SCIENTIST GIVES FINE TRIBUTE
TO NATIVE PEOPLE OF ALASKA
By Professor Laurence Irving
Laboratory «f Zoophysiology
University of Alaska
College, Alaska
It has been my good fortune to visit as a scientist in villages
of Eskimo and Indian people in northern Alaska and Canada. I
have enjoyed the good company and hospitality of these people,
but beyond that I have come to depend upon their precise know
ledge of their country and its animals and plants as a most im
portant source of scientific information.
Many scientific explorers have
described the help that they have
obtained from their Eskimo and
Indian guides and friends. To refer
to great names in scientific ex
ploration bears the best testimony
to knowledge that we have gained
from northern native peoples.
Language Link
In Sir John Richardson’s reports
on his famous scientific explora
tion through the Mackenzie Valley
to the arctic coast he speaks of the
Eskimos as remarkable for their use
of a common language over the
longest extent of coastline in the
world that is occupied by one
people. He observed that the varia
tion in speech over the great arctic
distance separating Alaska from
Greenland did not equal the dif
ference in expression that distin
guished some adjoining English
countries.
Significant Uniformity
In 1877 Ludwig Kumlien winter
ed ice bound on a small schooner
in Cumberland Sound in southeast
ern Baffin Island. Hardly able him
self to travel over the ice roughen
ed by the strong tides of the Sound,
be obtained specimens and accurate
information about the birds of the
region from the Eskimo seal hunt
ers. Nearly 100 years later, I visit
ed Cumberland Sound in winter,
when scarcely any birds were
about, and I learned the modern
Eskimo’s names for their birds. I
found that they identified all spe
cies that the scientific explorers
knew. Many of the Eskimo names
were like those that I had learned
from Simon Paneak for the same
species of arctic birds at Anaktu
vuk Pass in Alaska. Not only was
the relation between Alaska and
nearly 2,000 miles distant Baffin
Island apparent, but the current
Eskimos names for birds on Cum
berland Sound were also the same
as Kumlien recorded nearly 100
years ago. This illustrates the char
acteristic accuracy of Eskimo in
formation about nature, its stabili
ty and uniformity over a great ex
tent of time and distance.
Accurate Memories
Simon Paneak recently described
In Tundra Times the first visit of
a white man. Lieutenant Stoney to
Chandler Lake in 1885, where Pa
neak’s parents were living as chil
dren. The stories told by his par
ents about Stoney’s travels are as
accurate and have much more
meaning than Stoney’s own pub
lished account. It is no disparage
ment of a great explorer to say that
Paneak and his parents, of course,
understood the situation better than
Stoney, for they also knew the past
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and subsequent history of then
country. For Stoney the explora
tion occupied a year or so of his
life as a stranger in a strange land,
but for the inland Eskimos of the
Kobuk and Brooks Range it was an
interesting event in the long and
well-remembered lives of their
people in their own country.
Lt. Cantwell’s account of his tra
vel in 1885 to the falls of the Ko
buk River by boat is an exciting
and interesting narrative. We think
of it as exploration, as it was for
him. but he gratefully acknowledg
ed the skill, accuracy, and helpful
disposition of the native guides
who led him as a stranger through
the country that they knew so well.
Easy Trip
In late winter 1886, Ensign (later
Admiral) Howard left Stoney’s
party near Shungnak and joined a
small traveling party of Eskimos
near Howard Pass in the Brooks
Range. While traveling in that
country during recent years, Simon
Paneak, my son. Bill Irving, and I
thought that Howard met his Es
kimo companions near Itivlik Lake
and traveled with them down the
Etivluk River to reach the Colville.
From Howard’s account it is evi
dent that he met several hundred
Eskimos leaving their winter camps
in the mountains to meet and trade
with the Eskimos on the eastern
arctic coast. Their leisurely jour
ney was interrupted by pleasant
meetings with old friends in the
socialable camps. In happy company
they traveled down the Colville by
umiak, portaged to their boats
cached on the upped Ikpikpuk and
proceeded down it to reach Bar
row. Howard’s account makes no
reference to hardship in the first
crossing of arctic Alaska by a white
man. In fact his story reflects the
pleasure and lively interest of a
vigorous young man in his journey
and his appreciation for the cour
tesy of his Eskimo hosts, who help
ed him, a stranger, with their un
failing courtesy and kindness.
Great Aid
I am not sorry for the chance
to refer to the fine qualities native
people have shown in their help
to exploring scientists. But there
are other reasons for mentioning
these examples, of which I could
list many more. In fact in the ex
tensive scientific literature of ex
ploration in the north there are
countless references to the hospi
tality and accurate information pro
vided to scientists by Eskimo peo
! pic, and I am sure that if I were
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as wall ttcquAinte-d DCtlh Ifcdixn
people I could present a lohg lifl
of their aid to scientific knowledge.
The reports of investigations in the
American arctic are exceptional in
the world's literature of explora
tion for acknowledgement of the
explorers’ indebtedness to Ssttimo
people. I doubt if any other native
people in the world have been So
extensively credited in literature
for their contributions to explora
tion.
