The Tlingit Indians of the Northwest Coast carved interior house posts, portal entrances and free standing totem poles with crests of animals, sea creatures, birds, and legendary and human figures, successfully combining symbolism and realism. This book examines the social and artistic relevance of the Tlingit carvings and relates many of the fascinating North American Indian legends upon which some of the carvings are based.

Maria Bolanz's profile page

Gloria Williams' profile page

Maria Bolanz (Marilyn Williams) is the mother of Gloria Williams. Maria Bolanz is a descendant of the Blackfoot Nation and through marriage to a Tlingit is a member of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation in Canada and a member of Cook Inlet Regional Corporation in Alaska. She received a BA from Western College in Oxford, Ohio and an MS from Stanford University. She has also studied at the University of Madrid in Spain and at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. After retirement, she secured a BS in anthropology from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She currently lives in Anchorage. Gloria Williams is a member of the Taku River Tlingits First Nation in Canada. She is also a member of the Tlingit/Haida Tribe in southeast Alaska, as well as a member of Cook Inlet Regional Corporation (a corporation formed by the Indian land claims settlement in Alaska). Her heritage is both Canadian and Alaskan Tlingit. Gloria studied at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and now works for the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska.