The San Francisco call. [volume], August 11, 1907, Page 5, Image 5

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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3foe Saa Fjtandsco Bnnday CalL
CHEERFUL EXILES
TO A SIBERIAN ISLE
T. H. Tiller
FEW men would face cheerfully ban
ishment to Siberia. Fewer still
would choose voluntarily, as * has
the subject ol this sketch, a life of
solitary existerrce on an Ice bound
'Eland just off the Siberian shore, in
habited only by a few families of Eski
mos and visited but once a year by
those from the great world outside.
Tet that Is the self-chosen lot of Dr.
Edgar O. Campbell, a native Califcr
tilan. who is United States commls
. cJoner. Christian missionary, teacher
and physician to* the lone tribe cf 266
Eskimos on £*. l.awrenc« island in "the
northern waters of the Bering sea.
For flve years Dr. Campbell . and his
faithful wife have endured the cold,
hardships, privation and solitude of
this virtual "no man's land," and now,
after a year's vacation spent in the
States, will again set sail Jn a few days
to begin another flve years of volun
tary exile.
It Is hard to conceive of an inhab
ited land so remote that only once In
12 months can its people communicate
vrlth the civilization beyond Its barren
rhores; but so completely Isolated ts
this little isle that only in the sum
mer can the ships approach through
the floating Ice, bringing the yearly
;jsails and the sight of a new face.
During the longr months of waiting the
•days come aril go without a single In
cident of Interest, and, as told by Dr.
there Is nothing to relieve
the constant jabbering of the Eskimos,
,the long nights, the bitter cold and
the expectant waiting, waiting for the
breaking of the Icebergs on every sid-s
With the coming of summer' the
trhaling vessels for a short time drop
Anchor at the island, the natives and
traders mingle together, provisions and
trinkets are exchanged for valuable
S tirs and after a few days the dull,
dally routine Is takefT up again.
About the same time the United
Etates revenue cutters arrive bringing
their cargoes of books, magazines, mail
and provisions from the' government.
which must suffice for the educational,
spiritual end physical needs of the mis
sion for the ensuing 12 months.
Bom* idea of the Isolation of Dr.
CastpbeH'6 home may be obtained when
the island is described as being eitu
eted 40 exiles from the eastern Siber
ian shore. Russia's land of living death
for certain classes, and 200 miles. from
rcozne, Alaska, the nearest point bear
ing civilized imprint. One hundred
rr.'.les In length and hardly half as "wide,
the Island can boast of but one village,
•situated In the extreme western end.
tTh'.s little croup of huts is called Gam
he!:, la honor of a former missionary
to the island, who, together with his
wife and child, was lost upon the Ice
fields on his way to bis labors. Dr.
Campbell was commissioned ' shortly
thereafter and reached the Island
without mishap.
tin this village are congregated the
twa score families who represent what
may be termed the religious, social
and Industrial life of a whole people.
These natives exist (they cannot •be
said to live> In about a score of huts
or dugouts, two or more families exist
ing In 'polygamous confusion in each
hut. with nothing save skins separat
ing: the sleeping apartments and with
finore skins overhead, on all sides and
underneath.
Here too is situated what the la
mented Dr. Gambell designated as the
"school house farthest west." for in
this same 'village the United States flag
Hies over this nation's extreme western
educational Institution. This building,
, toy the way, is the only wooden build
ing on the island, the lumber for its
erection having been brought all the
•way from California. The one room
cost about $1,000 and was built by the
carpenters of the ship bringing it. To
the rear of the schoolroom are annexed
sleeping apartments for Dr. and Mrs. j
Campbell. Incidentally Dr. Campbell
lias charge of the.care and distribution
of the yearly importations of reindeer,
this government having been instru
mental for the past few years In intro
ducing 1 the Siberian reindeer for the
benefit of the Eskimos.
President Roosevelt In January, 1803,
withdrew the Island from settlement
•cd designated It as a reindeer reser
vation There are at present 253 head
on the entire island. The president is
\u25a0aid to have evinced- considerable In
terest in the Importation of reindeer
for Alaska, and especially for St. Law
rence island. Dr. Campbell's recent
jrtelt- to Washington wes for the pur
ysose- of conferring with the president
end with Interior department officials,
tmfier which department Dr. Campbell
iclis bis commission.
