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When Many Came Alaska's natural resources have drawn many nations to its shores. Russian, Spanish, French, British, and American explorers and fur traders all arrived in their sailing ships in the last quarter of the 1700s. At first Russia dominated the market, establishing fur trading headquarters in southeast Alaska. Tlingit elders still tell the story of their ancestors' first meeting with white men. Except for introducing diseases, early trading encounters did not greatly interrupt traditional Tlingit life. The United States purchase of Alaska in 1867 brought settlers, missionaries, educators, gold prospectors, and fish canneries. This influx of outside philosophies and economic interests severely impacted Tlingit land ownership, language, culture, and self-esteem.
Alaskan Tlingits have a unique status in the United States as a result of their historic
Indian rights movement that began early in the twentieth century. As a result of
the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Tlingit people
do not reside on reservations but are shareholders in their own regional corporation,
Sealaska Corporation, and a
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