Alaska and Its Resources

By WILLIAM H. DALL, Director of the Scientific Corps of the late Western Union Telegraph Expedition. Boston : Lee and Shepard.

REVIEWS AND LITERARY NOTICES.

THE impression of faithful observation and of honest work is one that attends the reader everywhere in Mr. Dall’s somewhat ponderous book, and that goes far towards consoling him for want of an attractive arrangement of facts. But the subject is so interesting, and Mr. Dall’s material is so abundant, that now, having handsomely fulfilled whatever duty he owed to science by the methodical and straightforward statement of results and opinions, we wish he might find it practicable to produce a smaller and lighter book embodying such general knowledge of Alaska as most people care to acquire. Of course, the very curious will go to the present volume for information, but its size, cost, and character will hinder it from becoming popular, — though no one is so well qualified as Mr. Dall to tell us of that strange country.

Mr. Dall does not lead us to believe that Alaska is going to exercise any very potent or immediate influence upon our destinies. His claims for a region in which he spent two years of active study are modest enough, and are succinctly stated at the close of his personal narrative : —

“The territory is not likely to be populous for many years, and should rather be regarded as a great storehouse of fish, timber, and fur ; from which American citizens alone should be allowed to draw supplies, under proper restrictions and on payment of reasonable taxes. The country, under a monopoly, afforded one hundred thousand silver rubles a year, taxes, to the Russian crown, and, with the development of other resources than the traffic in furs, can certainly afford as much to the United States. I speak from no uncertainty, but from positive knowledge; I believe that a proper and not onerous system of taxation would afford two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in gold per annum. . . . . I have seen with surprise and regret that men whose forefathers wielded the axe in the forests of Maine, or gathered scanty crops on the granite hillsides of Massachusetts, have seen fit to throw contempt and derision on the acquisition of a great territory naturally far richer than that in which they themselves originated, principally on the ground that it is a ‘cold' country. This complaint is but half true to begin with, since on half of the coast of the new territory the thermometer has never been known to fall below zero. Icebergs are unknown in Alaska from Dixon’s Entrance to Behring Strait, and no polar bear ever came within a thousand miles of Sitka. . . . . We have bought for a nominal price the key to the North Pacific. It can no longer be said that three ironclads can blockade our entire western coast. Two hundred and fifty years hence there may be a new New England where there is now a trackless forest. The time may come when we shall call on our Pacific fishermen to man our fleets, on the lumbermen of Alaska and our hardy Northern trappers to don the blue, and strike another blow for unity and freedom. The oak must weather the storms of many winters before it gains maturity. Alaska is not a California, where cities arise in a night and may pass away in a day. Meanwhile we must be patient.”

Yet despite the meagreness of these claims upon the regard of a people who have so many and such vast resources open to them at present, this possible New England of the future is all the more interesting from the strangeness with which distance, climate, and laborious access invest it ; and while we do not think Mr. Dall will tempt many to go to Alaska, we have no doubt that he will make all his readers desirous to know more of it.

His book is divided into two parts, the first of which contains the record of his own life in Alaska, and the results of his explorations and observations; while the second has very full notices of the geography, history, people, and resources of the new territory, drawn from other as well as original sources. To these parts is added a valuable Appendix, mainly philological in character, but giving also lists of the fishes, birds, and plants of Alaska.

To the unscientific reader the first part is naturally the most interesting division of the book, and a little self-denial in the use of his diary, a little suppression of minor details, would here have enabled Mr. Dall to meet pretty fully the want of a good popular account of Alaska. He makes us understand to better advantage than ever before that the people of our new possessions are of two distinct races, one related to the other Indian tribes of our continent, and the other — the Innuit — not at all allied to them physiologically or philologically. As regards the language, he states the fact that the Innuit tongue is so easily learned as to form the common medium between Innuits and Russians ; whereas, the Indian dialects are so difficult that the tribes learn Russian in order to carry on their trade. The Innuits, of whom Mr. Dall gives a full account, are, he says, a very different people from the Eskimo, and he doubts if they are distinctly related to the Mongolian races of Eastern Siberia.