One might probably spend hours
•with Dr. Campbell as he relates the
(experiences of the past five years
tr-.or.r the benighted Inhabitants of
his adopted home. To the Eskimos on
this Island Dr. Campbell has been even
rscre than has Dr. Grenfell to the na
tives of Labrador. His sacrifices, dan
trw* &ad accomplishments are un
paralleled, although in conversation he
•peaks of them In the most matter . of
fact way. As he refers to the. approach-
Ing end of his vacation and his return to
what he terms his life work, the list
ener Invariably wonders, "what man
ner of man is this who prefers such a
life to the comforts of home and the.
companionship of civilized people?"
*«Certalnly, I will be Interviewed," he
said la repJy to my query. "Interviews
ar* rather out cf the ordinary with me.
f T<A trill be for the next five years, at
any rate."
Then Dr. Campbell reached fop a
searbr atlas and began slowly to
trace the route he will traverse on.
the return Journey from "San Fran
cisco, bis pointer resting at last at a
little spot in the Bering sea.
"This Is my home," he said, -with al
most the same pride that he might ex-.
hlbit in indicating the metropolis of
tb« western hemisphere. "I presume
you. like all others, are prepared to
e&fc see what I find attractive about
much a life and why I am going back
for five more years, of. exile,
"I can only explain this," "he contin
ued; without giving me a, chance to
interrupt, "by telling you that I am In
love with my work. Perhaps the soli
tude itself is V novelty, but at any
rate I seldom get lonely and am Just
as "contented as iiy friends back home..
Mrs Campbell also, although lonely
and homesick for a while, long ago be
came reconciled and delights in the:.
" Of course I know that again on the
island, five years must elapse before . I
can leave it. I am an employe of the ;
government, but unlike the ordinary
clerk or officer, my vacations come but
once in this length of time. because ;
they are necessarily' 12 du
ration. Summer weather la needed for
Journey notn* to and rrom the island
Accordingly I left last August and wil
return this July. Therefore, when w«
wave a jrather sad farewell "to oui
transport^ifter we land, it means that
it will be at least 10 months before w<
can see a 'kindred face again or com
municate with friends. You ' who re
ceive your mail each' day In the yeai
can hardly realize what it means to re
ceive it but once in -every 365."
And then, without demand Jon mj
part. Dr. Campbell began his wonder
ful" narrative of ihis .life with the
Eskimos, their habits and customs.
Life With the Eskimos
"There are 268 of us altogether, pro
vlded no one has died since we left*
266 Eskimos, my wife and myself. Ani
mal life on the Island is representec
by the. seal, -walrus, several specimens
of fox, an occasional whale and sharl
off the shores, the reindeer and the Es
klmo dogs. .Plant life comprises tundra
grass, lichens. and a few low willow*
along the marshes and copper colorec
hills. .i ;' . .' '
"The sole occupation of the natives
Is hunting and fishing and in exceed
ingly cold winters even this is impos
sible. There have been several times
in the Island's history that the food
supply laid | aside in . the' summer hag
become exhausted, and the half starved
people have been .compelled to boil and
eat the walrus. skins from the interior
of the hutß, the dog harness and the
very sealskin .robes.. from their backs.
In the winter of ISBB-9 several hun
dred natives died from starvation and
the three villages on the island were
practically depopulated. This accounts
for the existence of a single village,
now called Gambell, on the western end
of the Island today.
"I observe that the average tempera
ture on the island is 45 degrees below
zero. During one •winter of "the past
flve years the thermometer . has indi
cated 62 below. How much colder it
really became I am unable to state, for
our Instrument only registered to 62
below. The highest temperature^ ever
recorded was "52 above. '
"Along this line if is interesting to
note that our shortest day. and, of
course, our alternate shortest night, is
1 hour and 60 minutes. . To illustrate,
I have frequently ~ read a book all
night, the reflection from the setting
sun on the one side, followed by that
of the rising sun on the other, giving
the entire night the appearance of an
early dusk. Our longest night, on the
other hand, is 22 hours 10 minutes in
duration.
"Light and heat are furnished by
whale or walrus oiL Lately I have
Introduced* gasoline for use In the
schoolroom, but this is not regarded
favorably by the natives. In event of
a premature exhaustion of the oil sup
ply, .neighbors are compelled to divide
their scanty store, or perhaps the fam
ilies will 'double^up' in order tckeep
alive until the ice breaks and another
catch can be made.
"The loathsomeness of ope of the
Eskimo huts when several 'of these coal
oil lamps_ are burning at full tilt is
indescribable. Upon the dirt floor will
be strewn two or more families, .com
prising young, old and middle aged
Eskimo, all filthy, unkempt and ill
smelling. Add to these bodily odors
that of the oil lamps, tobacco, unclean
dogs and the peculiar smell emanating
from the different skins hanging from
the walls, and you will have some idea
of the Eskimo as he really, lives.
