Social Organization

The Tlingit and Haida had a highly stratified society consisting of nobles (anyeti), commoners, and slaves. Clan chiefs belonged to the nobility and had power, rank, and wealth. The nobility spoke for a clan and preserved its honor. A house leader, usually the oldest brother of the family matriarch, led the ceremonial activities.

The other two classes were commoners and slaves. Most Tlingits were commoners who did the necessary day-to-day work. Slaves, usually captives from war raids on other villages, were numerous. They brought water, hauled wood, repaired tools, gathered food, and other daily labor. Slaves were not members of the clans they served and could be bought and sold. At important ceremonies, slaves may be granted freedom or killed.

Outside of family and clan, the next social unit was villages. A village often had several different clans. These clans would band together for defense and village ceremonies. A group of villages would form a kwan. Kwans had defined borders, and the villages within them generally lived in peace and intermarried. 

No central government existed for the Tlingit. Decision-making and community leadership were at the clan and village level. Each village and clan house resolved its differences through traditional customs and practices.

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