Tlingit Haida Tsimshian Eyak Alaska State Museum ~ Juneau, Alaska
Southwest Alaska
Tlingit Haida Tsimshian Eyak
People of the Rain Forest
The Native people of Southeast Alaska, the world's northernmost temperate Eyak-thrive in a uniquely rich ecosystem, the world's northernmost forest. The mountainous shoreline of fjords & islands gathered ocean moisture in glaciers & icefields, in rivers thick with salmon, & in the deep moss of forests with towering spruce, hemlock & cedar trees, some a thousand years old.
Salmon feed the people, the wildlife, & the forest itself, bringing nutrients upriver to spawning grounds where the bodies of fish will ultimately fertilize the trees. The interconnectedness of this system lives in the cultures of the people, too. Tribes here are renowned for their complex societies, ceremonies, & spiritualism, the richness of their history, oral traditions, & the objects they make that reflect this abundant environment. Their distinctive artistic styles are acclaimed worldwide.
Respect & balance are basic values. People, & animals, plants & inanimate objects are part of one system. Everything has spirit worthy of respect. With proper treatment of salmon & animals taken for food, they return to feed the people again. This system of sustainability supported the people here for thousands of years, until the arrival of industrial resource development.
Tlingit Haida Tsimshian Eyak Alaska State Museum ~ Juneau, Alaska
Southwest Alaska
Tlingit Haida Tsimshian Eyak
People of the Rain Forest
The Native people of Southeast Alaska, the world's northernmost temperate Eyak-thrive in a uniquely rich ecosystem, the world's northernmost forest. The mountainous shoreline of fjords & islands gathered ocean moisture in glaciers & icefields, in rivers thick with salmon, & in the deep moss of forests with towering spruce, hemlock & cedar trees, some a thousand years old.
Salmon feed the people, the wildlife, & the forest itself, bringing nutrients upriver to spawning grounds where the bodies of fish will ultimately fertilize the trees. The interconnectedness of this system lives in the cultures of the people, too. Tribes here are renowned for their complex societies, ceremonies, & spiritualism, the richness of their history, oral traditions, & the objects they make that reflect this abundant environment. Their distinctive artistic styles are acclaimed worldwide.
Respect & balance are basic values. People, & animals, plants & inanimate objects are part of one system. Everything has spirit worthy of respect. With proper treatment of salmon & animals taken for food, they return to feed the people again. This system of sustainability supported the people here for thousands of years, until the arrival of industrial resource development.