So my grandmother was half native Alaskan, but she wasn’t raised knowing anything about it since her mother left Alaska to escape and begin a new life.

I know I’m not super native since at this point it would only be about an 8th left in me but I still am registered with Sealaska and I just want to know, anything. I would love to learn about my culture, I think things like beadwork would be cool if anyone could point me to resources, or something if I’d be able to pin point the village we came from because that was lost a few generations ago as it just was information withheld. All my family has known that that we are Tlingit and that was it, I would love to be able to learn the language and my heritage if anyone has resources.

Sorry if the formatting is weird I am on mobile! But I appreciate anything I can learn about my family!

Hey folks, I’ve been dating my Tlingit girlfriend for almost 4 years now and her birthday is coming up. I’d like to get her something authentic to her culture, we live in Washington State and all of her family lives back on their island of Kake, Alaska.

Im thinking something in the jewelry department, particularly earring, but im open to other ideas. She particularly loves beaded jewelry, or jewelry made of bone, porcupine quill or feathers. She has some moose teeth earrings that are very very unique and beautiful.

But yeah, for those of you who are Tlingit, essentially I’m looking for both gift suggestions and help finding where I can purchase a gift like this. Perhaps help finding Tlingit artists on Etsy etc. I really want to support her and her culture and make sure that whatever I’m buying is authentic and not a knock off or stolen design, that I’m supporting someone who is Tlingit.

Thank you so much in advance!

I would like to start by saying that technology has some great advantages in regards to reaching out to communities we wouldnt normally have access to. I learned a number of years ago that my grandfather registered myself and my sister at birth, enrollment and updating info is not my concern.

What I really want to know is, how can I learn more about my culture, the Tlingit culture, and where I come from? I have recently learned there are different clans within the tlingit community but I have no idea where to start to learn these things. Side note, grandpa has passed already.

Hi everyone, I am an indigenous native from sitka I have lived in Reno Nevada most of my life. I decided it's finally time to get in touch with my roots and traditions. I would like to start with language first. Before I start phrases along with alphabet and grammar I really would like to know the structure. No one in my area teaches so I'm a bit lost. Is it like English and how we use nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs, any help would be fantastic 😊

Hi! I am a non-native person and am curious to learn more about the significance of orcas in Tlingit culture. I read about a gray whale that washed up on the Oregon coast and the Coquille Indian Tribe was able to conduct a traditional ceremony and harvest its blubber and bones. I've heard that killer whales are important figures in Tlingit stories, so I was wondering if a dead orca washed up on a shore in Juneau, for example, would Tlingit folks do something similar? Would there be a ceremony or funeral of sorts, if they were able to, and if so, what might that look like?

Thanks so much.

I am curious, as a non-native person, if potlatches are currently celebrated in modern Tlingit culture. If so, what are they like? Is there music, food, or a certain structure to the celebrations?

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I was maybe a year old or not even when I got very terrible pneumonia. Me and my parents lived in Sitka Alaska at the time because my dad was in the military. My parents were very worried for me and doctor said I might not make it and might have to be transferred to a children’s hospital in anchorage the next day. That same day a local tribe was in the hospital and asked my parents if they can pray over me to feel better. My parents, both caucasian, said of course and that anything helps at this point. My parents told me they huddled in a circle around me in my hospital room and chanted their native tongue for a pretty long time then left. Then next day my fever went away and I was back to normal standing in my crib. Doctors said they could not believe it that I was healthy again. This happened in about 2001 and I just want to understand the tribe better and what they believe and what possibly they could have been chanting. My parents are forever grateful for them and I believe they helped me get back to health as well. Thank you to the Native Americans and i can speak on my behalf and my family’s that we are forever grateful for you! Anything helps and thank you!