The Tlingit people have lived on the coast and islands of what is now southeastern Alaska since time immemorial. Tlingit society is organized into clans, which follow maternal descent. Fishing, gathering, and hunting were central to historic Tlingit lifeways – they used salmon, shellfish, seals, berries, deer, and other food sources. They used every part for different purposes, not wasting anything. The Tlingit also had many uses for cedar trees, from houses to totems, canoes, and baskets. Canoes were one of the main modes of transport for the Tlingit and enabled them to travel and trade not only amongst each other but also with neighboring peoples north and south along the Pacific coast.

The Taku are a tribe of northern Tlingit whose traditional lands extended along the Taku River and included the area northeast of Juneau, Alaska. The northern Tlingit traded heavily with merchant vessels and bartered for large numbers of imported goods. In this image, Chief Anotklosh (also spelled 'Ano-Thlosh' or 'Ano-Tlosh'), chief of the Taku, wears a woven Chilkat blanket made from cedar bark and mountain goat wool which had been dyed yellow, black and blue-green. He holds a carved wooden bird rattle and wears a European military-style cap. Chilkat blankets, named after one of the Tlingit tribes, are elaborate ceremonial blankets made by the Tlingit as well as neighboring peoples. They feature abstracted images of animals and are traditionally worn during important events.

Caption on image: "Chief Anotklosk Chief of the Taku Tribe, Juneau, Alaska."
Inscription: W. H. Case, 144-N, Juneau, Alaska

Caption information source: "Our History," Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, retrieved from http://www.ccthita.org/about/history/index.html
Caption information source: "Unpacking a phrase: The Chilkat blanket," by Christy Christodoulides, Burke Museum, retrieved from https://www.burkemuseum.org/news/unpacking-phrase-chilkat-blanket