Tlingit Myth Anthologies
Also known as: Tlingit Myths and Texts, Tlingit Myths and Legends, Tlingit Oral Narratives
Collected Tlingit oral narratives—centered on Raven and clan-origin cycles—preserve cosmogony, social law, and ecological ethics from coastal Alaska. Early twentieth-century anthologies document multiple versions across houses and clans.
Description
This entry covers major published anthologies of Tlingit myths recorded from tradition bearers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The corpus is anchored by Raven’s world-ordering exploits—releasing the sun, moon, and stars; shaping tides and rivers; and negotiating the relations among humans, animals, and spirit beings. Alongside Raven cycles appear clan origin histories, marriage-with-spirit narratives, encounters with the Land-Otter People, flood and deluge memories, and etiologies for salmon, killer whales, and landmark sites. Variants reflect house-owned histories and the performative context of storytellers, with careful attention to names, places, and ritual property.
Historiography
The principal early collection is John R. Swanton’s 1909 Bureau of American Ethnology volume, based on fieldwork with Tlingit narrators between 1904 and 1908. Subsequent documentation by G. T. Emmons and Frederica de Laguna expanded regional coverage and ethnographic context, noting clan ownership and performance protocols. Editorial practice preserves multiple variants rather than a single redaction, consistent with Boasian methods. Later reprints and community editions emphasize native orthographies and cultural stewardship, while scholars compare Tlingit cycles with Haida and Tsimshian parallels across the Northwest Coast.
Date Notes
Core early corpus recorded by John R. Swanton (fieldwork 1904–1908; published 1909) with later contributions by Emmons, de Laguna, and others.
Archetypes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Raven
- Eagle
- Killer Whale
Myths
- Raven Steals the Light
- The Origin of Salmon Runs
- Bear Wife and Clan Ancestries
- Killer Whale and Sea Spirit Encounters
Facts
- Most early texts were recorded in Tlingit with English translations, preserving name forms and place references.
- Narratives are often property of specific clans and houses, with protocols governing performance and reproduction.
- Raven (Yéil) functions as both trickster and culture hero, ordering the cosmos yet violating norms.
- Variants differ by region (e.g., Sitka, Yakutat, Chilkat) and by narrator lineage.
- Swanton’s 1909 publication established a comparative baseline across Northwest Coast traditions.
- Land-Otter People (Kushtaka) episodes encode dangers of liminality and loss of human identity.
- Fog Woman cycles explain salmon abundance, reciprocity, and seasonal dependence.
- Myths frequently serve as charter narratives for clan crests, rights, and territorial claims.
- Environmental knowledge—tides, salmon runs, storms—structures plot logic and ritual practice.
- Later editors emphasize community collaboration and culturally appropriate permissions.