Social condition, beliefs, and linguistic relationship of the Tlingit Indians / by John R. Swanton.

  • Swanton, John Reed, 1873-1958.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Social condition, beliefs, and linguistic relationship of the Tlingit Indians / by John R. Swanton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/148 (page 398)
    31)8 THK TLINOIT INDIANS {kth. ak». 26 Some of the forej^oiiig' names represent prolwibly little more than camps, wliilo others were flesif^nations of towns once occupied hy people who are now living' elsewhere. Dialectically the Yakntat were set off from all others, and there was also a certain dialectic, as well as social, di-stinction between the north- ern and the southern members of the remaining groups. They will be referred to as “ northern” and “southern.” pyach smaller group also had certain minor dialectic peculiarities. Besides these geographical divisions, which one might almost c*all “ involuntai'3’,” the Tlingit were separated socially into two sides or phratries, each strictly exogamic with descent through the mother. One phratiy was known as Raven throughout all of the divisions, while the other was usually called ^Tolf and in the north also Eagle. One small group was outside of both the phratries and its members could many into either. Each phratiy was subdivided into clans or consauguineal bands, the members of which were more closely I’elated to one another than to other members of the phratry; and each of these bands usually derived its origin from some town or camp it had once occupied. The}' were, therefore, in a wa}'^ local groups, but they differed from the geograph- ical groups just referred to in.being social divisions instead of compris- ing the accidental occupants of one locality. Thus ever}^ geographical division contained members of both phratries and usually of several clans of each phratry, while on the other hand a clan was often dis- tributed among two or more geographical groups. Finally the clans were subdivided into house groups, the members of which might occupy one or several houses. As it will not be profitable to more than mention the names of man}’- of the tribal divisions, instead of discussing them at length, the following lists are subjoined. The first gives the geographical groups, the clans, and the phratry to which each of the clans belonged, and the second the house groups under each clan as far as ascertained; Raven Wole TONGAS GfinAXA'di (people of (.liViiAx) Te'qoedi (peopleof the island Teq®) D\qL!awe'di SANYA KiksA'di (people of the island Kiks) Te'qoevli NexA'di (people of Nex). [Ont«ide of either elan] IIKNYA Te^nedi (bark-house ])eople) KInxiiie'di (marten people) Takane‘'dl (wint«*r peojde) CAiikuke'di (peojde <>f (Tm, or as l>elow) lA|oaye'di liaq!(3'shit tiin (huinan-foot-house i*eoide)