Tlingit Tribe Essay

The Tlingit are also known as Kolosh and are a tribe that live in the Southeastern coast, as well as the coastal islands of Alaska. The Tlingit's culture has been shaped by the conditions of the Alaskan area, which is mostly covered with mountains. The climate is temperate and humid and the forests are populated with animal life. The Tlingit Indians survived by fishing, hunting, and gathering.
The Tlingit Indians lived in three groups including the Yehl or Raven, Goch or Wolf, and Nehadi or Eagle. Each of these groups usually consisted of more than twenty clans. The clans may have contained two or more villages which was further divided into house groups which contained a few families.
The bands of the Tlingit Indians and the family groups were given their status based on the wealth, character, and ancestors of their members. The oldest male was the head of the family group. The family head with the highest status was the leader of the clan. There were no village leaders and disputes were mediated by the clan heads. The Tlingit Indians are known for their elaborate ceremonies. One of the more well-known ceremonies was the potlatch which was usually performed out of respect for the dead. These ceremonies traditionally lasted for four days. They consisted of dances, songs, performances, gifts, and a feast …show more content…
Religion, family life, politics, and art were affected as well. Diseases that were unknown to the Makah population, like smallpox and measles, caused epidemics that devastated the tribe. Missionaries the came in tried to wipe out ancient Makah ceremonies like potlatches, and replace these events with Christian practices and the families were forced to leave their traditional longhouses, where many related families lived and worked together, in order to live in single family houses. This change disrupted the way families interacted with each other and raised their