EXPLORATION IN THE ALEUTIAN AND THE 

 COMMANDER ISLANDS 



By ALES HRDLICKA 



Curator, Division of Physical Anthropology, U. S. National Museum 



With the 1938 expedition to the Aleutian and Commander Islands, 

 ends the writer's tenth season of work in the Far Northwest. Begun 

 in 1926 with a survey of the Yukon and a large part of the coasts, the 

 explorations were gradually extended to the Kuskokwim and Nusha- 

 gak Rivers, to the base and adjoining parts of the Peninsula, to Kodiak 

 Island, and finally, since 1936, to the Aleutian chain and the Com- 

 mander Islands. 1 Their still further extension into Siberia proved for 

 the present unfeasible. 



The 1938 journey, undertaken at first with five and later with three 

 volunteer students, began on May 21 at Seattle and ended at the same 

 port August 25. The students who accompanied the expedition 

 throughout were Alan May, of Wenatchee, Wash., a third-year 

 veteran of these trips, and William Laughlin and William Clemes, of 

 Willamette University, Salem, Oreg. 



The sea transportation was furnished throughout by the United 

 States Coast Guard. The Service deserves great credit for their 

 invaluable aid throughout these expeditions ; without this generous 

 aid the carrying out of the tasks would have been impossible. 2 



1 For preliminary reports of the trips see the "Explorations and Field-Work 

 of the Smithsonian Institution," 1926 (1927) to date. 



2 Cordial thanks this year are especially due to Capt. L. C. Covell, Chief of 

 Operations of the Coast Guard, Washington, D. C. ; Capt. R. W. Dempwolf, 

 Commander, and Capt. M. J. Ryan, Chief of Staff, of the Seattle Division ; 

 Capt. J. A. Alger, Commander of the Bering Sea Patrol ; Capt. F. A. Zeussler 

 of the Northland, and Capt. H. W. Stinchcomb of the Ariadne; to Capt. J. 

 Trebes, Jr., of the Shoshone ; together with their fine officers and crews. Thanks 

 are further due to Mrs. Margaret Pedler and Mr. Pedler, of Unalaska, to 

 Mrs. Mary Benson and Mr. Benson, teachers at Nikolski, Umnak, and to 

 Gordon Jones, Superintendent of the Alaska Packers Co. Cannery at Uyak, who 

 provided the expedition once more with packing material and boxes. A grateful 

 acknowledgment for important aid rendered to us with our housing at the 

 island of Amchitka is due to the United States Bureau of Fisheries and 

 Mr. Christofer, their Bering Sea representative. We deeply apprec'ate the aid 

 received from Mr. Oumansky, Counselor of the Soviet Embassy in Washington, 

 and from the Soviet representatives, as well as many others, on the Commander 

 Islands. Had it not been for the friendliness of everyone, the results realized on 

 this and former expeditions could not have been attained. 



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