Culture of the Tlingit facts for kids
The culture of the Tlingit, an Indigenous group from Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon, is very rich and diverse. Like other groups in the Pacific Northwest, the Tlingit had easy access to many resources. Their culture strongly focuses on family, community, and storytelling. Being wealthy and powerful was important, but so was being generous and behaving well. These traits showed good manners and connections to important families. Art and spiritual beliefs are part of almost everything in Tlingit culture. Even everyday items like spoons and storage boxes are decorated and have special meaning.
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Contents
Family and Community
The Tlingit family system is based on a matrilineal structure. This means that family lines are traced through the mother, not the father. Tlingit society is divided into two main groups called moieties. These are the Raven (Yéil) and the Eagle/Wolf (Ch'aak'/Ghooch'). The Raven group uses the raven as its main symbol. The Eagle/Wolf group uses the wolf, eagle, or other animal symbols depending on the area. People from one moiety traditionally married someone from the other moiety. This system helped keep the community strong.
People usually identify more with their matrilineal clan (naa). A clan is a large group of people related by shared family history and rights. Clans own most of the formal property among the Tlingit, not individuals. Some clans are found across all Tlingit lands, while others are only in a few villages.
In traditional Tlingit society, the mother's brother (the children's maternal uncle) played a very important role. He was like a father figure, teaching and guiding the children. The biological father had a more relaxed relationship with his children. Many Tlingit children remember their fathers as fun and generous. They often felt more respect and a bit of fear towards their maternal uncles, who gave them strict training.
Below the clans are houses (hít). These are smaller family groups who used to live together in large communal homes. The house itself belonged to the clan, but the people living there were its caretakers. Each house had a leader called a hít s'aatí, which means "house master." This was usually an older male, or sometimes a female, who had high standing in the family. Important hít s'aatí who were major community leaders were called aan s'aatí or aankháawu, meaning "village master" or "village leader."
The hít s'aatí managed the property of the house and some clan property. They were like museum curators for valuable items and regalia. They could decide when items were used or displayed, but they didn't truly own them. They couldn't sell or destroy items without asking other family members. The hít s'aatí also made sure clan regalia were used at potlatches. This helped confirm the value and history of these items.
Historically, marriages among Tlingits were often arranged. The husband would move into the wife's house and join her household. He would help gather food and use his wife's clan's resources. Children belonged to the mother's clan. Marriages were often arranged so that a man married a woman from the same clan as his father, but not a close relative. This was considered ideal because the children could inherit wealth and prestige from their paternal grandfather.
Grandparents, especially grandfathers, often had a special bond with their grandchildren. They were known for spoiling them. A famous story tells how Raven tricked his grandfather into giving him the moon, stars, and sun, even after Raven's mischief.
Every Tlingit person belongs to a clan, either by birth or adoption. The relationship between a father and his children is warm and loving. This bond also affects the relationship between their two clans. In times of sadness or trouble, a Tlingit person can ask their father's clan for support. This connection can be so strong that it might even affect how two clans in the same moiety interact.
The strong connection between clans is also why potlatches involve giving gifts and services. Potlatches are especially important for funeral rituals. When a respected Tlingit person dies, their father's clan helps care for the body and manage the funeral. The deceased's own clan cannot do these tasks due to their grief. Later potlatches honor ancestors and thank the opposite clans for their help during difficult times. This give-and-take relationship between clans is very important for the well-being of a Tlingit community.
Historically, some Tlingit people had slaves, a practice that was common in many societies long ago.
Special Property
In Tlingit society, many things are considered property that might not be in other cultures. This includes names, stories, speeches, songs, dances, certain places (like mountains), and artistic designs. These ideas are similar to modern intellectual property laws. Other property includes buildings, rivers, totem poles, berry patches, canoes, and artworks. The Tlingit have worked to protect their cultural properties using modern laws.