“ They are in every respect superior to any tribe of Indians with which I am acquainted. Their complexion I have described as brunette. The effect of the sun and wind, especially in summer, is to darken their hue, and from observing those who lived in the fort, I am inclined to think that a regular course of bathing would do much toward whitening them. They are sometimes very tall; I have often seen both men and women nearly six feet in height, and have often known several instances where men were taller. Their av - erage height equals that of most civilized races. Their strength is often very great. I have seen a Mahlemut take a hundredpound sack of flour under each arm, and another in his teeth, and walk with them from the storehouse to the boat, a distance of some twenty rods, without inconvenience. . . . . They are good-humored and careless, slow to anger, and usually ready to forgive and forget. They are sometimes revengeful ; and murders, generally the result of jealousy, are not very rare. The women are modest, but a want of chastity in an unmarried iemale is hardly looked upon as a fault. Taking this fact into consideration, they are rather free from immorality. Among the Máhlemuts, cousins, however remote, do not marry, and one wife is the rule. Among the Káviaks two or three wives, often sisters, are taken by those who can afford to support them. These people have become demoralized by trading liquor for their furs, and widespread immorality is the result. . . . . There is no ceremony connected with marriage among the Innuit, though presents are often made to the bride’s parents. Intermarriage between natives of different tribes is frequent. . . . . Children are greatly prized, if boys. Girls are at a discount. Infanticide is common among them, both before and after birth. As an excuse, they say that they do not want and cannot support so many daughters. Other women do not like the trouble and care of children, and destroy them for that reason. The usual method is to take the child out, stuff its mouth with grass, and desert it. I have seen several children who had been picked up in this condition, and brought up by others than their parents. The women alone destroy children, but the men seldom punish them for it, and doubtless acquiesce in advance in most cases. Sometimes we find females who refuse to accept husbands, preferring to adopt masculine manners, following the deer on the mountains, trapping and fishing for themselves. The men treat their wives and children well. The latter are never punished, and seldom need correction, being obedient and good-humored. The men have their own work. Hunting the deer and seal, building and repairing the winter houses, making frames for boats, sleds, and snow-shoes, preparing sealskins for use on boats or for boot-soles, trapping, and bringing home the results of the chase, — in fact, all severe labor, — is performed by the men. .... The women are seldom beaten, except for ill-temper or incontinency. They keep their persons moderately clean, braiding the hair on each side, and twisting beads or strips of wolfskin in with the braids for ornament. They are often of pleasing appearance, sometimes quite pretty. They preserve their beauty much longer than Indian women. Their clear complexion and high color, with their good-humor, make them agreeable companions, and they are often very intelligent. A noticeable feature is their teeth. These are always sound and white, but are almost cylindrical, and in old people are worn down even with the gums, producing a singular appearance. The eyes are not oblique, as in the Mongolian races, but are small, black, and almost even with the face. The nose is flat and disproportionally small. Many of the Innuit have heavy beards and mustaches, while some pull out the former. . . . . The totemic system is not found among the Innuit. Each boy, when arrived at the age of puberty, selects an animal, fish, or bird, which he adopts as a patron. The spirit which looks after the animals of that species is supposed to act henceforth as his guardian. Sometimes the animal is selected in early childhood by the parents. If he has long-continued want of success in his pursuits, he will sometimes change his patron. They do not abstain from eating or using the flesh or skin of the animal which they have chosen, as do some tribes of Indians. They always wear a piece of the skin or a bone of that animal, which they regard as an amulet, and use every precaution against its loss, which would be regarded as a grave calamity. . . . . The spirits of the deer, seal, salmon, and beluga are regarded by all with special veneration ; as to these animals they owe their support. Each has its season, and while hunting, it is almost impossible to induce them to attempt any other work, as they seem to think each spirit demands exclusive attention while he extends his favors. The homes of these spirits are supposed to be in the North. The auroras are the reflections from the lights used during supposed dances of the spirits. Singularly enough, they call the constellation of Ursa Major by the name of Okil-ókpuk, signifying Great Bear, and consider him to be ever on the watch while the other spirits carry on their festivities. None of the spirits are regarded as supreme, nor have the Innuit any idea of a deity, a state of future reward and punishment, or any system of morality. Many of them have been christened by the Roman missionaries, but none have any idea of Christianity. . . . . A woman’s coffin may be known by the kettles and other feminine utensils about it. There is no distinction between the sexes in method of burial On the outside of the coffin figures are usually drawn in red-ochre. Figures of fur animals indicate that the dead person was a good trapper ; of seal or deer, show his proficiency as a hunter ; representations of parkies, that he was wealthy: the manner of his death is also occasionally indicated. For four days after a death the women in the village do no sewing, for five days the men do not cut wood with an axe. The relatives of the dead must not seek birds’ eggs on the overhanging cliffs for a year, or their feet will slip from under them, and they will be dashed to pieces. No mourning is worn or indicated, except by cutting the hair. Women sit and watch the body, chanting a mournful refrain, until it is interred. . . . . All the Innuit are fond of dancing and singing together. The principal point, in both Innuit and Indian dances, is, to make as many different kinds of motion with the body and arms as possible, always keeping the most exact time with the chorus and with each other. The dances take place in the casine of the village, and time is kept by a number of old men, who lead the chorus and beat time with an elastic wand on a sort of large tambourine.”

