THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME. ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 6ie
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher .Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
•t Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Monday, July 11, 1949
REINDEER NOTES
(By J. Sidney Rood)
♦ Federal Reindeer Supervisor of the Yukon-Kuskokwim district
1929-32; of Nome-Golovin district 1932-34; of Norton Sound dis
trict 1934-36. Acting General Reindeer Supervisor 1936-40. Gen
eral Reindeer Supervisor 1940-45. Retained by Canadian Govern
ment in 1946 to visit Canada’s herds, analyze management and
recommend improvements.)
Newspapers report that the Bureau of Reclamation
thinks:
1. Native plants covering muc hof northern Alaska
should be used for grazing reindeer.
2. Development of reindeer can be achieved by select
ed Americans, including Veterans.
Errors In History
The same newspaper articles call attention to other
Bureau beliefs which, emerging from misunderstanding
of reindeer history, have no creative value. But I men
tion them—to cite them to readers:
Natives Earned Reindeer
Reindeer were not "turned over
to Alaska Natives” in 1937, as the
Reclamation Bureau suggests. Na
tives already owned two-thirds of
Alaska’s reindeer—as a result of
their early herding, their annual
legal markings and the fertility ot
Nature since the year 1892. All
who’ve participated in enjoymen
of products of nearly 500,000 har
vested reindeer during the past
half century owe much to Eskimo
reindeer owners.
1937 No Death Kiss
The Reclamation Bureau’s idea !
the year 1937 commenced a "lack
-of interest” in reindeer is wrong.
“Lack of interest” never com
menced. Interest in owning, using
and selling reindeer never ceased.
None of us would mind owning j
and profiting from a gold mine.,
store, cattle, or anything else. But,
to spend your life operating them
—is another matter.
The interest of all reindeer own
ers, Native and White, in devot
ing their whole lives to profitless
constant herding decreased stead
ily—from 1914, 1920, 1929, de
pending on problems of the rein
deer owners in different areas
until, by 1930, reindeer on none of
the 57 ranges from Kodiak Island
to the Arctic Rim were in custody
of herder-owners. The animals be
came mixed, wild, largely un
marked and untended.
Even the Lapps (Unalakleet and
Kuskokwim* quit herding by 1926.
You don’t spend your life tend
ing a gold mine, store, cattle or
anything else unless it wins you
the necessities of life.
Procreative Nature took un
tended reindeer and raised them
to fearful mixed masses up to
1932. Meanwhile, local markets
and prices decreased 'Nome had
30,000 people once>. No cold stor
ages existed on 85 percent of the
ranges. No ocean refrigerator
ships could tap them economically
A depression of Outside markers
followed Coolidge.
Even the Lomen Company lost
money on shipments after 1928.
• The blooming days when Su
perintendent Walter Shields wrote
his Government chief, Wm. T.
Lopp, "a herd of reindeer woujd
beat a gold mine” <21 Mar. 1910),
gradually settled down to times
when Reindeer Supv. C. L. An
drews wrote <13 Oct. 1926), I|
have had seven men out for a.
week for the Nome herd and not a ,
deer in sight.”
Associations A Fruit—Not A Cause
The Reclamation Bureau’s be
lief that handlingof Native-owned i
reindeer by associations started in '
1937, and that they caused herds
to dwindle, is mistaken.
Organization of associations be
gan in 1920, and was completed
almost everywhere by 1930.
But reindeer increased to their .
great peak of about 600,000 in!
1932 irrespective of the Native!
and White stock companies.
Associations resulted from in- j
adequate management existent
before they were formed. That is
the basic reason Government en
couraged them and bewildered
owners joined them. As the Gov
ernment’s Wm. T. Loop stated to
Superintendent E. D. Evans on
January 1, 1920: ”... regarding
the organization of reindeer herds
into stock companies ... I believe
on the whole it will be a great im
provement on the present system.” ;
Laplandei's, too, pooled their
reindeer into a Lapp association
on the Kuskokwim. The largest
White owner was a corporation.
The “dwindling” began aooui
1934 from a new factor, wolves. |
An epidemic of wolves spread to
all mainland ranges: to destroy up
to 90 per cent of fawns and to
hamstring, chase and starve the
adult stock persistently.
Wolves had already destroyed or
decimated many great herds be
fore 1937. Two Departments of the
Federal Government acknowl
edged it independently at Wash
ington. D. C.
Wolves knew no earmarks. The
dead reindeer of Lapps and other
Whites strewed the ranges with
lolled tongues, along with Native
stock, proportionately. It occurred
on the best Alaska Peninsula feed
and the poorest north of Nome.