"To the Eskimo a bath is practically
unknown, for a native is bathed only
when dead. This is the' one civilized
trait of the race-^-the post mortem bath.
The method of burial, however, is most
singular. Bodies are never interred.
After death they are placed between
two long poles, to which they , are > se
curely tied with \ leather thongs. ' The
pall bearers then seize each er\d of the
poles, and/ accompanied ; by the famll y
and friends of the. deceased," repair to
the mountain fastnesses. Arriving at
the selected spot,, the thongs are cut,
the body laid upon the deer skins be
longing' to : the dead man in life, and
the remains are there left to decompose
In the open air or to be devoured by
animals, as the case may be.
"Regardless of the poverty of the
family, all belongings of the Eskimo
are destroyed at his death and buried
with him. His dogs are killed, his
furs and trinkets collected,, arid with
short., ceremony ,the entire mass Is
placed beside his v body and left to its
fate." , ;
Concerning law and order on the
island. Dr. Campbell said: •
"As United States commissioner I am
vested with the necessary authority to
preserve the peace, assisted by. .the
yearly revenue cutters. However, crime
Is unknown, with the exception •of ,oc^
caslonal .drunkenness' and . more or less
polygamy. There" seems little hope of
preventing the latter crime, so you
might say every 4 man was a law unto
himself. Forja long time our. true mis
sion was ; misunderstood/; but • gradually
we won" the "confidence of: the;_ natives
and of late' have made * wonderful
strides ' toward "educating them. :
'•There are now over 40 of the youns
Eskimo : students who can - turn Uo \u25a0 any
text I may announce and follow .the
scripture readings carefully. In ; addi
tion to weekly, services I hold a bible
class for the young men on Thursday
night. Mrs^'Campbell has a girls' class
each Wednesday afternoon. These
class meets are followed by social ses
sions, during which we play the organ,
read magazines and indulge in^Vmeri
can games. . .
"With the increase in knowledge the
younger element is beconnng more and
more restless. The desire "to see-some
thing of the world 4 is; dally growlnjf
within ' them. The books and ; maga
zines furnished by the government "are
eagerly . read, the photosraphs proving
Unusually attractive to h the Eskimo eye.
"I fear, though,; that the love of the
ice. fields is inherited rby the Eskimo
and that as "a ; race they, will never be
content elsewhere. This \is well -Illus
trated, by: the" discontent" of four .of
my brightest pupils -whom 1 1 brought
with me as far as: Nome, Alaska, on
our Journey Ito the States, last August.
They planned to remain 'in Nome some
weeks, pending the return of the trans
port to St. Lawrence. The Eskimo na
ture manifested itself within :, a ' fpw
days, . however, tend ' engaging, a . small
boat the lads struck, out for tho island
alone." I. trust they arrived safely.: For
a ; few days V only . were \they ; oontent
among civilized people, ; the t principal
event of \the trip, to them,*. beine -tho
. taking of their photographs.
Customs Do Not Change
"Again, . I fear thero : Is little proba-.
blllty of the Eskimo changing his
abode, on account of " parental influ
ences. According to ; oustom, it mat
ters not how ambitious a young Eskimo
may. be, he cannot forsake ; the • tribe
so long as he has an elder relative
who. objects. ' . The told heads are su
preme in Eskimo- land and .the young
ster has. no rights save those accorded
him by his elders/ even after his;ma
turity. . ' % - "
"Custom rules the raoe. It is so very
hard to get them to' agree --: to any
change. V Hew . many times 'have .we
received the answer, I *Long \u25a0 time ago/
Just the same.'-. The house -must' be
moved every time one iV dies lln it; ; the
dead must .be carried to the mountain
and 'left, uncovered; a.slck-man; must
be allowed i; to ikillrl himself If ?;he^9o
desires; '«, the ?. devil - must Sbe : fed i when
. people are sick, and a dog • killed ; dogs
must ; be :r: r sla.ln iwhen the < people ; are
visited : by a " calamity; the • head \u25a0> bones ;
of a seal must : be thrown into the sea
, again \ If ; more ( seal . are to *be i caught ; '
food^ must 'be v scattered *on sea and:
land 'ascertain seasons and ;deer ' meat';
must i lie ; uneaten for* a^ certain ., length i
of time regardless of the hunger 'of the
family-^ all because . 'long " timel. ago,'
Just % the ~ same.',' •
! "Their religion is one of devil wor
• .ship, most ceremonies being performed
i to appease the wrath of the evil one.
