The Anvik people, it will be recalled, were the first Yukon natives
seen by a white man. They were discovered in 1834 by Glazunof, and
since then have occupied the same site, located favorably on a point
between the Anvik and the Yukon Rivers. They belonged to the Inkalik
tribe, a name given to them, according to Zagoskin, by the coast
people and signifying "lousy," from the fact that they never cut their
hair, which in consequence, presumably, harbored some parasites. Their
village was the lowest larger settlement of the Indians on the Yukon,
the Eskimo commencing soon after.
The Anviks to-day are clearly seen to be a hybrid lot. There are
unmistakable signs of a prevalent old Eskimo mixture. The men are
nearly all more or less Eskimoid, and even the head is not infrequently
narrower, fairly long, jaws much developed. The women, however, show
the Eskimo type less, and the children in a still smaller measure--they
are much more Indian. Yet even some women and an occasional child
are Eskimoid--face flat, long, lower jaw high, cheek bones prominent
forward (like welts on each side of the nose), whole physiognomy
recalling the Eskimo. The more Indianlike types resemble closely those
of the upper Yukon. There is perceptible, too, some mixture with
whites, particularly in the young.
To bed about 11. Attic warm and window can not be opened because of the
insects. Sleep not very good; some mosquitoes in room anyway. Wake up
after 3 and just begin to doze off again when the doctor gets up. About
4 he puts his shoes on--one can hear every sound throughout the frame
house, even every yawn--and then goes to the kitchen where there soon
comes the rattling of pots. At 4.30 comes up to bid me good morning and
ask me if I am ready to get up and have breakfast. A man with a boat is
to be ready at 6 to take me to some old site. So a little after 5 I get
up, shave, dress and go down. Another night to make up for sometime,
somewhere.
We finish breakfast and the doctor goes to look for the man, but
everything deadlike, no one stirring anywhere. So I pack my stone
specimens from the river above and the bones from Kaltag, etc. It is
8 a. m. and then at last Harry Lawrence, our man, appears--having
understood to come about that time--and before long we start, in a
good-sized boat, up the Yukon.
Day mostly cloudy but fairly good; no wind. Must use mosquito mixture
all the time, even after I get on boat, but they quit later. Am
standing on the back of the boat against and over the "house" over
it--inside things shake too much and I can not see enough.
Passing by fish wheels--heaps of fish in their boxes--some just being
caught and dumped in. Picturesque bluffs passed yesterday seen to
be of volcanic stone, near basalt, not granite, with indication of
minerals. Passing close to vertical cliffs of fissured and fragmented
rocks 200 to 500 feet high--dangerous. Consolidated volcanic ashes with
inclosure of many bowlders--fine lessons in geology. Slides of soil
and vegetation here and there. Large spruces and altogether a richer
vegetation since this particular rock region was reached. There was
in fact a plain line of demarcation in the vegetation where the rocks
changed.
Sleepy. Afraid to doze and fall off, so go inside. But there the motor
thumps and shakes too much for a nap to be possible.
About 12 miles upstream from Anvik, on the north bank, the mineralized
rocks and tufa suddenly cease, to be superseded by a line, several
miles long, of sheared-off loess bluffs about 200 feet high. Here the
vegetation changes very perceptibly. Two mammoth jaws obtained from
these deposits have a few years ago been given to Mr. Gilmore, of the
United States National Museum.
22 to 23 miles up the river, north bank, a fine large platform and an
old native site. Many signs still of pit and tunnel houses. A little
farther upstream a hill with abandoned burials. Excavate a grave on a
promontory over the river--not very old--wet and not much left of soft
parts, but succeed in getting the skeleton. Fine middle-aged adult,
somewhat Eskimoid, about typical for this region. Carry down in a bag,
dry on the beach gravel. Lunch on beach; cheese, bread, coffee. The
site is known as that of the Greyling River. (Pl. 2, _b_.)
Start back a little after 3. Very warm day. River smooth. Sky looks
like there might be a storm later.
Hear of pottery--40 years ago it was still made at Anvik. Was black,
of poor quality. The women used to put feathers in the clay "to
make the pots stronger." When buried it soon rotted and fell to
pieces. In shapes and otherwise it was much like the Eskimo pottery.
