The number of employed is noted by the Bureau
of Fisheries but they do not report the number of
days these few are employed. For the record they
employ a number for a time. What good to em
ploy 100 native workers for four days when those
same workers need 100 days of labor? As in
everything else, the Bureau of Fisheries is not
honest in its statement of fact as to the employ
ment of Alaskans in the fisheries.
Give the average Alaskan native family an
earning of $500 and the beneficial economic re
sults would be most startling. The business struc
ture would benefitted—the natives would have
earned sufficient to carry them through the
winter and they would not need federal aid for
medical attention or relief for the poor and aged.
But so long as the federal officials acquiesce in
permitting the employment of foreign labor to
the exclusion of resident labor, so long will they
Invite the “dole” system. And that much are they
hiii Ling the independence of Alaska’s citizenry.
-x
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS AMERICAN S CREED
-X
I believe in the United States of America as
a government of the people, by the people, for the
people; whose just powers are derived from the
consent of the governed; a democracy in a re
public; a soverign nation of many soverign states;
a perfect union, one and inseparable; established
upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice,
and humanity for which American patriots sacri
ficed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe
it is my duty to my country to love it; to support
its constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its
flag; and to defend it against all enemies.—Wil
liam Tyler Page.
If you believe in all of this creed do you
practice it or do you make exceptions with your
fingers crossed; do you reserve certain parts for
your own benefit and exclude others from the
same benefits? Do you support “its constitution”
to the best of your ability—honestly and faith
fully or do you only ask others to do all the sup
porting? Do you reserve the rights “established
upon those principles of freedom, equality, Jus
tice and humanity for which American patriots
sacrificed their lives and fortunes,” for yourself
and permit others to suffer discriminations? In
reading over this pledge, ask yourself “Just what
kind of a citizen am I, anyhow?” And then
answer yourself—sit down and write out your
answer—it would be interesting to print.
The Reindeer Situation
By C. L. Andrews
(Continued from last Month)
x
Buckland Herd
Buckland herd was founded in
1911 by Sokweena from Wales
who went there with his deer
and with others formed a herd
and had occupied land between
the Buckland River and the Ne
baktuktulik River to the north,
where the Selawik herd had been
established in 1909 with 322
reindeer. The Nilma herd in 1910
consisted of 994 deer, belonging
to him and his herders, five in
number. In 1914 Andrew Nilma
sold his deer, which had in
creased to 1200, to the Corpora
tion, Lomen & Company.
In 1917, or thereabout, Peter
Hatta and others who had herd
ed for Andrew Nilma and the
Lomen Corporation cut o u t
their deer and drove them di
rectly into the Buckland herd
where they remained and mix
ed with the native herd on the
land and did not remove when
requested on the protests of the
owners and of the Superinten
dent, although they promised
to do so.
In 1917, or 1913, the date is
not definitely known, the Lapps
or part of them sold 1717 deer
to the Lomen Corporation and
again 1606 in 1921, 700 were
driven to Nome for sale in 1917.
In 1921, the local Superinten
dent went to Buckland for the
Government for the purpose of
separating the native and cor
poration reindeer and was pre
vented and treated insolently.
In 1923 the District- Superin
tendenit wrote the Corporation
that he wished to separate the
herds in the interest of the na
tives. The secretary of the Lo
men Corporation, Alfred J.
Lomen, replied insolently refus
ing to have the herds separated
and saying: “If you proceed
with the separation as you state
that you will and should cause
damage to our herd we will hold
you responsible for your action.”
The Buckland herd has re
mained under the hands of the
Lomen Corporations since that
time to the present, and it is
reported that at the last round
ing up time, in July of the pre
sent year, Carl J. Lomen, presi
dent of the Lomen Reindeer
Corporation, refused the natives
the right to count and work
their herd, and he published in
the Alaska Weekly in Seattle,
that he organized the Buckland
and Kotzebue unit, indicating