Mr. Dall describes at some length the different festivals of the Innuit, and gives a picture of a fashionable Innuit ball, upon which our readers will no doubt like to look: —

“ The principal men on the Unalaklík village, eight in number, appeared by the subterranean passage and formed in line on the floor. Six women, the best dancers in the place, took their places opposite. Alluiánok and one or two old men, whose age forbade their joining in the dance, took the drums and led the chorus. The men were stripped to the waist. They wore breeches of tame reindeer skin, and had each a tail of wolf or wolverine attached to the belt behind. They had on gloves trimmed with wolverine skin, and boots ornamented with strips of fur and marten tails. Around the head each had a fillet of deerskin ornamented with feathers, which came down on the shoulders behind. 1 he women were provided with long shirts made of the intestines of the seal, cleaned, split and sewed together. These shirts were translucent, embroidered with bits of colored worsted, and ornamented with short pendent strings of beads. Through the semitransparent dress the motions of the body were perceptible. Their breeches were of the white Siberian reindeer, embroidered, decorated with strips of wolfskin, and made to fit the limbs perfectly. The upper dress came a little below the knees. Their hair was arranged and braided on each side, with the greatest care. Strips of white wolfskin and strings of beads were incorporated with the braids, and pendants of beads and bead necklaces ornamented the shoulders. Their hands were encased in snowwhite gloves, fitting closely and made with great care from the tender skin of the reindeer fawn. These were trimmed around the wrist with a fringe of wolfskin. In each hand they held long eagle feathers, to the edges of which tufts of swan’s-down were attached. The opening chant was slow and measured. The motions of the dancers were modest and pleasing ; the extreme gracefulness of the women, especially, would have excited admiration anywhere. They kept the most perfect time with the chorus and drum taps. Between the syllables of the former words of welcome to the strangers were interpolated in such a way as not to interfere with the rhythm. The slowly waving feathers and delicate undulations of the dancers rendered the scene extremely attractive.”

Of society in Alaska, generally, Mr. Dall cannot speak with unreserved praise. The Russians, whom we admire so much at a distance, have added their vices to those of a native population already generously supplied, and have taught them little or no good ; and as to their conversion of the natives, he finds the work ludicrously superficial, the Alaskan being a Christian no deeper than a Russian — in whom scratching is said to develop a barbarian — is civilized.

Mr. Dall’s accounts of the Indians of Alaska are as interesting as what he says of the Innuits, but they have less novelty, and we have not space to quote from them. We must, however, give the following Indian lullaby, which we find a poem in the rough, but a genuine poem. Our author preserves, he says, the rhythm of the original, of which “ the air was slow and soft.”

We do not wish to be prophetic, but who is to deny, if such pretty songs as this are, as Mr. Dall tells us, heard in every lodge, that the great United States poet is not to be born in Alaska, — nay, that he is not now born there, and at this moment greasing with seal’s blubber the head, which shall one day wear a laurel proportioned to the vastness of the Yosemite and the Pacific Railroad ? All the conditions that produce great poets are found in Alaska, as mountains, measureless seas, great rivers, and inexhaustible salmon, and there seems also to be the natural impulse to poetry.

A very instructive chapter of Mr. Dall’s book is that which concerns the climate and agricultural resources of Alaska, at which we have now hardly time to glance, but which will repay careful reading. The climate of a region where the mean annual temperature is +25°, yet where six feet below the surface the earth is frozen the whole year round in spite of a summer heat which reaches 120°, must always remain a startling anomaly. It is but one of many anomalies, however, to which Mr. Dall draws our notice with his intelligent and perfectly honest discussion. His sincerity is at all times such that one may read of that strange territorial bantling of ours with as much confidence as personal knowledge of it can inspire. We do not remember to have doubted Mr. Dall more than once, and that sole occasion is where he tells us that, having spoken only Russian for a whole year, he recurred, on meeting Americans, to that tongue from English, for fluent expression.