Chief Situk Voice & Language
Sit with Chief Situk by voice or text, listen to the true voices of fluent speakers, learn your first words, and search the Tlingit dictionary. This is a companion on the path — it supplements, and never replaces, the living wisdom of our elders.
Speak, and be heard
Tap the microphone and speak, or type your question. Chief Situk listens and answers with the heart of our people.
Talk with Chief Situk
Voice & text · a respectful digital elder
The spoken voice you hear is a general narration voice used only to read Chief Situk’s English words aloud — it is not a Tlingit voice and never pronounces Tlingit for you. Authentic Tlingit pronunciation comes only from the recordings of fluent speakers below and from your living elders. Chief Situk supplements — he never replaces — the people.
The true voice of the language
Authentic recordings of fluent Tlingit speakers and elders, gathered with care and shared with attribution. This is how the language truly sounds.
These are authentic recordings of fluent Tlingit speakers and elders, shared here as listening material with attribution to their sources. This is the true sound of the language — listen closely, and learn it from the people. Use the slow button to hear each sound with care.
Ḵeixwnéi Nora Dauenhauer and Ḵaanáḵ Ruth Demmert
Tlingit Conversation Documentation Project · 9:36
G̱uneiwtí Marsha Hotch and Ḵaax̱kwei Evelyn Hotch
Tlingit Conversation Documentation Project · 41:57
Sháayi Éesh Smith Katzeek and Gax̱daakashú Joe Hotch
Tlingit Conversation Documentation Project · 32:39
Ḵʼasa See Anita Wright and Daasdiyáa Ethel Makinen
Tlingit Conversation Documentation Project · 28:43
Neish Archie Cavanaugh, Sr. and Kaaxwaan Éesh George Davis
Tlingit Conversation Documentation Project · 38:30
Neish Archie Cavanaugh, Sr. and Kaaxwaan Éesh George Davis
Tlingit Conversation Documentation Project · 10:22
Foundational words of land, life & gratitude
A starter lesson drawn word-for-word from the published Tlingit Dictionary. Read them, hold them, and carry them to a fluent speaker to hear them spoken.
Gunalchéesh
Thank you
A heartfelt thank you. Tlingit Dictionary, p.76.
Lingít Aaní
Tlingit Land; Tlingit Territory
The homeland of the Tlingit people. Tlingit Dictionary, p.169.
héen
water
Tlingit Dictionary, p.107.
x̱áat
salmon; fish
Tlingit Dictionary, p.243.
yéil
raven
Raven, central to Tlingit story and moiety. Tlingit Dictionary, p.253.
chʼáakʼ
bald eagle
Eagle, the other moiety. Tlingit Dictionary, p.46.
aas
tree
Tlingit Dictionary, p.27.
tléiḵw
berry; berries
Tlingit Dictionary, p.223.
kayéilʼ
peace; calm
Tlingit Dictionary, p.130.
toowú kʼé
good thoughts; happiness
A good, glad heart. Tlingit Dictionary, p.217.
Haa Shagóon
Our Ancestors
Our ancestors and descendants together. Tlingit Dictionary, p.101.
ldakát
all; every
Tlingit Dictionary, p.167.
We do not fake Tlingit pronunciation. To hear these words spoken, listen to the fluent speakers above and sit with your elders. These entries await review by fluent speakers.
Search the Tlingit dictionary
Look up words in Tlingit or English. Every entry cites its page in the published dictionary.
Every entry here comes directly from the published Tlingit Dictionary (X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell, ed., 2017) with the page cited — nothing is invented. These words await review by fluent speakers; always confirm meaning and pronunciation with your elders.
Held in a sacred trust
This language belongs to the Tlingit people. How it is gathered, shared, and protected is bound by a covenant of consent, provenance, and community stewardship — never used to train or clone without permission.
Read the Language Data Covenant