Native* laxpwtmot
Th«? old time exploration as well
as the old time native people have
passed. But in modern scientific ex
ploration native people are very
important. Scientists at best live
only for a short time in northern
Alaska. With only one pair of legs
and eyes they cannot know the
country or see its seasons, birds,
animals, plants, and people as do
the folks living in native villages
who spend their lives there, sharing
the experience of their families
and friends and the great store of
information and skills acquired
from their ancestors.
Many scientists have marveled at
the extent and accuracy of Eskimo
and Indian knowledge of their birds
arid animals. No scientist can ac
quire that kind of information ex
cept from resident native people.
This sort of information is of great
importance for the advancement of
modern science and for the educa
tion of non-native students. I hope
that Alaskan native students will
cultivate the kind of knowledge of
nature possessed by their elders
and work toward presenting it to
us. The Indian or Eskimo student
wishing to become a biologist can
start with the great advantage of
a unique background of direct ac
quaintance with the natural life of
people and animals in Alaska.
Learn From Naiives
I also suggest that the historic
records of early explorations in Al
| aska be studied in all of our schools.
There are now many Indian and
Eskimo students in Alaska
schools and univerisities who could
get from their elders reports of
what it was like to live in the
country and see the arrival of these
strange people, the explorers, and
the new ways that they introduced.
Stories that the old folks know
are a wonderfully interesting kind
of history. From them young na
tive students could prepare for our
sons and daughters stories of fas
cinating interest. As native people
turn to our kind of education I hope
they will not forget that we need
education from them about the
highly developed skills, arts, and
knowledge of the original Alaskans.
Inspiring Opportunity
Native students will soon be our
only direct source of information
about the history of their people
and it can be to their advantage as
I well as ours to make their special
Tundra Times Begins Column
In Alaska Native Languages
For each subsequent issue of Tundra Ximts, the l*»jtortmmi of
Linguistics and Foregin Languages at the Uiaiwrsity of Alaska uriiS
submit contributions from its rewsarob seeftlon «& AkSMba'* aatife lan
guages.
wa ga tamarpetci qanlegutemtni!
wengkuta mnani qaneriararpetci
csliaquestaitni, yupigtun igaatecii
quhut kiyaanek Tundra Timesar
l»un. yupigtun igaryukuvciqut kolii
k«tci eLuarLuki aqurturciqaapet.
wani-wa tang addressaaput:
Eskimo Language Workshop
University of Alaska
College, Alaska
Greetings to *11 of you who sjwate
the same language we do. Those ot
us here who work on your language
will write in Yupife Eskimo for each
subsequent issue of Tundra Times.
If you wish to write to, us in Yupik,
your letters will be gratefully re«
ceived. Here is our address:
Eskimo Language Workshop
University of Alaska
College, Alaska
Village Has Bumper
Tom Cod Season
Point Hope has been having a
great tom cod year.
“Some of us picked up more than
six sacks in a few hours after one
storm this fall,” wrote Reverend
Keith Lawton.
In the fall time, usually, great
storms wash up tom cod by the
thousands on the beach at Point
Hope. People then gather them for
food as well as for dog food.
According to Rev. Lawton, the
people are having fine success
hooking for tom cod through holes
in the ice at the present time. He
said no polar bear has been caught
so far.
Rev. Lawton is a dogteam en
thusiast and makes several trips a
year with his nine dogs either to
Point Lay, ninety miles away, or
to Kivalina, sixty miles away. He
wrote.
“On my way back from Kivalina :
with my dogs the tracks looked as
if the bears were headed for cari
bou that were close to the beach.
“We have the north wind again,
so we may see some bear any day
now.”
— --■— I
knowledge a contribution to our
system of education.
In the course of improving edu
cation for native people let us not J
forget how much more interesting
and valuable Alaskan education is
becoming by the development of
serious programs of studies of the
arts, skills, knowledge, and ways
of the original people of Alaska. In
spite of the small number of people ,
concerned, ancient Alaskan cultures j
were among the most distinctive in j
the world’s history, and the ways !
of original Alaskans that are still
visible are of unequalled interest.
In no other country is there such
an inspiring educational opportu
nity as is available to vis non-na
tives through our Eskimo and In
dian fellow citizens.
Pi. Hope President
Denies Previous
Polar Bear Report
Point Hope. Alaska
February 11, 1963
Dear Editor:
The article about polar bear hunt
ing at Point Hope in the February
4 edition of the Tundra Times give9
an impression that Point Hope metl
now play cards instead of hunt.
The “leader” who made the state
ment was probably referring t®
some older men who are too old to
hunt or to some who now have
other occupations. The good hunters
play cards only at night when hunt
ing is not practical.
The reason local people seldom
kill polar bears now is probably
more related to ice conditions or
scarcity of bear in the vicinity of
the village.
Point Hope has many excellent
hunters who love to hunt and are
out hunting at every opportunity
with good results. In 1962, hunt
ing provided at least one-fourth ol
j the village income and a much
larger percentage of the food sup*
I ply
Sincerely,
Daniel Lisbourne, President
Point Hope Village
Council
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