🦅 Tlingit

Who Are the Tlingit?

The Tlingit (Lingít, "People of the Tides") are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast, numbering approximately 25,000—primarily in Southeast Alaska, with some in British Columbia and Yukon. They speak Tlingit, a Na-Dené language distantly related to Navajo and Apache. The Tlingit developed one of the most sophisticated cultures in pre-contact North America, creating monumental art (totem poles, house screens), complex social organization (moieties, clans, houses), and a potlatch economy redistributing wealth through elaborate ceremonies. Their maritime culture thrived on salmon, halibut, and sea mammals in the rich waters of the Inside Passage.

Northwest Coast Culture

Tlingit culture exemplifies Northwest Coast complexity. Society divided into two moieties—Raven and Eagle/Wolf—each comprising multiple clans. Membership determined through matrilineal descent; marriage required partners from opposite moieties. Clan houses, fronted by totem poles announcing lineage and crest rights, could shelter 50+ people. The potlatch system—elaborate feasts where hosts gave away or destroyed wealth—established status and redistributed resources. Clan regalia (Chilkat blankets, carved helmets, copper shields) displayed at potlatches represented immense inherited wealth. This social complexity rivaled stratified societies elsewhere; slavery existed among some groups.

Art and Craftsmanship

Tlingit art ranks among the world's great artistic traditions. Totem poles—monumental cedar carvings depicting clan histories, myths, and crest figures—announced family identity. Bentwood boxes, carved from single planks, held valuables. Chilkat blankets, woven from mountain goat wool and cedar bark, displayed clan crests in geometric patterns. Button blankets, ceremonial robes with mother-of-pearl buttons forming crest designs, emerged post-contact. Carved masks, rattles, and feast dishes served ceremonial purposes. This artistic tradition, suppressed during colonization, has experienced remarkable revival; contemporary Tlingit artists are internationally recognized.

Russian and American Colonization

Russian colonization (1741-1867) brought violence—Tlingit resistance at Sitka (1802, 1804) challenged Russian dominance. American purchase (1867) brought new pressures: missionaries suppressed potlatch and traditional practices; children were sent to distant boarding schools; commercial fishing and canneries disrupted traditional economy. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA, 1971) created regional corporations rather than reservations—Sealaska Corporation represents Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. This corporate structure differs fundamentally from Lower 48 tribal sovereignty, creating both economic opportunities and cultural challenges.

Contemporary Tlingit

Modern Tlingit navigate between traditional and corporate structures. Language revitalization addresses severe decline (fewer than 500 fluent speakers, mostly elderly). Cultural camps teach traditional skills; ceremonial life continues with potlatches and clan gatherings. Sealaska Heritage Institute preserves and promotes culture. Artists like Nathan Jackson and Preston Singletary achieve international recognition. Subsistence rights—hunting, fishing, gathering—remain central to identity and contested legally. Tourism brings economic opportunity but also commodification concerns. How Tlingit balance ANCSA's corporate model with traditional clan governance, maintain language, and protect subsistence rights shapes this maritime people's future.

References

• Emmons, G. T. (1991). The Tlingit Indians (edited by Frederica de Laguna)
• Dauenhauer, N. M. & Dauenhauer, R. (1987). Haa Shuká, Our Ancestors: Tlingit Oral Narratives
• Worl, R. (1998). "Tlingit At.óow: Tangible and Intangible Property"