to be expressed that the Eskimo is not of 

 Asiatic but of American origin. Already in 1847 Prichard tells us 

 that there are those who " consider them as belonging to the Amer- 

 ican family," and he plainly favors this conception. 



