According to Boas and Bessels the most northern Eskimo of the middle group north of Hudson Bay reside on the southern extremity of Ellesmere Land around Jones Sound. Evidences of former occupation of Prince Patrick, Melville, and other of the northern Arctic islands are not lacking, but for some unknown cause, probably a failure of food supply, the Eskimo have migrated thence and the islands are no longer inhabited. In the western part of the central region the coast appears to be uninhabited from the Coppermine River to Cape Bathurst. To the west of the Mackenzie, Herschel Island marks the limit of permanent occupancy by the Mackenzie Eskimo, there being no permanent villages between that island and the settlements at Point Barrow.
The intervening strip of coast is, however, undoubtedly hunted over more or less in summer. The Point Barrow Eskimo do not penetrate far into the interior, but farther to the south the Eskimo reach to the headwaters of the Nunatog and Koyuk Rivers. Only visiting the coast for trading purposes, they occupy an anomalous position among Eskimo.
Eskimo occupancy of the rest of the Alaska coast is practically continuous throughout its whole extent as far to the south and east as the Atna or Copper River, where begin the domains of the Koluschan family. Only in two places do the Indians of the Athapascan family intrude upon Eskimo territory, about Cook’s Inlet, and at the mouth of Copper River.
Owing to the labors of Dall, Petroff, Nelson, Turner, Murdoch, and others we are now pretty well informed as to the distribution of the Eskimo in Alaska.
Nothing is said by Gallatin of the Aleutian Islanders and they were probably not considered by him to be Eskimauan. They are now known to belong to this family, though the Aleutian dialects are unintelligible to the Eskimo proper. Their distribution has been entirely changed since the advent of the Russians and the introduction of the fur trade, and at present they occupy only a very small portion of the islands. Formerly they were much more numerous than at present and extended throughout the chain.
The Eskimauan family is represented in northeast Asia by the Yuit of the Chukchi peninsula, who are to be distinguished from the sedentary Chukchi or the Tuski of authors, the latter being of Asiatic origin. According to Dall the former are comparatively recent arrivals from the American continent, and, like their brethren of America, are confined exclusively to the coast.
[PRINCIPAL TRIBES AND VILLAGES.]
| Greenland group—East Greenland villages: | ||
| Akorninak. Aluik. Anarnitsok. Angmagsalik. Igdlolnarsuk. Ivimiut. | Kemisak. Kikkertarsoak. Kinarbik. Maneetsuk. Narsuk. Okkiosorbik. | Sermiligak. Sermilik. Taterat. Umanak. Umerik. |
| West coast villages: | ||
| Akbat. | Karsuit. | Tessuisak. |
| Labrador group: | ||
| Itivimiut. Kiguaqtagmiut. | Suqinimiut. | Taqagmiut. |
| Middle Group: | ||
| Aggomiut. Ahaknanelet. Aivillirmiut. Akudliarmiut. Akudnirmiut. Amitormiut. Iglulingmiut. | Kangormiut. Kinnepatu. Kramalit. Nageuktormiut. Netchillirmiut. Nugumiut. Okomiut. | Pilinginiut. Sagdlirmiut. Sikosuilarmiut. Sinimiut. Ugjulirmiut. Ukusiksalingmiut. |
| Alaska group: | ||
| Chiglit. Chugachigmiut. Ikogmiut. Imahklimiut. Inguhklimiut. Kaialigmiut. Kangmaligmiut. Kaviagmiut. | Kittegareut. Kopagmiut. Kuagmiut. Kuskwogmiut. Magemiut. Mahlemiut. Nunatogmiut. Nunivagmiut. | Nushagagmiut. Nuwungmiut. Oglemiut. Selawigmiut. Shiwokugmiut. Ukivokgmiut. Unaligmiut. |
| Aleutian group: | ||
| Atka. | Unalashka. | |
| Asiatic group: | ||
| Yuit. | ||
[Population.—]Only a rough approximation of the population of the Eskimo can be given, since of some of the divisions next to nothing is known. Dall compiles the following estimates of the Alaskan Eskimo from the most reliable figures up to 1885: Of the Northwestern Innuit 3,100 (?), including the Kopagmiut, Kangmaligmiut, Nuwukmiut, Nunatogmiut, Kuagmiut, the Inguhklimiut of Little Diomede Island 40 (?), Shiwokugmiut of St. Lawrence Island 150 (?), the Western Innuit 14,500 (?), the Aleutian Islanders (Unungun) 2,200 (?); total of the Alaskan Innuit, about 20,000.
The Central or Baffin Land Eskimo are estimated by Boas to number about 1,100.[37]