As with the Indians farther up the river, the necessities of the
writer's journey did not permit more than visual observations, but in
1927 Henry B. Collins, jr., succeeded in measuring six adult males at
Marshall.
In general, the people of the Yukon delta and from this to Paimute
are true Eskimo. By this is meant that in the majority of individuals
they can readily be told as a type apart from the Indian and belonging
plainly to that of the extensive family of the Eskimo. But when the
differences are to be defined the task is not easy; some of the
distinguishing marks, though well appreciated, are somewhat intangible.
The physical differences are essentially those of the physiognomy. The
head is neither narrow nor scaphoid, or even very high. The Indian
face is more prominent and more sculptured; that of the Eskimo appears
fuller, especially in the lower part, and flatter. Part of this is
due to the bony structure, part to the differing amounts of fat. An
eversion of the angles of the lower jaw, which is relatively frequent
and sometimes excessive in the Eskimo male while almost absent in the
Indian, may give the Eskimo face almost a square appearance. Take
with this the seemingly somewhat low Eskimo forehead, the not very
widely open and somewhat on the whole more slanting eye, and the
characteristic Eskimo nose with its rather narrow and not prominent
nasal bridge, the ridiculous monk-like cut of the hair (in the older
males), the often rather full lips with, in the males, a tuft of sparse
mustache above each corner of the mouth; add to all this a mostly
smiling or ready-to-smile "full-moon" expression, and it would be
impossible to take the subject for anything else than an Eskimo. The
Indian's face is more set, less fat, in the males at least, less broad
below, with seemingly a higher forehead, sensibly made-up hair, not
seldom a bit more mustache, and a nose that generally is both broader
and more prominent.
But the differences are less marked in the women and still less so in
the children, especially where similarly combed and clothed. And there
are, particularly on the Yukon, not a few of both Indian and Eskimo
who even an expert is at a loss where to class. They may be due to old
mixtures; no new ones are taking place; but it seems that there may be
present another important factor, that of a far-back related parentage.
In the color of the skin and eyes, in the color and nature of the hair,
there is no marked difference between the two peoples of the Yukon. In
stature the Eskimos are slightly higher.