Canada Attempts To Teacli
Northwest Territories Eskimos
To Become Reindeer Ranchers
By George Andrew Yackulic <
• Christian Science Monitor)
LETHBRIDGE, Alberta — The
Canadian government is intensi
fying its efforts to convert some
of the Eskimos in the far north
land into reindeer ranchers.
Because of this campaign, many
of the nomadic natives of the
frozen hinterland many eventual
ly settle down and live off dom
esticated herds.
However, even with the Can
adian government’s herd at the
mouth of the Mackenzie River
having been increased to more
than 10,000 reindeer, the ranch
ing objective set for Eskimo fam
ilies is not expected to become
a reality for many more years—
perhaps not for another two- or
three decades.
Nevertheless, the reindeer
ranching project is regarded of
ficially as the best plan for sta
bilizing Eskimo families, for giv
ing them a better life than they’ve
ever known, and for starting to
assimilate them into modern so
ciety.
While they have advanced con
siderably from their former prim
itive ways, most of the Eskimos
in Canada’s Northwest Territories
still wander about the northland
inside the Arctic Circle, follow
ing caribou herds and seals and
depending for their cash income
largely on reduced revenues from
hunting and trapping.
Caribou provide many of the
Eskimos with food, and the hides
are used for clothing and shelter.
However, when caribou herds
evade bands of Eskimo or when
the populations of the animals de
cline sharply, the natives suffer
severely. Often they must eat fish
intended for their dog teams.
To improve the plight of the
Eskimos, the Canadian govern
ment purchased a herd of rein
deer in Alaska, and in 1935
brought this group of 2,370 semi
domesticated reindeer to a re
served area of 6,600 square miles
east of the Mackenzie River delta.
This area, near Aklavik in the
Northwest Territories, now is
known as Canada’s reindeer
range station.
The story of how the herd had
been driven overland from north
west Alaska with great difficulty
is one of the popular epics of the
northland.
A few years ago, when the herd
had been expanded to a size
where the Canadian government
could advance its plans to develop
Eskimos into reindeer ranchers,
an extensive survey of the pos
sibilities was launched by Harry
J. Hargrave, a highly recognized
livestock authority, and the head
of animal husbandry at the Dom
Arctic Sanitary Service
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inion Experimental Station near
Lethbridge.
Mr. Hargave saw vast possib
ilities for reindeer ranching in the
far northland. The animals were
thriving and there was abundant
feed for them. However, the
greatest problem was the lack of
consistent shepherding, since most
Eskimos preferred their nomadic
ways and few of them were yet
willing to settle down and tend
herds. This problem showed itself
repeatedly even among the Eski
mo's which had been carefully
hired to help look after the gov
ernment herd.
“This project holds real pro
mise but it depends for its suc
cess on a long and patient process
of educating the Eskimos to settle
down and assume responsibili
ties,” Mr. Hargrave reported.
Unlike cattle, the reindeer near
Aklavik need seasonal ranges.
Their winter range is inland,
where moss and lichen are plenti
ful. In the spring they are moved
to a coastal l'ange for fawning.
Then comes the gradual move
ment out of the headlands, where
Arctic winds give the animals re
lief from insect pests. The sum
mer “roundup” is held on the
coast.
Some Eskimo families have
started ranching on a modest
scale, and these now enjoy fresh
milk for the first time. They also
can obtain supplies of fresh meat
without following migrating herds
of caribou all over the wilderness.
Spring activities at Lomen
Commercial Co. get under way
with the arrival of Jim Cary and
Clarence Burt, department heads
who winter- in the States.
WEATHER FORECAST
Compiled by the
U.S. Dept, of Commerce Weather Bureau
Continued cloudy with easterly
winds 15-20 mph. Lowest temper
ature expected tonight 36, high
tomorrow 45.
Nome data last 24 hours as of
7 a.m. today: High temperature
41, low 34/ Max. wind 25 mph
from the east. Sunrise 3:21 a.m.,
sunset 8:36 p.m.
Temperatures a year ago today:
high 48, low 29. Extremes this
date since 1907: high 49 in 1941,
low -7 in 1949.
Other Stations, 7 a.m. Today
Station Temp. Weather
Barrow 22 Clear
Kotzebue 38 Cloudy
Wales 40 Cloudy
Nome 39 Cloudy
Unalakleet 49 Cloudy
Bethel 40 Cloudy
McGrath 51 Part cloudy
Anchorage 45 Cloudy
Fairbanks 51 Clear
Whitehorse 45 Cloudy
Edmonton 38 Cloudy
Juneau 43 Cloudy
Ketchikan 44 Rain
Seattle 55 Part cloudy
San Francisco 70 Part cloudy
Polish Sailor, Man
Without Country,
Is Back In Valdez
VALDEZ, UP!—A Polish sailor
who says “I will never go back
to Europe alive” is back in cus
tody in this Alaska port for the
second time in six weeks.
Boleslaw Glowcynski, 28, came
back by air this time to this town
that had befriended him on his
first ship-jumping venture.
Professing love for the United
States, he told folks here: “I want
citizenship more than anything
alse on earth.”
Glowcynski calls himself a
“man without a country.” At
Seattle, Immigration Director
John P. Boyd confirmed after his
first detention that he was born
in Poland and later was a legal
resident of England. The sailor
now says he is not eligible to re
turn to either country.
Glowcynski originally surren
dered to the deputy U.S. Marshal
here after jumping the Norwegian
freighter Nordnes in Valdez. He
was taken to Seattle and placed
again aboard the Nordnes at Bel
lingham for a return trip to Eu
rope.
But, he explained on his return
here, he left the ship that eve
ning at Bellingham, made his way
to Seattle and bought an airplane
ticket to Alaska. He returned here
and got a job under an assumed
name.
He told Valdez friends that his
feeling toward the United States
was born through years of des
perate longing to- start life anew
in a land of freedom.
At Seattle, Boyd said the next
step will probably be to place
him again on a ship of the Nord
ne’s line. Boyd said he knew of
no planned legislation in Con
gress to permit him entry into
the United States, as had been
reported here.
So once again the fate of the
man without a country apparent
ly rests with the officials and the
law of the land he covets for his
own.
CAB Dismissed Complaint
Against Pan American Airways
WASHINGTON, UP) — The Civil
Aeronautics Board Friday dis
missed a complaint by Pacific
Northern Airlines against reduced
rates offered by Pan American
World Airways for the charter of
DC-6B airplanes for service to Al
aska.
The board said the complaint
“does not state facts which war
rant suspension of investigation”
of the reduced rates. Pacific
Northern operates between the
Pacific Northwest and Alaska, in
competition with Pan American.
Alligators are found only in the
southern United States and south
ern China.
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V.——.. -... ..
TUESDAY (freight only)
Nome to Kotzebue
ARRIVE NOME DEPART NOME
10:15 A.M. 10:45 A.M.
WEDNESDAY
(passengers and freight)
Kotzebue to Nome to Fairbanks
ARRIVE NOME DEPART NOME
11:50 A.M. 12:20 P.M.
SATURDAY
(passengers and freight)
Kotzebue to Nome to Fairbanks
ARRIVE NOME DEPART NOME
11:50 A.M. 12:20 P.M.
BUSH FLIGHTS FRIDAY
Kotz. to Candle to Deering to Nome to Kotz.
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