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more in use however than the newer one which in all probability is a degeneration of the totem system.  At present it is difficult to ascertain just what importance was attached to the totem by the natives in pre-Russian times owing to the manner in which the Russians have always made sport of and jeered the native customs until the natives have become ashamed to speak freely of them to a white man and many of the ancient beliefs and usages have become obsolete or are rapidly becoming so among the natives of this vicinity from their contact with whites

Upon the ruts & tundra are said to live dwarfs of the first paid of which I have the following

Very long before the Russians came to Alaska there existed a large village at Pikmiktalik.  Here one winter day the people were much surprised to see a man and woman accompanied by a child coming down the Pikmiktalik R.  The man wore a parkie made of a single whites fox skin, the womans was made of two arctic bare skins and the son's of two muskrat skins.  The man & woman stood about three feet high [[strikethrough]] accompanied [[/strikethrough]]  Their son about 12 or 15 inches but [[strikethrough]] greater [[/strikethrough]] more than their short stature - the man was drawing behind him a sled heavily loaded with his [[strikethrough]] wagon [[/strikethrough]] things and larger than the sleds used by the natives of Pikmiktalik.  Coming up the bank the man easily drew up his sled and taking it by the stern raised it up and placed it easily upon the sled