Every ; \ animal v, is to be 1
i guarded by a different spirit. \ The
• mouth oft a dead j fox is anointed with
• oil' to appease the;fox, gods; his fur is
. scattered 'for the "same purpose. Sim-.
; ilar ceremonies follow, the killing of
any -animal or fish. -Some of the -sup'er
'-stitions we have -been- able to over
\u25a0 come/ others^ we have-not/ ./.: ;'".- .-.'\u25a0'
•. ''Our hardest fight' haa been to rdef eat
' the custom of centuries, giving. the
Eskimos on St. • Lawrence island ;tn*e
• right to kill any! member of the', family
; who becomes aged, decrepit or.unable
• : to\ hunt and fish/ ; On arriving,; at this
>. stage the unfortunate one is ied,' into
'/the mountain.'by-his family and-frlends
> arid either .shot -or'hanged, '"-as he": may
j- elect This? has always been taken as
\u25a0 : a- matter of course' by; these natives,
•' although I have ; now \u25a0 succeeded in
1 teaching r some of .them that It- is
' .wrong/ ','\u25a0•.\u25a0.''-:' •;':'- \u25a0'\u0084;\u25a0\u25a0:\u25a0 ""'\u25a0\u25a0-,-\u25a0 " X t'-- \u25a0''"\u25a0"<
' ; VA year before I. left I came suddenly
" upon' such a- band on .Its way., to the
; ; mountains;; wither an ; old i, man' who ; had
,\u25a0 been lir.some "days "with, pneumonia. ?I
'halted 'them; and > learned that'the-ln- 1
\ ; valid .was to Ibe : > shot. . I began to
. .remonstrate and finally 1 interested one
: of the leaders of thejtrlbe, who was a
''\u25a0i very r good friend;; of . mine. ' A heated
'discussion '.then ensued.; between^ rel
atives,- friends faj^dt'onV lookers/; being
\u25a0conducted 'ln the native Jtongujty After
, : a I palaver of : an? hour: my;:interpfeter
," said:' 'They ..will not; kill- him if you
.allow one of your dog's to be kllled'ln
stead. ! We will - spread ;^rour dog's
," ' blood ; oh :, the oldv man's ; robes < and - you
,-f can have the : old \u0084man.v .The. proposl
, tlon > staggered me -.for /a- moment, -but
the exchange was made arid I took the
/ invalid home iwlthi me.- , Ha died ; a^ few
/, days later -from the {effects: of the'dis
ease. .My dog was taken to the moun
tain and killed, hia blood spread on the
':. robes, i portions \u25a0'\u25a0 ot s. the k skin :\u25a0, out* and
thrown to the winds and the epjsode
closed so far : as the Eskimo was '. eon
: ".;'' r - '.-.; ' y}.^-\ '\u25a0:'- ;>w.;; ;>--."--::;; > --."-- ::; \u25a0":\u25a0'.\u25a0
> ; / l *?The bane of ;• existence on . St. Law
.; rence \ island ; was -formerly -the 'aha-;
\u25a0 mans". ! or > medicine ; men," whose * places
1 we .:. usurped/ - ."--.These X 3 '•hamans' - tpr
' many years « lived % upon-; the * supers ti-^
r tions !of-the ; people,tiwhoFoontributed!
• regularlyi to \ their * support on
of -being ;;*bewltched' f should- they re-
r. fuse "to .; provide ;' this ; "': easy living J for
fakers. the I'shamans*'
?dld;not;rellshVthe*white'*"man?and?-hpr
; physic,^ and £< many.' ( an { anxious | nigh t
';' haveXwe ; spent soonS after/ arriving r on
I the island, ". f earf ulj lest they, should "at- \u25a0
"• tempt ito'dojusi some I : bodily Injury/- The ;
island*thady,.regularly; vßupportediv Bupportedi trpm
.two ta:three\of .these impostors.:' :" \u25a0.;
; ."The Eskimo . had^ been, taught to
; stand ; in great fear'; of darkness and
strange noises. .One day! had a; coal
oil- can ;. filled ) wrth ; water, \u25a0 heating /on
the /schoolroom .stove. ?, It* sprung -a
.leak, causing a sudden, sizzling,;pop
ping noise. Those nearest v the door
, rushed 'out while others ' huddled in the
? corners of - the • room, scr eaminjr in ab
. ject i terror/yS.Thelr j fears !, were . only., ali
; layed when I removed the can and the
noise ceased, after which they almost
regarded me as the possessor of super
natural power.". "•-,.\u25a0* . . ; V v .
