Lingít haa sateeyí, we who are Tlingit: Contemporary Tlingit identity and the ancestral relationship to the landscape

Dissertation Defense by Vivian Martindale
March 18, 2:00 PM, Media Classroom, Rasmuson Library

Hoonah City Schools at Glacier Bay

Dog Point Lingit language immersion camp

Video of the public defense:
http://ankn.uaf.edu/media/videos/VivianPhDDefense.mov
(45.6 MB)

Abstract
Divergent views on the Tlingit ancestral relationship to the landscape of Southeast Alaska often leads to conflicts between western-oriented government agencies, public entities, and the Tlingit people themselves. To better understand this relationship, nine personal narratives were gathered from research participants within the Tlingit nation. The narratives provide insight into the dynamics at the intersection of conflicting worldviews and the role this plays in shaping contemporary Tlingit identity. The research has illuminated three factors influencing contemporary Tlingit identity: the loss and struggle with maintaining the Lingít language, implementation of subsistence regulations and resultant conflicts, and diminishment of the ceremony called a kóo.eex’ (a memorial party). In addition, within the Tlingit worldview there are oral histories, traditional values and concepts such as balance, respect, and at.óow which define ancestral relationships and identity. These findings also reveal that the means of imparting cultural knowledge and worldviews have changed.