The Tlingit Indians in Russian America, 1741–1867 (review)

For more than two centuries the lifestyle and culture of the Tlingit, who occupy the rugged mainland and fjord-ridden archipelago of the southeastern Alaskan panhandle, have attracted attention from folklorists, ethnologists, and historians. Dense forests, turbulent rivers, and abundant marine and plant resources helped create a flourishing society, the origin of which can be traced to the first millennium of the Common Era.

Driven by the quest for furs, Russian adventurers began exploring the wild coasts of Alaska in the waning decades of the eighteenth century. The Russian–American Company (RAC) led the charge by regulating settlements and exchanging merchandise. In 1788, Russians reached Yakutat Bay, thus inaugurating a long-lasting relationship with the Tlingit. The establishment of a fort at Sitka (Novo-Arkhangel’sk) in 1799 led to the first violent encounters; the pugnacious Tlingit were initially successful in defeating the Russians. The Tlingit maintained their independence in subsequent decades, even as their interest in European products increased. In contrast to the experience of other Native Americans, the Tlingit were able to prosper, thanks, in part, to the administrative and organizational activities of the RAC.

The pioneering efforts of Frederica De Laguna (who has published a stream of works in recent years, including the three-volume Under Mount Saint Elias) marked a turning point in the study of Tlingit culture. Bland and Solovjova’s translation of Andrei V. Grinev’s monograph (originally published in Novosibirsk in 1991) is a welcome addition to the literature on Native Americans. What makes the study admirable is Grinev’s weaving of ethnographic and historical sources into a critical synthesis touching upon nearly every aspect of Tlingit life during the Russian–American period.

Grinev’s introduction assesses De Laguna’s work and other major studies dealing with the Tlingit, underscoring the significance of Russian archives for Native American history. The core of the book is divided into three sections: the Tlingit before European contact, Tlingit life during the Russian–American period, and the influence of European contact on Tlingit culture.

Before the arrival of Europeans the Tlingit never formed a single ethno-social organism (although various clans maintained ties due to common language, customs, and territory). The name—tlinkí,—meaning “human,” helped distinguish them from other indigenous peoples. The fundamental unit of Tlingit society consists of matrilineal clans of two exogamous moieties. Tribes were often formed through the unification of several clans that inhabited neighboring territories and intermarried. Marriage was almost always with a member of the father’s clan, and polygamy was a rather common occurrence, especially among the aristocracy. Grinev shows how the fluid, heterogeneous Tlingit society was divided into elites, commoners, slaves, shamans, and other units based on wealth, talent, and status.

Well before European contact, the Tlingit maintained a highly developed economy based on fishing and handicrafts and engaged in intertribal trade. An interesting aspect of Tlingit economy was the potlatch. Often lasting several days, the potlatch included dancing, joking, costume display, and (most importantly) the lavish bestowal of gifts among the guests by the host. Grinev’s discussion of the potlatch sheds light on many topics, from gender roles and wealth distribution, to social mores and spiritual life (70–73, 219–21).

As Russian explorers soon discovered, the Tlingit were warlike and lived by the law of blood feud. Frequent wars between clans of different tribes, often in response to insults, led to the development of sophisticated armament and tactics. Warriors battled clad in moose hides and wood slats, brandishing heavy clubs, daggers, bows and arrows, and later, European firearms. Warfare was brutal. Enemies lost their heads and had their scalps exhibited as trophies. Women and children could be captured and used as slaves, a practice that the Europeans (somewhat ironically) were able to extinguish. Grinev explores the complex role of warfare in Tlingit society, where bellicosity existed despite the absence of a professional warrior class...