Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-01-12


~ the Tlingit were found Ia pos
session of southeastern Alas
ka, with the exception possibly of the
southernmost portion of Prince of
Wales island, which had been wrested
from them by invading Haida from
Masset on the Queen Charlotte islands
during the latter half of the eighteenth
century. From the testimony of the
early explorers, this occupation seems
to have been of sufficient age to have
developed a racial type, speaking the
same tongue, acknowledging estab-
lished laws, and bound by like con-
ventions, says an article by George L.
Emmons in the American Museum
Journal.
What knowledge we can gather of
their origin and early life from their
family traditions, songs and geo
graphical names, although fragmen-
tary and vague, tells consistently of
uniform northward migration by wa
ter, along the coast and through the in
land channels from the Tsimshian Pc
ninsula and Prince of Wales island,
which was constantly augmented by
parties of interior people descending
the greater rivers to the sea.
The social organization of the Tin
git is founded on matriarchy, or de-
scent through the mother, and is de-
pendent upon two parties, the men,
bers of each of which may not marry
among themselves, but the two parties
intermarry and supplement each 9TH
er upon the many ceremonial occasions
that mark their intercourse.
The two parties are subdivided into
fifty-six existing families or clans
founded on blood relationship and alb
solutely independent ia government
succession, inheritance and territory
Within the family there is a well-de-
fined aristocracy, wholly dependent
upon birth, from which the chiefs are
chosen; an intermediate class consist
ing of those who have forced them
selves to the front, through wealth
character or artistic ability; and the
poorer people. In earlier days there
were many slaves who had no recog
nized rights.
chilkat the Leading Tribe.
Geographically considered, there arr
16 tribal divisions known as "kwans,
contraction of ska" (man) and IAN
Gland lived on or claimed). Of thes,
several tribes the Chilkat-kwan hai
been the most prominent since our &C
quaintance with Alaska. The relativ'
Importance of a primitive people il
measured by conditions of food suppl,
and other natural resources. The com
manding position of the Chilkat, at tn
head of the inland channels CONTROL
ing the mountain passes to the interi
or, gave them the monopoly of the fu
trade of the upper Yukon valley, an,
the placer copper fields of the Whit
river region. These products, unknown
to the coastal area, were economical
important in primitive days, and afte
the advent of Europeans the increase
demand for furS, and their create
value, made this trade even more 1t
crative. The Tlingit were a cano
people and might be termed semi-nt
madic, as they were on their fluntin
grounds in the early spring and lat
fall, while the summer season wa
spent in the fishing camps by the sa
mon streams; but notwithstandin
these long absences, they built sui
stantial villages, where, except for 81
cial activities. they spent the winter
comparative idleness.
AS they looked to the sea for the
principal food supply, their village
were directly on the shore just aboy
the high water-mark, in sheltere
coves, where they could launch the
canoes and land in any weather an
at any stage of the tide. But the Chi
kat, differing from all the other Tin
it, lived just beyond the open wat'
in rather restricted territory on ri
ers that were veritable storehouses
food, bringing an abundance of fish Iii
to their very doors and so permittir
them to remain at home througho1
the year, except when on their tradil
trips to the interior, which gave the
t habitations more permanent chara
ter, and contributed to the unity
3 communal life. 80