THE GAME BREEDER 



dollars with which to continue the good 

 work. Since then Congress has spent 

 over $325,000 and has bought only 1,280, 

 as the Russian government withdrew its 

 permit in 1902. And from these few we 

 now have 85,000. How many will we 

 have in twenty-five years, especially 

 when each herd doubles naturally every 

 three years? The idea of teaching the 

 Eskimo did not meet universal approval 

 for the first four or five years, because 

 some authorities claimed it was impos- 

 sible to turn the attention of a nomadic 

 race of fishermen and hunters to an in- 

 dustry that would tend towards civiliza- 

 tion and settlement. 



In order to give the natives the best 

 training possible as future reindeer 

 herders, the government brought a num- 

 ber of herders over from Lapland to 

 teach them. They were not only given 

 good pay, but were allowed to keep a 

 certain number of the animals for their 

 own use. They are now the only ones 

 in Alaska who are allowed to sell the 

 reindeer to others than natives. On this 

 point I will dwell later. As many pre- 

 dicted, it was hard to train the Eskimos 

 to become herders, but a way to train 

 and interest them was soon discovered. 

 In 1897 a rescue party was sent to Point 

 Barrow to relieve a shipwrecked party. 

 This party included W. T. Lopp, now 

 in full charge of the government schools 

 of Alaska, and as the relief party was 

 carried to their destination on sleighs, 

 pulled by reindeer, and as those relieved 

 were fed on reindeer meat, the value 

 of this animal was brought home with 

 great force. Consequently when the 

 party returned more thought was given 

 the question, and Mr. Lopp suggested 

 that the young men of the Eskimo tribes 

 should be trained as herders, as in this 

 way they would become accustomed to 

 the life and would not be nomads as 

 their elders tended to be. The young 

 men were taught herding reindeer, to- 

 gether with their other studies under the 

 direction of the educational bureau. 



In order to further encourage the prop- 

 agation, small herds were loaned to mis- 

 sions for about five years, with the un- 

 derstanding that they would train the 



natives and that at the end of this period 

 the number loaned would be returned. 

 Usually 25 males and 75 females were 

 loaned. The missions were allowed to 

 keep the increase. During the first fif- 

 teen years of the enterprise the length 

 of term of apprentices and manner of 

 teaching, as well as selecting those who 

 were to be taught herding, varied. In 

 1907 a definite code of rules and regula- 

 tions were adopted and approved by the 

 Department of the Interior. According 

 to these rules the apprenticeship lasts 



for four years and if at the end of the 

 first year the native has been faithful 

 in his work he receives four females 

 and two males for a present. At the 

 end of the second year he receives five 

 females and three males. At the end 

 of the third year he is given six females 

 and four males, and at the end of his 

 fourth year he is given the same num- 

 ber. Thus at the termination of the 

 Eskimo's contract of apprenticeship he 

 has been given 34 reindeer; from some 

 he has already had fawns. The total 



usually is 40 to 60. At this time the 

 district superintendent gives him a cer- 

 tificate and he becomes a herder and 

 assumes entire charge of his own flock. 

 This herder must then agree to train 

 other natives in the same manner as he 

 was trained by the government. He must 

 also reward his charges in the manner • 

 he was rewarded, by giving them rein- 

 deer. Thus an endless chain of train- 

 ing has been established. He need not 

 train another until his herd numbers 150, 

 nor train a second one till he has 250, 

 nor a third one till he has 300. No one 

 is given a certificate as a herder until 

 he is at least twenty-one. 



With the approval of the local director 

 an apprentice may kill one male each year 

 tor food and sell the skin for clothing. 

 They are encouraged to use the males as 

 sled deer in transporting passengers and 

 mail and freight for which they are paid. 

 Under no circumstance is a native per- 

 mitted to sell a female except to the gov- 

 ernment, or with the written approval of 

 the superintendent to another native. 

 This also applies to the missions. The 

 purpose of these strict rules are to insure 



