selchieproductions:

‘I am Tlingit’

While not every indigenous people use clans or moieties as the Tlingit, I think the basic idea behind this short video - i.e. that you always introduce yourself by referring back to your ancestors, the ones you came from - is a common thing recognised in most indigenous cultures and several minority cultures as well.

Just think of the traditional Gaelic way of introducing yourself as I am X son of Y son of Z son of A son of ad nauseam. In short, the question cò às a tha thu, where do you come from, is not only an invitation for you to state the place you’re from, but also the people you’re related to.

As indigenous people, we are not just individuals, but also constantly, for better and worse, representatives of our ancestors through whom we are linked to others as well as the land itself. 

It’s not just a traditional way of introducing yourself in Gaelic, it still sort of lives on in the way people talk now. My Dad (who is foreign), will introduce me to someone with their name and what their connection to me is, whereas my Mum and my sisters will give me a level of detail which even the KGB would be impressed with.