The People of the Tides

Rachel and I were tasked with researching about the Tlingits.
I had absolutely no idea who the Tlingits were, where they lived, let alone how to pronounce their name.

For starters it is pronounced as Klin-GIT or Klin-KIT. (Who saw that coming?)

I love learning about history, especially when the history is about specific people. I find it fascinating to shift through the details that make up a culture and construct a person's point of view. And I have often found that the minute details of history add up to the large portrait of our life now.

Last semester, in a Methods Literacy class, a group presented the story about The Raven, from a native american tribe. The group shared The Raven story briefly, revealing that the story describes how the sun is in the sky, why you can spark a fire with two pieces of stone and why ravens are black. I liked the story enough, I remembered small details but never decided to research the story. As I conducted research for the Tlingits I came upon The Raven story.

In this story, the Raven is white, not black. 

In this world there is no sun, no water and no fire. Instead, an old man, known as Grey Eagle, and his daughter hoard the sun, water and fire all to themselves. Raven wanted the world to have those things, so he turned himself into a handsome white bird and the Grey Eagle's daughter fell in love with him. Once Raven was inside their house, he saw the sun, water and fire handing along the walls. He knew he had to take them. 

When Grey Eagle and his daughter weren't looking, Raven stole the sun, water and fire and flew up the smoke hole. As he came up to the sky he released the sun which brightened the whole sky. He then dropped bits of water from his beak and created the rivers, oceans and lakes.

As Raven flew with fire in his beak, he tried to find a place to put it. But the fire became too hot and he dropped the fire. The smoke from the fire had blown smoke back across his body which made his feathers black. This is why ravens are black. The fire landed on stone and is now concealed within the stone. This is why you can rub two stones together and make fire.

I loved learning about the Tlingits and their culture. It was a great project to work on with another student as well. Rachel and I brainstormed about how to introduce the culture and began to really enjoy learning about a tribe we had never heard of before. 

I also learned a lot more about the history of Native Americans and the U.S. I was surprised to learn how long it took just for the native americans to reach a settlement with the U.S. and what actually came of the settlement. It is important, as an adult and some one who is educated, to continue to pursue education and fill any voids of your education independently. Native American history is a very big void for me and I feel a little more confident that I have filled it now. At least I know a portion more than I did before. 

Tlingit Raven Dancers