Whites remained in Alaska’s
reindeer business until 1940. The
vast decrease of their reindeer,
too, is evidenced by the fact they,
by negotiated sale, reduced their
earlier claim to ownership of 500,
615 reindeer down to an ugreed
total of 83,997.
The year 1937 merely shifted
some papers (reindeer records*
from Alaska’s Governor to Indian
Bureau; and marked passage of a
Reindeer Act which hoped Natives
would succeed with a reindeer
business, wherein all had been
dismayed before, by somehow
managing the additional thou
sands of wild deer non-Natives
were glad to sell.
1 do not defend associations. Es
kimos do not defend them, either.
But they did join thousands of
confused ownerships into well de
fined organizations, each of which
used a single earmark tor animals.
Organization avoided a chaotic
mess of bitter disputes between
villagers. Associations were enti
ties that could transact business
with each other, the public and
the Government, which thousands
of obscure and scattered claimants
could not have done. Had they not
been formed, wild deer would
have come to crowd ranges re
gardless.
Herds Too Big
The Bureau’s assertion that Na
tives gave “little or no thought to
building-up herds for local mar
keting or export” is pointless.
The local market was well sup
plied. Meat sold at 10 cents per
pound. Adult hides were a drug
on the market. Fawn skins, al
though graded differently, were
cheap fur.
The herds were actually built
up far too big.
Thousands of Native reindeer
carcasses were exported to spe
cialty and regular meat concerns
in the States. Excess Eskimo fawn
skins were sold to fancy leather
dressers as far as London, Eng
land. Hundreds of bales of their
adult reindeer hides were mar
keted. Important winter garment
shops and home businesses were
developed on a foundation of rein
deer skins and sinews procured
from Native reindeer owners.
Too Optimistic
The Bureau’s estimate that 200,
000 square miles of Alaska is po
tential reindeer pasture is accept
able.
But that 12,800,000 acres would
not support 4,000,000 reindeer, de
spite some Norwegian figures and
earliest Bureau of Biological Sur
vey surmises.
Let no one forget when he reads
“development ballyhoo” compar
ing Alaska with the Scandinavian
countries, that the Gulf Stream
warms them; that tree fruits flour
ish in parts; and that Hammertest,
Norway, in Barrow’s latitude, has
an open port yearlong as com
pared with less than 3 months at
Barrow. The dependency of rein
deer upon lichens in Scandinav.u
covers fewer months per annum
than here; and lichen recovery is
quicker.
Observation of many ranges af
ter years of actual use <including
Nunivak Islands warns that at
least 100 acres must be allowed
per reindeer for sustained yields.
On this basis, the above-cited
area would support 1,280,000 head
in perpetuity.
As proven by a string of early
Alaska figures, the net crop could
average about 20 per cent, i.e.,
256,000 per annum for human use.
The mixed sexes comprising a
crop will not average 150 pounds
per carcass, as the Reclamation
Bureau suggests, but 105 to 125
pounds. Thus, the net crop, if
raised to adulthood, would weigh
well under 35,000,000 pounds—not
the 150,000.000 pounds stated by
the Bureau.
And publ:c policy might reduce
this, say 50 per cent. Our sports
men and settlers want caribou,
which are natural competitors of
reindeer for feed.
Yet, based on Nome’s former
per capita consumption of about
1.23 carcasses per each of 1,550
people, the crop from even 600,000
! reindeer could supply wants of
about 100,000 people.
Development of a reindeer pop
ulation of 600,000 would take 30
I to 40 years of good management.
| There are fewer than 15,000 rein
deer left on Alaska’s mainland
now from which to borrow breed
ers.
Develop Whal We Have
Sometimes I think the Federal
Government’s “development” of
Alaska consists of acts similar to
i those of an impulsive philanthro
! per with too much money that
builds expensive homes and para
phernalia for poor men who, un
less he does them, must starve for
lack of simple bread. Federal
money bags are keeping several
towns—and even large areas of
Alaska—from widespread poverty
now.
Alaska has been getting such
things as arsenals, planes and sur
faced acres to help us travel some
where, rock walls, more tools for
body health and educating brains
in schools. But, while such things
scatter dollar-crumbs from tax
gleaned funds, we must use the
money to tap the States for meat
an dother foods to eat, for rabbit
pelts, “Wood’s” bags and clothes,
for almost everything — in our
land of emptying Nature.
Meanwhile, our basic resources
have been allowed to wither tow
ard barren death under ministers
who live not from our land and
waters.
Mining is sick from high costs
which make the Government’s $35
gold worth $16.
