III. 



ON THE ORIGIN OF THE INNUIT. 



The question of tlie origin and migrations of the Innnit, particularly 

 those inhabiting- Greenland, has been the subject of a good deal of discus- 

 sion. It is only within a few years, however, that material has accumulated 

 sufficiently to admit of any well-founded generalizations. Among the 

 various papers on this subject, the most recent are those of C. R. Markham 

 and Dr. Henry Rink, printed in the "Arctic Papers" of 1875, by the Geo- 

 graphical Society of London. The former paper was printed long ago, but 

 has received revisions and additions in the present volume, which seem to 

 entitle it to be considered as a fair representation of the author's present 

 views. The paper by Dr. Rink is also not new, but unfortunately only an 

 abstract of it is given in the volume mentioned, and the original is not 

 accessible to me. It was, however, much later in its publication than Mr. 

 Markham's.* In 1870, the present writer offered a brief resume of his own 

 views on the subject in a work on Alaska and its Resources (page 374 

 et seq.), in which an opinion similar to that of Dr. Rink Avas maintained. 

 Subsequent observations, extending over three years, in the Aleutian Islands, 

 have not altered this opinion. Mr. Markham sketches out the following 

 programme for the migrations of the Innuit : 



" During the centuries preceding the appearance of the Innuit in Green- 

 land (1349 A. D.), there was a great movement among the people of Central 

 Asia." " The pressure caused by these invading waves (of population) on 



*I have, since this paper was writteD, had an opportunity of perusing "Tales of the Eskimo", by 

 Ur. Rink, in which the same views are enunciated more at length. 



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