Life woven with song

"The Tlingit Indians of southeastern Alaska are known for their totem poles, Chilkat blankets, and oceangoing canoes. Nora Marks Dauenhauer is a cultural emissary of her people and now tells the story of her own life within the context of her community's." "Life Woven with Song recreates in written language the oral tradition of the Tlingit people as it records memories of Dauenhauer's heritage - of older relatives and Tlingit elders, of trolling for salmon and preparing food in the dryfish camps, of making a living by working in canneries." "In prose, Dauenhauer presents stories such as "Egg Boat"--The tale of a twelve-year-old girl fishing the North Pacific for the first time alone - and an autobiographical piece that reveals much about Tlingit lifeways. Then in a section of short, lyrical poems she offers crystalline tributes to her land and people." "In a concluding selection of plays, Dauenhauer presents three Raven stories that were adapted as stage plays from oral version told in Tlingit by three storytellers of her community."--Jacket.