The Tlingit Indians

by Erna Gunther (Translator), Aurel Krause

Overview

In 1881, two German geographers were on their way to the continental United States from the Bering Sea Coast when they came upon a Native population in southeast Alaska that had formed a society far more complex than those of most other North American tribes. Upon return to Germany, Aurel Krause published "The Tlingit Indians." In it were rich, detailed descriptions of the Tlingit kinship system, societal structure, village and family life, customs and traditions, subsistence living, arts and crafts, mythology and shamanism, a language glossary, and an extensive bibliography. Aurel's brother, Arthur, sketched many of the illustrations. This enduring comprehensive resource offers the contemporary reader a glimpse into the history and traditions of an important Northwest Coast culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935347255
Publisher:	Epicenter Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/15/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	362
Sales rank:	430,425
Product dimensions:	(w) x (h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	15 Years

About the Author

The late Dr. Erna Gunther was a professor of anthropology and director of the Washington State Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her research of the native people of the Pacific Northwest spanned six decades.

Aurel Krause and his brother, both geographers, documented their observations in 1881-82.

Table of Contents

Foreword 5

Preface 7

Introduction: The Journey 13

1 Historical Survey 25

2 The Territory of the Tlingit 71

3 The Tlingit People 85

4 Villages, Houses, and Inhabitants 113

5 Household Life 137

6 Fishing, Hunting, and Trade 151

7 Arts and Handcrafts 173

8 Birth, Education, Marriage, and Death 187

9 Customs of Peace and War 201

10 Myths of the Tlingit 215

11 Shamanism 239

12 Neighboring Tribes 253

13 Missions and Efforts at Civilization 273

14 The Language of the Tlingit 285

Notes 315

Bibliography 339

Index 349

Illustrations

The Russian castle at Sitka 68

Landscape along Indian River near Sitka 82

Chilkat Indian on a trading expedition 91

Chiefs of the Auks 92

Chief of the Huna 94

House in Angoon with a painted gable 95

House in Klukwan belonging to the chief of the Whale clan 114

Totem of the Whale clan (kit, whale) 114

Small house about twelve steps (feet?) square at Jendestake 116

Carved wooden figures at the sides of the inner entrance of a house at Klukwan 118

Wood carving on a wall board inside a house at Klukwan 119

Carved wooden figures in a house at Klukwan 120

Carved wooden figure at the inner entrance of a house in Klukwan 121

Wooden post with carved figure inside a house at Klukwan 122

Totem pole (Ku-ti-ga) in Huna 124

Don-e-wak, chief of the Chilkat 126

Jelchkuchu, son of Tschartritsch, first chief of the Chilkat 129

Inside a house at Klukwan 142

Women at Huna, planting potatoes 146

Huna Indian building a canoe 157

Indian women and canoes in Taku harbor 161

A Chilkat wolf trap 169

Chilkat woman weaving a dance blanket 175

Fishbone comb, gåkchedu, carved with bears head, from Huna 176

Stone mortars, tekajét, representing a frog, chichsch, from Klukan 180

A woman from Huna and her slave 189

Grave houses at Huna 196

Grave houses at Klukwan 197

Chief of the Huna with his wife in ceremonial regalia (with dance masks) 204

A wooden drum, about one meter high, a-niáti bigan (chief's drum) with carved front and painted side walls. From Huna 207

Tlingit dance rattle 208

Mrs. Dickinson 281

Plates

Plate I Household Utensils of the Tlingit 149

Plate II Fishing Tackle 159

Plate III The Preparation of Fish Oil 167

Plate IV Armor, Daggers and Various Weapons 183

Editorial Reviews

"The Tlingit Indians is one of the cornerstone of Tlingit ethnographic research and must in one's library on the subject."

--Peter L. Corey, Alaska State Museum Curator (retired)

From the Publisher