Tlingits mostly live along the coast of the southeastern Alaska. They controlled land more than 500 miles to the west of Yakutat Bay. Tlingits divided their area in fifteen different territorries called Quams. They all spoke the same dialects of the language.

The Tlingits had their traditional way of life: they fished, hunted seal and deer, gathered berries, bird eggs, and shellfish. They gathered and hunted then dried their food to prepare for winter. In the winter, they live in big plank houses. The Tlingit wood workers carved maska, totem poles, and other objects.

Tlingit society is very strict, sometimes they may have feasts, such as potlatches. Tlingits are divided into two different groups which are the Ravens and the Eagles or Wolves. They have many clans in the groups but all the clans belong to their mothers clan. People in the Raven clan may only marry people in the in the Eagle clan. The people of the Eagle clan may only marry people of the Raven clan.

In the 1700's, Russians were the first Europeans to relate with the Tlingits. But, in 1867, the Russians left the area of the Tlingits. After the United States bought Alaska, some Tlingits still belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Today, there are more than 15,000 Tlingits. Many work in the logging and fishing industries or have moved to larger cities. The tribe got money and lend as a result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.