This is a sample of a Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian village site. They live most like our coastal native americans who lived in long houses, down in Washington state because they live in the SE part of Alaska and it's really similar.
This lady told us a lot. She was making bracelets out of ox hide. She used an Ulu knife which is kind of like a chopper (we went to the factory where they make them).In the center of this house was a giant fire pit.
The next few villages were similar to each other but different than the Tlingit village. They were all half subterranean, so half of the shelters were underground and the other half above ground.
Me writing my notes. I learned that atlatls (arrow throwing tools) need to be made for each specific person... they didn't really use one another's. It needed to be measured from the tip of your middle finger to your elbow. I want to try to make one.
All of the subterranean houses had escape doors that were actually smaller than this so bears couldn't get in.
Fox is a lot softer than I thought it was.
This is the foot of the harbor seal. They are huge compared to little sea otters.
They used whale bones for weapons & tools.
This is a baby seal skin that they filled with air and used as a buoy. The whale hunters would attach these to the harpoons and be able to see where the whale was when it was getting tired.
This is one of the coolest things I saw. It is called a fish wheel that the Athabascans used. Usually they are a lot bigger. They put these in the river and the wheel turned 3 scoops. They'd scoop salmon that were swimming by and as the wheel turned and one of the scoops would come up, there was a hole in the side where the salmon would slide out and fall into a basket. They got lots of fish like this.
This is called Babeesh. It is moose skin that they'd soak, then cut into a long spiral rope. It is a lot tougher than rope and can hold about 2,000 lbs. They used it for holding together logs in their houses, or in traps, or anything you'd use rope for.
This village had separate houses for men and women. The boys stayed with their dads and the other dads; and, the girls and their moms stayed in another house. The men taught the boys how to be good men, make weapons and hunt. The women taught the girls how to prepare food and tools. At night, the women would deliver food to the men's house and there would be music and community time for everyone.
Me taking more notes.
These were some dancers and drummers.
Someof the headdresses that the women wore were a sign of wealthiness. Each bead was worth about $20, so the longer the headdress, the more it showed how rich the lady.
Mom and me in front of the Native Alaskan Center. This was a really fun trip. We took the shuttle back into Anchorage.
1 comment:
It amazes me how the native Americans were so good at living off the land. I am glad that you learned a lot about that. PS. You and your mom look great!!!
Post a Comment