Its decorations consisted of nail or other impressions, in simple
geometrical designs, particularly about the rim. It was rather gross,
but better pieces did occur, though rarely.
It is becoming plain that there are no known traces of any really old
settlements along the present banks of the Yukon; nothing beyond a few
hundred years at most. If there was anything older no external signs of
it have been noted, and no objects of it have ever been found. It seems
certain that the stone implements thus far seen were used and made by
the pre-Russian and probably even later Indians. They all belong to the
polished-stone variety. No "paleolithic" type of instrument has yet
been seen.
It is also evident that the Eskimo admixture and doubtless also
cultural influence extended far up the river. The farther down
the river, particularly from Ruby, the more the Eskimoid physical
characteristics become marked and the Indian diluted, until at Anvik
most, or at least much, physical and cultural, is clearly Eskimo.
Have further learned quite definitely that native villages on the
Yukon were seldom if ever stable. Have been known (as at Kaltag and
elsewhere) to have changed location as much as three times within the
last few scores of years, though in general they keep to the same
locality in a larger sense of the word. Anvik alone seems to have
remained on the old site since the advent of the whites.
Anvik, Tuesday, June 29. Last night gave talk on evolution to white
teachers, etc. Quite appreciated, regardless of previous state of
mentality.
Caught up with some sleep, even though my attic room was so hot that
the gum from the spruce boards was dropping down on me. Good breakfast
with the doctor--canned grapefruit, corn flakes with canned milk, bread
toasted in the oven, and coffee.
Pack up my Greyling skeleton--much drier to-day--and dispatch by parcel
post, through the doctor as postmaster.
Photograph school children and village. Gnats bad and have to wear
substantial underclothing (limbs are already full of dark red itching
blotches where bitten by them) though it is a hot day again.
The full-blood and especially the slightly mixed children would be
fine, not seldom lovely, were they fully healthy; but their lungs are
often weak or there is some other tubercular trouble.
The color of the full-bloods, juvenile and others, on the body, is
invariably submedium to near medium brown, the exposed parts darker;
and the chest test (mine) for full-bloodedness holds true. The young
are often good looking; the old rather ugly.
All adults fishing now, the fish running much since a day or two; all
busy at the fish camps, not many, in the daytime especially, about the
mission.
At noon air fills with haze--soon recognized as smoke from a fire which
is located at only about a mile, and that with the wind, from the
mission. We all hasten to some of the houses in the brush--find enough
clearing about them for safety. The school here burned two years ago
and so all are apprehensive. Natives from across the river hasten to
their caches. Luckily not much wind.
After lunch children come running in saying they hear thunder; one girl
saying in their usual choppy, picturesque way, "Outside is thunder";
another smaller one says, "It hollers above." Before long a sprinkle
and then gradually more and more rain until there is a downpour
followed by several thunderclaps (as with us) and then some more rain.
That, of course, stops the fire from approaching closer and all is
safe. Such storms are rare occurrences hereabouts.
My limbs are a sight from the gnats. Must apply Aseptinol. Worse than
any mosquitoes; like the worst chiggers. Poisonous--some hemolytic
substance, which causes also much itching, especially at night.
Arrange to leave to-morrow. Good people these, unpretentious, but white
through and through.
Mr. Lawrence, the local trader, who with his boy was with me yesterday,
is going to take me to an old site down the river and then to Holy
Cross. Donates a fine old ivory arrow point from the site mentioned.
Doctor Chapman gives three old dishes and two stone axes--haft on one
of recent manufacture. The natives seem to have nothing of this nature,
and no old site is near. The nearest is Bonasila, where we go to-morrow.
This is truly a fish country. Along the placid Anvik River fish smell
everywhere--dead fish on shore here and there, or fish eggs, or offal.
Wednesday, June 30. Hazy and cool, 52° F. Take leave with friend,
Doctor Chapman, then at school, and leave 8 a. m. for Bonasila.
The gnat pest was bad this morning--could hardly load my baggage; had
to apply the smear again, but this helps only where put and for a time
only.