Connection to Land and Geographical Context
All Indigenous People living in Alaska had a strong connection with the land, which influenced their lifestyles, the types of their dwellings, their interaction with the ground, and their religious views. The first significant issue is that the Eyak, the Tsimshian, the Tlingit, and the Haida had similar views on the peaceful coexistence of people and nature. All these tribes traditionally live on the Northwest Coast, and geographically, their territory extends from the Southeast Panhandle to the Copper River Delta (Blackman n.p.).
Significant precipitations characterize the climate in these territories, and it is the rainforest (Blackman n.p.). The ability of the Indigenous tribes to move from one place to another and to find food depends on the water resources. Therefore, the environment is the critical factor influencing all spheres of life in the Eyak, the Tsimshian, the Tlingit, and the Haida tribes.
Spiritual and Symbolic Relationship with Nature
Coexistence with the environment and harmony are the dominant issues in forming the views and behaviors of the Indigenous people. They were essential in developing Indigenous knowledge of the present and past. For example, the unity with nature was reflected in the symbols the tribes adopted as their totems and the animals they worshiped. At the same time, the choice of the animal totem was closely connected with the species that lived in the same region and had a significant role in the life of the particular Indigenous group.
The material side of Indigenous life was also based on the tribes’ desire to live peacefully in the environment. The interaction with the environment is possible to see in the notion of subsistence, which supposes that the Indigenous tribe consumes only those things it needs for survival. It does not take from nature more than people need to exist, which is a wise and sustainable attitude to resources.
Impact of Colonial Contact and Cultural Disruption
The difference in worldview between the Indigenous and Western populations leads to problems in their interaction. The Tlingit and the Haida tribes adapted to how the Europeans communicated, and they started selling goods to them. With time, the Europeans began their attempts to change the traditional ways of life of the Indigenous people, which resulted in the cultural pressure and physical extinction of the tribes. For example, America had an armed conflict with the Native population in the 19th century and even bombed an Indigenous village (Kiffer 1-2). Modern Indigenous people sometimes do not know that their grandparents belonged to the tribe, which is a sign of cultural destruction (Smith).
The government also did not support the Indigenous culture for many decades, which led to the gradual loss of the heritage (Abley). It states that the relationship between the Tlingit and the Haida tribes with Europeans was not ideal or smooth. In all cases, the Indigenous population is regarded as a vulnerable social group nowadays, and these contacts in the past contributed to this situation.
Reflections on Practicality
For the Western person, the Indigenous approach to life might not seem practical because it does not lead to the growth of the people’s well-being. However, it satisfies the principles of the Indigenous religious perception of the environment and the coexistence of humans and nature. It might be wrong to call the Indigenous approach to life impractical because they survived in the lands where they traditionally lived successfully. In all cases, the location of Alaska’s Indigenous People, particularly the Tsimshian, the Eyak, the Tlingit, and the Haida, was critical in developing their lifestyles and worldview based on coexistence with nature.
Works Cited
Abley, Mark. ‘It’s Like Bombing the Louvre.” The Guardian, 2008. Web.
Blackman, Margaret B., Davidson, Florence E. During My Time: Florence Edenshaw Davidson, A Haida Woman. University of Washington Press, 1992. Ebook.
Kifer, Dave. “US Navy Bombed Angoon 125 Years Ago.” Site News, 2007. PDF file.
Smith, Jen R. “Genealogy Project Documents Lineage of More Than 400 Eyak People.” The Cordoba Times, 2019. Web.