The Tlingit of Sitka
How the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska lived, and how a Tlingit host raised his rank at a potlatch. This excerpt uses two paragraphs of the page. It leaves out the rest of the page, which covers Russian traders, the 1804 Battle of Sitka, and the park today.
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The Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska were among the earliest people to do well from the rich resources of Sitka. They lived on what they harvested from Sitka’s waters and forests. They did well in the weather, which stayed free of snow and ice all year. The warm waters of the Japanese current helped keep it that way. Sitka is near the Pacific Ocean. So the Tlingit were mainly a maritime people. Their diet was mostly salmon, shellfish, halibut, sea mammals, and other fish from the rivers and the open sea. Sitka also gave them raw materials. They used these to make 60-foot-long canoes, homes for many families, bowls, and boxes for storing food for the winter.
The Tlingit were a sociable group with a rich cultural life. The Tlingit clan of Sitka gathered with relatives from nearby communities. They marked weddings, births, and other special occasions. They celebrated by dancing, eating, and exchanging gifts. Before setting out on fishing and trading trips, they performed ritual dances. These were meant to bring good luck in their search for food and other valuable resources. Apart from dancing, the most important ceremony was the potlatch. The Tlingit held it in the winter, and it lasted for several days. A member of the tribe would usually host it in his home. He would give away his possessions to his guests. This raised his social rank in the Tlingit community. At the potlatch, invited guests brought food for the host. This custom grew into the potluck of today, a well-known tradition in American culture.