Tongass

"Anthropological and archeological sources indicate that the Tongass Tlingit people of southern southeast Alaska have been a Kwaan or Tlingit group for hundreds if not thousands of years. Regardless, of this scholarly recognition, the federal government has not acknowledged the Tongass as a tribe. This research utilizes contemporary ethnographic fieldwork and is complimented by archeological, archival, and ethnographic fieldwork and is complimented by archeological, archival, and ethnohistorical sources to document the Tongass or Taantakwaan cultural identity. This study focuses on how culture and identity is created and maintained for the Tongass people. The driving forces behind both the individual identity and the group identity or sense of community for the Tongass are: (1) Tlingit kinship and social organization; (2) the transmission of knowledge; and (3) their connection to the land and resources. These three aspects of Tongass cultural identity are intertwined. This study concentrates on how the Tongass Taantakwaan people are perceived as a distinct community by themselves and others"--Leaf ii