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 Auke are a tribe of the Tlingit. Their historic lands are near the current location of Juneau, Alaska. The Auke, like other southeast Alaska groups, traveled to fishing camps during the summer months. This photograph of an Auke fishing camp on the beach shows filleted halibut drying in front of the leftmost tent, and a mixture of Indigenous-made and commercially purchased items scattered around the campsite. In front of the rightmost tent, a seated woman prepares food near a large pot while a man and child stand nearby.

Caption on image: "Camp of Auk Indians, 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