It's important to know that Tlingit society has two ideas of property today. One is based on American and Canadian laws. The other is the traditional Tlingit concept. These two ideas can sometimes conflict regarding ownership, inheritance, and what can be owned. This causes disagreements both within the Tlingit community and with outsiders. The Tlingit use their traditional property concept mostly in ceremonies, such as after a death, when building clan houses, or raising totem poles.
The idea of copyright doesn't quite fit Tlingit art. In Tlingit culture, the ideas behind artistic designs are property themselves. If someone uses an artistic design without proving they own it, it's seen as taking someone else's property.
Stories are considered property of specific clans. Some stories are shared freely but are still known to belong to a certain clan. Other stories are restricted and can only be shared with permission from a clan member. However, some stories, like many funny tales in the Raven cycle, are considered public. Using characters or situations from stories that belong to certain clans without permission is seen as taking their property.
Songs are also clan property. Since songs are composed more often than stories, they are linked to individuals until that person dies. Then, ownership usually goes back to the clan. Some children's songs or lullabies are considered public. But any serious song, like a love song or a mourning song, is owned by its creator and cannot be sung or performed without the clan's permission.
Dances are also clan property, similar to songs. When people from different clans perform a dance, it's important to say who gave permission and who originally created or owns the dance.
Names are a different kind of property. Most names are inherited from a deceased relative and given to a living member of the same clan. However, young children might get a temporary name that fits them or recalls an event. These names are not as important as those passed down through many generations. Sometimes, names are 'stolen' from another clan if a debt is owed. The name is returned when the debt is paid.
Places and natural resources are also considered property. However, their ownership is less clearly defined than in European law. Tlingit places are not usually marked with clear boundaries. Ownership of a place is often linked to a valuable resource there, like salmon streams, herring spawning grounds, or berry patches. Some clans own mountain passes because they have special trading relationships with Athabascans who live in those areas.
Almost all of Southeast Alaska is divided into bays, inlets, and rivers belonging to specific Tlingit clans. But this doesn't usually stop people from gathering food or traveling. Clans often allow others to harvest resources in their areas, as long as people show respect. This applies to relationships within Tlingit society, but not always to governments or non-Tlingit individuals.
Potlatch Ceremonies
Potlatches (in Tlingit, koo.éex') are special ceremonies held for many reasons. These include deaths, births, naming ceremonies, marriages, sharing wealth, raising totem poles, and honoring leaders or those who have passed away.
The memorial potlatch is a very important Tlingit ceremony. It is held a year or two after a person dies to help the community heal. The deceased person's family can stop mourning. If the person was important, like a chief, their successor might be chosen at this potlatch. Clan members from the opposite moiety take part by receiving gifts and performing songs and stories. The memorial potlatch helps people deal with the sadness of death and the unknown of the afterlife.
Tlingit Art
The Tlingit carve symbols on totem poles made from cedar trees. These totem poles usually tell a story. Tlingit artists carve subjects like animals onto the poles. These images are stacked in a column from top to bottom.
Warfare and Armor
Tlingit Body Armor
The Tlingit used body armor that sometimes included Chinese cash coins. These coins came from Qing China through Russian traders in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Tlingit believed these coins would protect them from knife attacks and guns. Some Tlingit armor was completely covered in these coins, while others had them sewn in patterns. One Russian account from a battle in 1792 said "bullets were useless against the Tlingit armor." This might have been due to how inaccurate early muskets were. The Chinese coins might have also helped scare enemies more than actually stopping bullets. Besides armor, Tlingit people also used Chinese cash coins on masks and ceremonial robes. These coins were a sign of wealth and represented a powerful, faraway country. The coins found on Tlingit items are from the Qing dynasty and have inscriptions from emperors like Shunzhi, Kangxi, and Yongzheng Emperor.
Notable Tlingit People
- Nora Marks Dauenhauer
- Chief Shakes
- Elizabeth Peratrovich
- Walter Soboleff
- Ellen Hope Hays
- Chief Saanaheit
- Took̲
- Tayt beaven
