「HIBIKI ～RHYTHM of DNA～」Documentary Film
3rd Chapter ‘Alaskan Tlinguit tribes’
PROJECT OUTLINE DOCUMENT
2014.9.23
#About the Alaskan Tlinguit tribes
[What is the Tlinguit tribe?]
The Tlinguit tribe represents a group of Native
Americans who live along the coast of the
southeastern Alaska covered with forests and
in nearby islands.
They are a maritime tribe forming a maternal
society, living on fishing, hunting, and
gathering.
(* A marriage is supposed to be created by
choosing a partner from the other group, and
the babies should belong to the group of the
mother.)
All the tribe people belong to either of the group, “raven” or “bald eagle,” each
of which has its branched clans, such as bear, wolf, killer whale, salmon, and
frog.
The Tlinguit tribe is also known for its totem poles, which are a sign of a
maritime people.
[Clothing]
The Tlinguit tribe’s traditional costume is
mostly made of animal fell. No cotton is used.
They use skin and hide of sea animals, such as
seals and sea utters, and of land animals, such
as reindeers and goats. They also use bark
cloth by hitting and extending it. In addition,
they split the roots of spruce into threads or
cords because the roots are long and tough. In
this manner, the traditional costumes of the
Tlinguit tribe have a close relationship with
“food.” After hunting or fishing, they will use up all “life” they have received
from nature. Like this, all activities of the Tlinguit people display respect for
lives.
[Food]
When catching fish, the Tlinguit people kill the fish
immediately by clubbing its head on the spot. And
they say, “Please go to the happy hunting ground
without pain, and come back again.” They behave in a
similar way with plants, offering the highest respect
to any living creature. Bob Sam, the storyteller of the
myths of the Tlinguit tribe, tells that he cleanses his
soul and think only about the good things when
gathering medical herbs in the woods. When getting
closer to medical herbs, he gives a prayer. As a result
the herbs seem to start preparing for being picked up. Likewise, before eating
fish or a plant, he speaks to its soul, offering respect for all the living creatures.
Taking “life” is a sacred act.
[Housing]
The Tlinguit people as a hunter-gatherer group
once had different lifestyles: camping in summer;
and staying in their native village in winter. What
interests me most is how they live in the village
during winter. They have built surprisingly large
wooden houses. They have an upgraded wood
construction skills thanks to the rich woods all
around. Many suppose that the Japanese Jomon
tribe and the Tlinguit tribe have the common
ancestors because the Jomon tribe had huge wooden buildings of the same kind
in the “Sannai-Maruyama Ancient Ruins” in Tsugaru, the northern part of
Japan. According to “the myth of raven” shared by the Tlinguit tribe, their
ancestors came from the sea. We Pacific-rim tribes may have the same
ancestors, I believe.
#Shooting Plan
Living With the Mythology - The Myth of Raven Michio Hoshino, a photographer and
adventurer, who lived out in Alaska. He kept on
traveling, enchanted by the myth of raven. It
was like a trip down the memories of a far
distant past of mankind. The myth of raven are
present all around the world, including the
myth of Yatagarasu of Kumano, Japan.
(* The Japanese Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow, is a guiding god. It is an
avatar of the sun with three legs which stand for heaven, earth, and mankind.
It becomes an emblem of the Japanese national soccer team.)
The raven is a migratory bird. It may be a symbol of “migrating between a world
and another, dropping civilizations and connecting spirits.” In the third
chapter of HIBIKI “Alaska’s Tlingit,” we are going to begin the coverage by
seeing the raven not only as migrating between worlds and dropping
civilizations in various places, but as conveying the ancient “wisdom” of
mankind to “the present.” It would be the same bird of “raven” that can bring
unchanged “universality of mankind” to our ancestors 10 thousand years ago, to
us at the present time, and to our descendents in 10 thousand years.
Approaches for Coverage In the third chapter of HIBIKI “Alaska’s Tlinguit,” we
will look into what it means for the people to live with the myths through the
following three approaches:
1. Close coverage of the Tlinguit tribe
[Making a close coverage to the daily lives of the Tlinguit people]
*Gather information on what impact the “mythology” handed down from the
ancestors through many generations have on the Tlinguit people.
*Investigate into the relationship between the elders and the youth. Gather
information on how their tradition has been passed on to the younger
generations today.
*Cover “clothing, food and housing” of the ancient and present times for the
Tlinguit people.
[Ceremonies and festivals]
*A person who can carry on the myths has
to go through initiation. After that, the
person will be officially approved as a
“storyteller of the myths.” I am trying to
cover this ceremony.
*Gather information on the stories of the
“myths.”
*Cover the ideas on death for the Tlinguit
tribe.
*Cover the seasonal festivals.
*Cover the traditional songs, dances and
musical instruments.
*Cover the potlatch.
Potlatch is a gift-giving custom to show dignity and honor of the givers, which
is often conducted by clan. The givers throw a big banquet to show their status
and wealth by generously giving off their accumulated goods to their guests.
The guests would treat them back with more goods than they got in another
opportunity on their honor. When completing potlatch, the givers will say as
follows:
“We have treated all of you with all the wealth we have. However, don’t worry
about it. Now we are broke, but we are going to make our own efforts toward our
prosperity starting tomorrow.”
[Fishing, hunting, and gathering]
*Closely cover fishing and hunting by accompany the Tlinguit people.
*Cover gathering of plants, such as medical herbs.
*Cover traditional tools like spears and bows.
2. Wild Animals
*Brown bears of Alaska
*Shoot sea animals, such as whales and killer whales.
*Shoot wild animals, such as bears and mooses.
*Shoot ravens.
*Shoot salmon going up a river.
3. Wilderness of Alaska
*Glacier of Alaska
*Shoot glacier.
*Shoot sea and rivers.
*Shoot islands.
(Candidates)
1. Ninstints (SGang Gwaay Llnagaay) forests of Queen Charlotte Islands
(Haida Gwaii)
2. Admiralty Island, the best habitat to brown bears
3. Ninstints of Queen Charlotte islands
4. Shoot auroras.
#Candidates for Shooting Alaska is four times as large as Japan. The state is
the largest in the U.S.A, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north,
the Bering Sea to the west, and the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the
south. The population of the state is about 730 thousand, of which the
indigenous people account for 15%. (* According to the U.S. Census Bureau in
2012)
Alaska is called the last frontier with lots of old growth forests and remote
regions which cannot be reached from towns by land. This time, we suppose
that we will have to use a ferry or canoe to reach some areas by sea or a light
aircraft by air.
Main candidates for shooting are as
follows:
*Sitka: the main shooting spot for the
third chapter of HIBIKI, where lots of the
Tlinguit people live.
*Ketchikan: the southernmost city of
Alaska, where Tlinguit and Haida tribes
live.
*Juneau: the state capital of Alaska with
huge glacier very close to the city.
*Anchorage: the largest city in Alaska,
a.k.a. the front gate of Alaska.
*Fairbanks: a town famous for the brightest auroras to be seen in the northern
hemisphere.
Other candidate spots include Denali National Park, Glacier Bay National Park,
Katmai National Park and Preserve, etc.