Tlingits & Haida

communities are located from just south of Ketchikan and are scattered northward across islands and mainland as far as the Icy Bay area

population at time of contact by Europeans is estimated to have been 15,000

Tlingit and Haida are almost always grouped together for statistical purposes

a total of 20,713 Tlingit and Haida, of which 16,771 are Tlingit

have always lived on these sacred and wondrous lands and waters of Southeast Alaska as the original occupants

All Haida and Tlingit clans are organized into two major moieties: Eagle and Raven

have made a transition to a written, formal process to engage in foreign government relationships

Foreigners continue to attack our rights to self-government as sovereign nations, while continuing the decimation of the Tlingit and Haida population, our traditional homeland

waters remain our highways

commerce includes a monetary system, as well as a bartering system, for the exchange of goods and services

ceremonies differ greatly from event to event

every material object or physical force could be inhabited by a spirit, Tlingit were taught to respect everything

penalty for disrespect was the loss of ability to obtain food

Each Tlingit had a mortal and an immortal spirit

Tlingit had a personal guardian spirit, or tu-kina-jek

Spirit doctors, or ichet, received more powerful spirits

Witches, or nukw-sati, sought evil power

Dancing societies never gained a major foothold in Tlingit society

sought their power primarily through their clan spirit doctor

Politicoreligious ceremonies called potlatches, or koolex, marked significant events

Spirits of the dead traveled to the appropriate level of heaven commensurate with their moral conduct in this life

the highest heaven, Kiwa-a, a realm of happiness

Dog Heaven, Ketl-kiwa, a place of torment

remained in the afterworld for a period of time and then returned to this world as a reincarnation of some deceased maternal relative

Tlingits have occupied this territory for a very long time. The western scientific date is of 10,000 years

original homeland of the Haida people is the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia

environment is a temperate rain forest

many tall and massive trees

Wood was the most important commodity

tools to make the wood into usable items were adzes, mauls, wedges, digging sticks

To cut the wood people used chipped rocks, bones, beaver teeth and shells

seasonal salmon runs

weirs (fences) and traps were placed in streams

Holding ponds were built in the inter-tidal region

Dip nets, hooks, harpoons and spears were also used to harvest salmon

specialized hook, shaped in a ‘V’ or ‘U’ form allowed the people to catch specific sized halibut

baskets were used for cooking, storage, and for holding clams, berries, seaweed and water

inner cedar bark was pounded to make baby cradle padding, as well as clothing such as capes, skirts, shorts and blankets

no central government existed

Decisions were made at the clan, village or house level

highly stratified culture, consisting of high-ranking individuals/families, commoners and slaves

unions were arranged by family members

Slaves were usually captives from war raids

had an exogamous (meaning they married outside of their own group), matrilineal clan system, which means that the children trace their lineage and names from their mother

children inherit all rights through the mother, including the use of the clan fishing, hunting and gathering land, the right to use specific clan crests as designs on totem poles, houses, clothing, and ceremonial regalia

In the Tlingit clan system, one moiety was known as Raven or Crow, the other moiety as Eagle or Wolf depending upon the time period

Haida have two moieties, Eagle and Raven, and also have many clans under each

used animal fur, mountain goat wool, tanned skins and cedar bark for clothing

After western trading, wool and cotton materials were common

main means of travel was by canoes

Haida canoes, made from a single cedar log up to 60 feet in length, were the most highly prized commodity

water supplied their main food. One of the most important fish was salmon

Steelhead, herring, herring eggs, and ooligans (eulachon) were also caught

lans owned the salmon streams, halibut banks, berry patches, land for hunting, intertidal regions, and egg harvesting areas

food was preserved by smoking in smokehouses or was dried, either by wind or sun

known for a ceremony called the “potlatch”

Potlatches were held for the following occasions: a funeral or memorial potlatch, whereby the dead are honored; the witness and validation of the payment of a debt, or naming an individual; the completion of a new house; the completion and naming of clan regalia; a wedding; the naming of a child; the erection of a totem pole; or to rid the host of a shame

Education

built their homes from red cedar, spruce, and hemlock timber and planks

houses, roofed with heavy cedar bark or spruce shingles, ranged in size from 35’-40’ x 50’-100’, with some Haida houses being 100’ x 75’

houses had a central fire pit with a centrally located smoke hole

Each local group of Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian had at least one permanent winter village

had winter villages along the banks of streams or along saltwater beaches for easy access to fish-producing streams

from the Copper River Delta to the Southeast Panhandle is a temperate rainforest with precipitation ranging from 112 inches per year to almost 200 inches per year

each house could hold 20-50 individuals with a village size between 300-500 people

lingit Indians and the Haida are closely related in culture

groups usually consisted of over twenty clans

lived in three groups including the Yehl or Raven, Goch or Wolf, and Nehadi or Eagle

clans may have contained two or more villages which was further divided into house groups which contained a number of families

groups were given their status based on the wealth, character, and ancestors of their members

no village leaders and disputes were mediated by the clan heads

known for their elaborate ceremonies

commonly encountered explorers looking for the Northwest Passage

live in southern Alaska and in British Columbia and the Yukon in Canada

In Canada, there are two separate Tlingit communities, called Masset and Skidegate

in Canada--is politically independent and has its own leadership

Tlingits belong to a coalition called the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

Tlingit is an endangered language because most children aren't learning it