TLINGIT AND HAIDU IN ALASKA

THE ANCESTORS OF THE TLINGIT AND HAIDA ARRIVED IN ALASKA BETWEEN 7000 TO 9000 YEARS AGO. MOST NATIVES IN ALASKA TODAY NUMBER 80,000. TODAY THEY RECEIVE 100 SHARES OF STOCK IN THE CORPORATION AFFILIATED WITH THEIR VILLAGE. THE TLINGIT ARE PEOPLE OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA AND ARE RELATED TO CANADIANS. THEY PROBABLY SETTLED IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA BETWEEN 2000 TO 4000 YEARS BEFORE PRESENT. 15.000 PEOPLE WERE HERE BY THE TIME ANGLOS CONTACTED THEM. THEY BUILT LARGE HOUSES BETWEEN 40' x 6' AND HOUSED 4 TO 6 FAMILIES. SALMON WAS THEIR PRIMARY STAPLE, PLUS BEAR AND SMALL GAME, BERRY AND CLAM GATHERING. THE TLINGIT AND HAIDU UTILIZED HIGH QUALITY TIMBER FOR BUILDING DUGOUT CANOES AND TOTEM POLES. THE POLES WERE SYMBOLIC OF KINSHIP TERMINOLOGY AND STRATIFIED MATRILINEAL SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS OF TLINGIT AND HAIDA. THESE FOLKS WERE TRADERS AS WELL. THEY WERE GOOD ORGANIZERS AND NEVER WERE SUBJUGATED BY THE RUSSIANS THEY WERE THE FIRST TO ORGANIZE FIGHT FOR NATIVE AMERICAN RITES AND LAND OWNERSHIP. CURRENT BELIEF IS THAT HUMANS MIGRATED FROM SIBERIA SOMETIME BETWEEN 10,000 TO 30,000 YEARS AGO.

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