Mother as ClansWoman: Rank and Gender in Tlingit Society

Key Themes of Tlingit Society
The key to social status is wealth which is obtained through trade with other nations.
Individuals are ranked and treated according to their social rank and kinship standing
Early traders had little to do with Native life and local sovreignty was maintained.
The fishing and forest industry endangered the Northwest Coast cultures.
In Tlingit culture both males and females are eligible for roles such as shamans, orators, commercial artists, etc.
Highly seasonal, clear but not rigid sexual division of labor. Economy revolved around salmon.
males and females had specialties: men carved wood and women weaved baskets.
Political leadership was "embedded in the realms of kinship and rank" (Klein, 1995, p. 35).
Both males and females had the training to raise their social ranking.
It is the women who teach the clan lessons.



Important Quotes
"Outsiders, reflecting EuroAmerican cultural expectations, often notice that Native women in this are hold social and professional positions that they expect to be held by men" (Klein, 1995, p. 30).
"Tlingit women are found in the highest offices of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, government, social action groups, businesses, and cultural organizations" (Klein, 1995, p. 30).
"...gender is not the primary consideration in issues of power and authority" (Klein, 1995, p. 31).
According to traders "No bargain is made, no expedition set on foot, without first consulting the women" (Klein, 1995, p. 32).
The nuclear family "is a crucial unit for enculturation and emotional support for an individual, the larger kinship and residence units are extremely strong influences" (Klein, 1995, p. 41).
"...the day to day child care that has become defined as the primary responsibility of moth in Euro-American culture was not an all-encompassing role in traditional culture but one shared by many, especially grandmothers and grandfathers" (Klein, 1995, p. 42).
"...the successful mother reflects more on her son. She does not teach him that "he owes life, security, and position to her efforts" he recognizes this because it is true" (Klein, 1995, p. 44).



Thoughts/Reflections/Reactions
This article to me seemed very impersonal. Although it is full of information it seems to tell little of true Tlingit society. Here the Tlingit people are seen through an anthropological lens and what i learned is purely anthropological. I feel that it is most important to learn about culture, beliefs, spirituality, and way of life. Not about what a people ate, how their rank is set up from an outside perspective, etc. I am partial to readings like Strong Women Stories that are from a Natives' perspective, i feel that i learn more from an insiders perspective than from an outsiders perspective or from an anthropological perspective.