• :. Dr. Campbell* Bmlled^wheri he was ; re-.
minded *i that f; ln .spite* of ; these • lnter^'
) esting \u25a0: customs ;; and ; •; happenings \u25a0 the
island ' must'; sometime \u25a0 grow,* lonely; for •
himself : ! and ; : wife.-. "Perhaps that's
true,"/' he /;replled, -"but iwe ;haye? » the
: : yearly t arrival ; of ; ; the " trading .j vessels :
ito 100k r forward -; to. " This -is 1 ,- ft; great
; event, .v It 1 means ,• a \u25a0; short j but ; . brisk
and ; profitable .^season -of trade if or the
natlves/sfbr^ the > vessels 'bnlnef
ous \u25a0• articles t f, which ; the •; Eskimo ;is
* anxious; to exchange] turs,/:\ / /• :
;' "In \ %ha \u25a0interim*; between these^ yearly.
visits the island's loneiliaees ia shown
,by\' &l remarkable ?\u25a0;. occurrence "* of : : two
' years ; ago. / "A ; strange ; whaljng . vessel
was * driven? ashore ; : .by.% the * Ice ; off the
. easternTcoast- off the ? Island. 4-Scoopingf
out ' an V old ibungalow.^the ]whalers itied^"
their vessel to the shore and began the
Hong; winter ; sieged r For/' eight? months'
: they£ lay $ marooned/ : as i they .; supposed. ;
upon/ 4 a.' deserted i Island. 2) In ; the > early,
summer they began an exploration for
' food, -i havlnffi -\ exhausted /.the " supplies .
.brought I for-; trading,;, purposes/ ; >'' A ; few .
days'." scouting.;, brought i them'v. to- our
village. >4 Mutual /exclamations of - sur-,.
prise <\u25a0 over/? they 'were I housed iand j f ed, >
and,Ton'.thetbreaklnsf |of lthe'ice, turned
f their ! schobner/south.ward.^." V
.- methods Iwere. crude, at 'first -as -•
step r by ;V step lyre } endeavored \ tti ;-. teach ":"
; them • our language] and acquire theirs.
For- instancer«_we : would I draw* the ' f ormf
; of la.:, walrus 2on >the f. blackboard." The
:' Interpreter \u25a0 would \u25a0 ask \ them^toi name i t '.
-and school:? would: ,yelp^
;.'aabwobk'rrEskimo;:'forj/walrus~-untll?
i told toy stop.*? -We ithen
- the > English Xword/j and * thus 3 ' step -by:
i sten'.we : had ;' to make : our Cway, for man y
'- \u25a0•\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0''- - \u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0..•3£»S2£raeHb«aßt- - . \u25a0- - \u25a0 •
long> months, v For ,a great -whne'wWe
felt;, our/ need * of ." the -, language,'a ge,' it r. be
ing i: difficult vto :. ourselves In
lan guage \u25a0 which-, even \u25a0\u25a0; the Interpreter
could : ' understand.:; ,The figures {. and
expressions of the scripture are ; foreign
to Eskimos, who are strangers to-'har
veslt, N , grain;: fruit, , fig. ' sheep' and other
: scriptural i terms." /-They . are apt. ; how
eyer,"- In music, and ; ; after ; hearing* Mrs/
' Campbell [ play, either^ a t hymn ; of popu
lar ' air i upon [ the school j* organ," - the pu»
plls require only a short' time to master
it. ajany ;of £ themV; ca4"j; play, /'Dixie/
•Yankee Doodle* and a nuxnbes . of ' pop
ular. \u0084alrs ; :.upoa;:.theiri:.b.armonlcas''Or
moutl; h%rpi- or ' on t the Morgan Itself. '
. "We have spoken- and taught as ear
nestly- as we - could," concluded / Dr.
Campbell,' "In an endeayor_ to "*mako
our message understood, and I am
proud <bf the work so far accomplished.
For this reason we are better contented
than one -would Imagine ,and ,wlll re
sjime our labors among these people In
-'August with a feelinff of genuine pleas
ure that we- are to 'spend / flye\ more
years among them. The ', labor has be
come" really a labor of love, as we from
day to day see these crude . people
blossom into an understanding of our
mission, as they \u25a0 acquir* a ' knowledge
of itha wonderful world outside and it*
susaao 'of \u25a0 dvUlzation." -