ORIGIN OF THE ESKIMOS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20586, 8 December 1928, Page 2

ORIGIN OF THE ESKIMOS.

Interesting conclusions regarding the early movements of Indians and Eskimos, whose descendants inhabit the frozen wastes in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of the Mackenzie River basin in Canada have been tentatively arrived at by Professor R. Haggles Gates, of King's College, London, who has returned from an expedition there, states the Morning Post.

He left London m June and travelled down the Mackenzie River to latitude 70 degrees north. Here, in an area much of which lies, within the Arctic Circle, he performed blood tests on Indians and Eskimos in order to establish if any relationship existed between them. “ I found,” he said, “ that the Indians were suffering from the most serious epidemic in influenza they have ever had. This might have complicated matters had I not been able to turn it to good account.

“ The method of blood testing consists in taking a drop of blood from the ear, and as the Indiana seemed to think that the test was in the nature of a cure for influenza, I had little difficulty in performing it. In fact, many of them confessed that they felt much better for it! " I was made the more welcome because in the whole of the lower Mackenzie basin there is only one doctor. They want more—three, for instance, are required on the Arctic coast —and an excellent opportunity is open here for young men who would like the experience for a year or two. “ Among the Indians I tested,” he'said, “were men and children from half a dozen different tribes, with such picturesque names as Dogribs, Yellow Knives, Hairskins, and Doueheux._ Some of the children travelled 1000 miles for the test. , , “The results were unexpected. The Indian tribes gave results» similar to those' that have resulted for other Indian tribes of North America, while those of the Eskimos resembled results that have been obtained from -Manchurians and Chinese. “ Erom these,” he added, one could draw the tentative conclusion that the Eskimos could not have descended, as has been held by some anthropologists, from Indian ancestors, hut came independently across the Bering Strait.” Professor Gates, part of whose object was to obtain botanical specimens, gathered a rich harvest of Arctic flora—which has been sent to Kew for determination—from the waste tundra of the north. Not all was waste, however, for he found potatoes growing in lat. 60 degrees. On his way back he learnt of a discovery of gold about halfway down +he Mackenzie, a discovery which is leading the Hudson Bay Company to consider whether they should provide facilities for a gold rush nest spring.