Our salmon industry shrinks
from reduced fish harvests—long
fixed by trusted Government—
while men conspire, with laws and
strikes, to dig deeper in its purse.
Uncontrolled strikes throttle
our commerce, so dependent are
we.
Higher taxes join double prices
in bleeding chance for saving from
! “apparent wages” worth less than
I the scantier dollars we earned be
fore boom times.
Furs are relatively few. Wolf
ravaged caribou and sheep joined
reindeer in spreading whitening
skeletons on hungry land until
now, at last, with most destroyed,
government wildlife cops strew
strychained fat—and blame the
people for death of things, to jus
tify core cops, to fight the people
away from the piteous remnant of
j the peoples’ wildlife.
A top Alaskan official, long in
Federal service here, said to me:
“The Washington agricultural
experts shouted questions, above
our airplane’s roar, where im
ported cattle and sheep might live
in summers’ fields and winters’
barns. 1 pointed below at the tun
dra and told them that we should
first protect our caribou and rein
deer, which could thrive there
without barns.”
The Bureau of Reclamation
may have this vision.
BmI Utilisation of Tundra Plants
The Bureau of Reclamation is
correct in believing that a majoi
part of northern Alaska can
achieve its highest utilization
from reindeer husbandry.
And remaining mainland rein
deer, although few, numbe • te
times the 1,280 imported Siberian
animals from which Alaska’s
once-flourishing reindeer sprang.
Many great aircraft now moke
remote areas accessible and offer
terms which permit shipments o:
meat and hides to Alaskan can
neries, towns and camp-. Army
and Air Force quartermasie s
need meat—maybe skins for win
ter clothing. Population has in
creased from Government spend
ing by more agencies with more
funds and schemes. There are
new, great markets for reindeer
products.
And there’ll be more tourists, as
transportation cheapens and ac
commodations become more temp
ting to whom the very sight of
reindeer would be exc i t i n g .
Among other things, reindeer
teams for winter sports in Alas
kan lodges would add much.
One of the greatest Alaskan at
tractions, “local color,” is being
forgotton. We are trying, mistak
enly, to imitate the States in our
clothes, dwellings, pastimes, ev
erything. Reindeer herds distrib
uted in northern Alaska, perhaps
herded by Laplanders in “old
country” costumes, would be a
picturesque asset.
Reindeer meat is not only fla
vorful and inclined to tenderness,
but has higher protein content
than beef. The skins, which have
hollow hairs, are both light and
the warmest hides existent.
Availability of reindeer prod
ucts in remote areas of our coun
try would facilitate prospecting
and exploration. It would, also,
reduce human pressure on grazing
species of wildlife if people could
purchase meat in the hills.
Perhaps wide distribution ol
well managed reindeer herds
would, also, be a valuable food
! supply which troops could tap in
emergency during tundra opera
, tions.
A plentiful supply of reindeer
j products would result in many
small businesses dependent there
on, such as fur garment factories,
tanneries and meat processing
concerns.
I agree with the Bureau that
much of northern Alaska’s forage
; resources, now wasting, canbebset
i utilized for reindeer husbandry.
Reindeer Need Tough Friends
A resource is either worth de
veloping or not. If it is not, the
Government should not bother
with it. If it is worth developing
I at all, the Government should
; utilize the finest skills procurable
I among all races to get that devel
opment accomplished.
Reindeer Lapps of Europe pos
sess experience and traits favor
ing good reindeer husbandry.
They are true nomads: a good
reindeer herder must be such.
They understand northern tundra,
its loneliness, cold, dangers, re
; sources. They are content to “live
tough” in camps; and their wives
are content. They are thrifty,
shrewd planners. They know what
reindeer need; and their training
impells devotion to fulfilling that
; need. They could come to our tun
dra, feel “at home” and resume
: their “old country” reindeer herd
! ing with no fuss.
Fedei'al legislation should be en
acted whereby Laplander reindeer
men of Norway and Sweden, to
, gether with their wives and chil
dren, shall be admitted as non
i quota immigrants for residence
within Alaska in such numbers as
may be requested by the agency
responsible for reindeer develop
; ment. Not long hence, this may be
j a Department of Resources of the
' State of Alaska.
As fust as the number of rein
• deer breeding animals available
for loan permits, but with regard
to the economic success of estab
lished herder-owners, the Govern
t me lt should import more Lapps
until they, together with selected
; Americans of any race, operate
i enough reindeer that the per an
num crop therefrom supplies the
nublic’s wants within limitation of
the forage resources. The above
mentioned Americans will certain
<Continued on Page Seven*