prop. n. pl. 1. The Indians of a seafaring group of tribes of southern Alaska comprising the Koluschan stock. Previous to deterioration from contact with the whites they were the foremost traders of the northwest. They built substantial houses of cedar adorned with totem poles, and were expert stone carvers and copper workers. Slavery, the potlatch, and the use of immense labrets were characteristic. Many now (1913) work in the salmon industry. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. The ancestral language spoken by the Tlingit people before contact with European settlers. There are three main dialects, Northern Tlingit, Southern Tlingit, and Tongass Tlingit, each of which which can generally be understood by native speakers of the other. In 1995 there were estimated to be about 775 native speakers, mostly in the United States and some in Canada, for some of whom Tlingit was the second language, the first being English. Most speakers are bilingual in English and Tlingit. [ PJC ]