﻿INDIAN 
  VILLAGES 
  OF 
  ALASKA 
  KRIEGER 
  481 
  

  

  Tlingit. 
  This 
  was 
  cooked. 
  Scrapings 
  of 
  spruce 
  bark 
  were 
  molded 
  

   into 
  cakes 
  and 
  consumed 
  later, 
  together 
  with 
  oil 
  as 
  a 
  seasoning. 
  

  

  Native 
  impleTnents 
  and 
  industries. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  

   varying 
  degrees 
  of 
  development 
  reached 
  by 
  the 
  comparatively 
  iso- 
  

   lated 
  tribes 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  in 
  the 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  

   culture 
  pattern. 
  If 
  one 
  were 
  to 
  rate 
  the 
  various 
  culture 
  areas 
  of 
  

   native 
  America 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  sum 
  total 
  of 
  their 
  achievement, 
  the 
  

   tribes 
  of 
  southeast 
  Alaska 
  would 
  rank 
  next 
  to 
  Mexico 
  and 
  Peru. 
  Yet 
  

   the 
  peoples 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  areas 
  possessed 
  domesticated 
  animals 
  and 
  a 
  

   complex 
  system 
  of 
  agriculture 
  while 
  the 
  northwest 
  coast 
  peoples 
  had 
  

   neither 
  domesticated 
  animals 
  nor 
  did 
  they 
  practice 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  

   the 
  soil. 
  They 
  were 
  hunters 
  and 
  fishers 
  only. 
  

  

  Copper 
  was 
  worked 
  by 
  them 
  only 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  ext-ent, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  obtain. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  iron 
  could 
  be 
  procured 
  from 
  tlie 
  

   whites, 
  metal 
  was 
  worked 
  with 
  considerable 
  skill. 
  Formerly 
  tools 
  

   were 
  principally 
  of 
  nephrite, 
  greenstone, 
  or 
  other 
  hard 
  stone. 
  An 
  

   excellent 
  stone 
  Imife 
  was 
  collected 
  by 
  J. 
  R. 
  Swanton 
  from 
  an 
  old 
  

   Tlingit 
  village 
  site, 
  illustrating 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  excellence 
  formerly 
  

   attained 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  stone 
  implements 
  required 
  to 
  produce 
  

   their 
  many 
  totemic 
  and 
  realistic 
  carvings 
  in 
  wood, 
  horn, 
  and 
  bone. 
  

  

  As 
  fishing 
  was 
  the 
  principal 
  industry, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fishing 
  appli- 
  

   ances 
  in 
  use 
  was 
  quite 
  large. 
  Hooks 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  bone, 
  lines 
  of 
  

   spruce 
  or 
  cedar 
  bark, 
  kelp, 
  or 
  whalebone; 
  gigs, 
  gaffs, 
  harpoons, 
  

   spears, 
  rakes, 
  and 
  various 
  kinds 
  of 
  nets 
  were 
  used 
  ; 
  weirs 
  were 
  built 
  ; 
  

   bird 
  calls 
  and 
  clubs 
  were 
  fashioned. 
  

  

  Bark 
  was 
  extensivelj^ 
  utilized, 
  the 
  region 
  being 
  especially 
  produc- 
  

   tive 
  in 
  raw 
  material 
  of 
  this 
  nature, 
  and 
  baskets 
  of 
  fine 
  quality 
  and 
  

   mats 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  cjuantity. 
  Boxes 
  of 
  mortised 
  and 
  painted 
  wood 
  

   were 
  used 
  as 
  storage 
  receptacles, 
  and 
  ceremonially 
  also 
  as 
  mortuary 
  

   pieces; 
  spoons 
  of 
  horn 
  and 
  wood,, 
  and 
  wooden 
  and 
  horn 
  dishes 
  were 
  

   beautifully 
  carved 
  with 
  totemic 
  figures 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  ends. 
  Such 
  

   decorative 
  objects 
  are 
  frequently 
  inlaid 
  with 
  abalone 
  shell 
  and 
  ivory. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  artistic 
  objects 
  illustrating 
  the 
  totemic 
  art 
  of 
  the 
  

   Alaskan 
  natives 
  at 
  its 
  best 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  carved 
  and 
  painted 
  

   wooden 
  boxes, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  carved 
  wooden 
  bowls, 
  spoons, 
  and 
  other 
  

   utensils 
  and 
  dishes 
  shaped 
  from 
  wood 
  and 
  antler 
  horn. 
  

  

  Weapons 
  and 
  ofrnior. 
  — 
  Bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  hunting. 
  The 
  

   bow 
  is 
  plain 
  and 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  broad 
  stave; 
  another 
  variety, 
  reinforced 
  

   with 
  sinew, 
  is 
  occasionally 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  Tlingit. 
  Clubs 
  and 
  dag- 
  

   gers 
  both 
  plain 
  and 
  decorative 
  occur 
  in 
  great 
  numbers. 
  Formerly 
  the 
  

   clubs 
  were 
  shaped 
  from 
  wood 
  which 
  was 
  often 
  intricately 
  carved. 
  

   Clubs 
  of 
  stone, 
  antler, 
  and 
  whalebone 
  and 
  daggers 
  of 
  whalebone 
  and 
  

   copper 
  were 
  fashioned 
  before 
  contact 
  was 
  establishe'd 
  with 
  the 
  traders 
  

   of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  Bay 
  Co. 
  and 
  the 
  Russians. 
  Cuirasses 
  of 
  wooden 
  slats 
  

  

  