VANISHED RACE

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1933, Page 2

VANISHED RACE

ESKIMO'S IN GREENLAND

AN EXPLORER’S DISCOVERIES

Visions of a new race of hunters .springing up in the icy wastes of East Greenland, where explorers now find the skeletons of bygone dwellers, weio conjured up by Captain. Mikkhen. who recently 'described his voyage of exploration to the Royal Geographical Xociety in London.

“Almost everywhere along the coast.'’ he said, “we found numerous unices that the land once gave the means of existence for a numerous tribe of Eskimos. But hard times fell mi the tribe; it dwindled and disappeared. Only once has the North-east Greenland Eskimo been definitely seen by a European—in 1823. when Claveriug found 12 people, who disappeared. frightened by the presence of the white man, and whose descendants have never been seen since.

“When one has considered the tragedy of the bribe which his disappeared the thought comes—why not try to recreate the human activity which once existed along ths barrren stretches of coasts by creating again the basis of existence for the enterprising Greenlander. whose only means of livelihood is hunting-'

“Once upon a time a large number of Eskimos must have been living in this district. Both in the huts and (especially) in the graves we came across many archnelogicnl finds of importance. A catastrophe must haveovercome tho Eskimos, for in several huts we found a number of skeletons and it seemed as if the Eskimos had met with a sudden death, “We found a rather large’ Eskimo settlement, very old and entirely in ruins, with a number of graves, meat depots and foxf raps. The ruined huts were dug out and we found a number of implements among the ruins, many of which were well preserved and of archaeological value. To judge from the implements, this coast seems to have been inhabited about 1400-1500.”