AIS 100: Introduction to American Indian Studies

Wrangell, Alaska 1886

Tlingit

     The Tlingit are considered the northernmost peoples of the Northwest Coast, along with the Haida. The Tlingit  lived along the coast from southern Alaska, U.S. to northern British Columbia, Canada. This region is part of a rich, yet cold, temperate rainforest. The wealth was and is in the sea and the forest with various cedar providing food and material resources. Just recently the people of Sitka provided cedar timber for Polynesian people to reconstruct one of their double-hulled ocean going sailing canoes. The Polynesian later sailed the canoe across the Pacific Ocean to thank the Tlingit  people for the wood.

I. Origins

      Both the Haida and Tlingit are thought to be from the same language group and to have moved from the interior to the coast over a thousand years ago. However, recent genetic and linguistic research indicates a far more complex picture. Some scholars see the two groups being very distinct. Certainly, the people are initially a riverine hunting and gathering people that become increasingly maritime.

II Traditional Culture

       The Tlingit developed one of the richest and most complex hunting and gathering cultures known to exist. The quality and quantity of wealth produced the kind of population density and social hierarchy expected with agrarian cultures. Changes came mostly in the late 19th century and disease took the greatest toll.  The Tlingit traditions have not changed as much as many Native Americans. The communities are essentially in place (not relocated) but with increased competition from the outside.

Language	NaDene	N. Athabascan
Settlement	Alaska,B.C.	Yakutat Bay toCape Fox
Economics	Sea (sea mammal, fish) Bay/River (salmon, eel, shellfish, birds) Forest (deer, sheep, goat, caribou, bulbs, berries,  red cedar.)	Summer-H&G spring-candlefish fall -salmon runs planked houses>60' cedar canoes >45'
Social	Geographical Groups (Kons)  Matrilineal clans- see chart > Moiety (Dual Division)Raven & Eagle Nobles,commoners,slaves	Raven Eagle or Wolf frog auk goose bear owl eagle raven dogfish salmon whale sea lion wolf
World View	Raven as creator/trickster Winter ceremonials- potlatch	Potlatch a) world renewal, b) social mobility/giveaway, c. feast
Expressed Forms	Oral Traditions/songs wood, stone, metal, bone textile, baskets	Cedar totem poles, masks, bent boxes Art revival >1940

Red cedar was and is one of the most important resources in the Northwest Coast.

III. Contemporary Culture

      Although the Tlingit were able to remain in their original areas they faced great pressure and competition from European Americans. Russian fur traders, whalers, missionaries, gold seekers and outside fisherman all put pressure on Tlingit peoples but most of all brought diseases and imposed segregation. The Christianized Alaska Native Brotherhood (1912) eventually won desegregation by 1946. In 1962 the Alaska Federation of Natives fought to regain lost rights and resources. These efforts came to fruition with the Alaska Claims Settlement Act of 1971. The Tlingit and Haida formed the Sealaska Corp. to deal with resource management but by the 1980's was running into management problems itself. The United Tribes of Alaska was formed in 1983 to protect tribes/communities from loss of control of lands.

 Today the Tlingit live in their traditional geographical groups or kons that include hunting and fishing camps linked to a primary village or sometimes villages. The present kons include:

Links to Tlingit:

Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Tribes of Alaska

Alaskool

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Burke Museum, U. of Washington

Museum of Anthropology, U. British Columbia

Royal BC Museum, Victoria, B.C.

Copyright © S. J. Crouthamel