A Demographic Study of an Eskimo Village on the North Slope of Alaska

• Main Author: Frederick A. Milan
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: DEMOGRAPHIC STUDY OF AN ESKIMO VILLAGE 83; Arctic; eskimo*; esquimaude; north slope; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.659.1708; http://arctic.synergiesprairies.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/download/3160/3136/

ABSTRACT. The Eskimo population of Wainwright was found to have the follow-ing demographic characteristics in 1968: A total number of 308 (169 males; 139 females) with a median age of 16.1 years. Sixty-seven were hybrids. Fecundity was high (7.9 conceptions for all women; 10.5 live births for 17 post-menopausal women). The rate of twin births (27 per 1,000) was twice that of a Caucasian population. The sex ratio at birth was skewed (108.2/100). Infant mortality was high, for only 81 per cent of all live births survived to age 5 as compared to 97.3 per cent for the U S A. in 1959. Marked differential survival of children was ob-served since one-fifth of the women were responsible for 47 per cent of the living offspring. Mortality rates have declined. Recent introduction of birth control will make birth rate, not survival, the determinant of genetic content of the succeeding generations. RI?SUME. ktude dkmogrnphique d'un village esquimau du versant nord de I'Alaska. En 1968, la population esquimaude de Wainwright pr6sentait les caractkristiques demographiques suivantes: un nombre total de 308 individus (169 hommes, 139