“In southeast Alaska, Tlingit clan history was preserved in precise detail between generations. Stories of their origins and early activities were passed orally over thousands of years. Elders coached young people to commit to memory these histories. Accuracy was very important. These histories are also represented in songs, personal and place names, and as symbolic crests on regalia, totemic carvings, and other decorated objects. To this day, clan history, tangible and intangible, is considered sacred property.”
~Placard, Alaska State Museum, Juneau, Alaska~
