Chief Shakes Tribal House was filled with curious visitors looking to learn about the Tlingits, a Native Alaskan people indigenous to Southeast Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Wrangell is home to many people of Tlingit descent, some of whom came together Saturday afternoon to share stories and pieces of their culture.
John Martin, who organized the event, said that he and several other participants wanted to share part of their native heritage. Tlingit culture is filled with stories, some of which can be found in people’s names.
Martin’s Tlingit name is Kháana wu Tlein, which roughly translates to “Big Dead Man.” Martin said that the name comes from his clan’s history. Long ago his clan was originally from the Yakutat area, but travelled away into Canada. However, when his tribe “remembered the taste of fresh salmon” they decided to try to return to the coast. They searched a long time for a new home with little luck, often being driven off by larger native clans. It was on some ice fields near present-day Juneau that the tribe eventually found itself, cold and starving. All of a sudden, a bear came by the clan and dropped dead next to their camp.
“He gives himself to the clan for food and the warmth of his hide,” Martin said. “When you dress a bear, you skin the bear, that’s what you see. You see a muscular man form. Tlingits refer to bears as ‘old man,’ ‘uncle,’ ‘grandfather.’ That’s how I found out I was born and named after that bear who gave his life for the clan.”
Another woman of Tlingit descent, Virginia Oliver, shared another Tlingit folk tale about the raven. Raven was a mischievous bird, Oliver said.
“His eyes are always busy,” she said. “They’re very little, black and beady, and they move around all the time.
“One day Raven was walking along the beach when he hears a story about a man with a magical club. This club, he heard, could summon any kind of food from the water. The owner of the club would dip his club into the ocean, think of whatever he wanted to eat, and it would appear.
“Raven just had to have this club. He goes to investigate. The man, he heard, kept his club hung up high on the wall in his house when it wasn’t in use, and it was only not in use when he slept. So Raven waited until the man fell asleep after a big meal and stole the club. He then took it down to the beach to see if the club was really magical or not.
“He went down to the water and he pulled in salmon, so many salmon! How many salmon could he eat?” Oliver asked. “Then he tiptoed back and he hung the stick up and he raced home.
“The man awoke the next morning fully aware of what Raven had done. He went to Raven’s home to find him asleep, fat and happy. Without a word the man pulled out Raven’s stomach and threw it onto the beach before marching back home. Raven awoke some time later feeling extremely hungry, and soon discovered there was a giant hole in his body where his stomach should be. He raced outside to find his stomach shriveled up in the afternoon sun. He put his stomach back where it belonged, but now he was always hungry because his stomach had dried out.”
Among the stories were also several songs and dances. It was explained to the audience that Tlingit people dance into a room backwards, with their backs facing the crowd. This isn’t to be rude, it is to show their clan crests, which are sewn onto the backs of their clothing. Another bit of information that was shared by Martin was that Tlingits do not show approval of something by applauding, but by stomping their feet.
Between the songs, dances and stories were also tidbits of history. Arthur Larson showed the audience an adze, a native carving tool similar to an axe, and explained how it was used to construct Shakes House.
He also explained the reasoning behind Shakes House having a small door, which forces people to bow their heads to enter. Small doors were common for Tlingit buildings, he said. This was for protection, he said, as it was easier for guards to club people over the head if their heads were bowed. Martin added that it was also a way to make people show respect to the people indoors as you came into their home.
Sandy Churchill, also took time to explain the meanings and purpose behind several items of Tlingit clothing.
“We used anything in the environment that was around us,” she said.
More Tlingit history can be learned at the Nolan Center, as well as at the Wrangell Cooperative Association.
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