"The Tlingit (pronounced clink it)
are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America and
the Southeast Coast of Alaska. The Tlingit are a matrilineal society, which is
the tracing of descent through the female line." In my books, you'll find Steven's mother holds the true power.
As Michael Di Gesu, says in
the blurb he wrote for Murder, Madness & Love:
"Detective Steven Quaid
waits. His Tlingit Indian features, as though carved from granite, mask his
Irish passion..."
During my research it was the true story of a Tlingit warrior's sacrifice during the war in Iraq that influenced my choice for the background of Detective Steven Quaid. But this photograph played a big part too!
Murder & Obsession
Excerpt: (when Steven was sixteen)
“Atian,”
Doreen addressed Steven, “do you still want to be a tracker like your uncle?” Doreen
had always called Steven “Little Atian” when his uncle lived, and hearing the
name as his own lifted his confidence. (Atian (Ah-tee-ahn) is Native American for Steven)
Doreen
dished a bowl of stew for him. “You sound so much older this year, Atian. Don’t
grow up too fast.”
“Show
off,” Gayln uttered with a mouth full of roll. He swallowed and continued,
“Steve says stifling, but what he really means is bullies make the city
unbearable.”
Steven
glared at Gayln.
“When
this summer is over, you’ll have no more worries with bullies. I’ll make
warriors out of the both of you,” Quinn promised.
Steven
smiled and dipped his roll into his stew. Warrior. He rolled the idea around in
his head. Warrior sounded like a much better title than half-breed did. His
Tlingit mother and Irish father had given him everything a young man could
want, but material items did not mean acceptance by either the white population
or the native population. School was a struggle―not the classes, but the social interaction―the acceptance of his peers.
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44 comments:
You cracked me up about the picture being an influence.
Happy Weekend.
Thant's quite a dude in the photo. Definitely a good influence! :)
That's quite an interesting inspiration. I hardly know anything about the Tlingit.
lmao well I can see why you'd want to write such a character
That photo is a nice inspiration! Anybody who is slightly different seems to have a hard(er) time at school and sometimes beyond.
How interesting - I've never heard of the Tlingit. Now that photo is enough to inspire any red-blooded woman!
Susan A Eames from
Travel, Fiction and Photos
How interesting - I've never heard of the Tlingit. Now that photo is enough to inspire any red-blooded woman!
Susan A Eames from
Travel, Fiction and Photos
You had a perfect model for your inspiration. I'm trying to figure out how to pronounce Tlingit. I've read it before, but I've never managed it out loud. Do you have a phonetic transcription?
The women hold the power - a little like an Amazon society.
LOL!
Happy Weekend to you too!
Hi, Nila, I thought so! :)
Hi, Vanessa, they are an interesting tribe.
Hi, Pat, you think so? :)
Bullies are everywhere. Hi, Sally!
True, Susan, true!
I hope you've got it now clink it - easy once you know. :)
The women should hold the power in all societies! :)
I get to read this book soon. What a good day.
I loved the tidbits of Tinglit culture. Details like that make a book come alive! Have a great weekend! :)
Ah, I love the idea of a matrilineal society...how interesting.
"Warrior sounded like a much better title than half-breed did." I wonder if and when prejudice (based on skin color) will ever end. People are just people.
No matter what the skin color, we all feel pain, happiness etc.
Blood is always the same...RED. No matter whose blood it is.
Sorry. Rant over.
Great snippet!!
Writer In Transit
In some parts of Africa, there are strong matrilineal lines. The women actually are the leaders and have the last word. I am looking forward to reading this book again when I finish with book one and two.
Visiting from the A to Z Blog Challenge.
Shalom,
Patricia @ EverythingMustChange
Congratulations on your win, Ryan! I'm looking forward to knowing what you think!
Hi, Lexa, I agree, thanks!
Hi, Michelle, I love it! I agree 100%. Thanks!
That's the way it should be everywhere! Thanks, Pat!
The guy in the photo looks like someone you don't want to mess around with.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
I wouldn't! ;)
That is one handsome warrior. My hubs is half English and half First Nations (on his mom's side) and his uncle was a famous tracker who led the posse that captured Billy Miner-a train robber in our Pacific Northwest part of Canada, so this excerpt speaks to me, Yolanda.
The First People have a stoic, calm center mostly that unnerves most whites. They make for excellent protagonists, right?
I loved Steven's mother! A great example of her people.
I can see why he'd be inspirational. Since we almost always know who the mother is, it makes sense that we should all trace our descent from the female side of the family. In Puerto Rico, every child, male or female, carries the mother's name.
I can see why he'd be inspirational. Since we almost always know who the mother is, it makes sense that we should all trace our descent from the female side of the family. In Puerto Rico, every child, male or female, carries the mother's name.
That's a great background for Steven, and I understand your reasoning ;) Somewhere in my dad's ancestry a French man married an Iroquois woman, so intercultural marriage is something I can relate to.
Hi, Elizabeth, I'm beginning to think if a DNA test was done at birth so all children were given the truth of their heritage, there'd be less hate! :)
Hi, Bish, that's cool, and make perfect sense. In my family the woman has always held the power! :)
Thanks, Christine, she's one of my favorite too. :)
Hi, Roland, I think so! :)
How exciting, D. G. not just that you have that history, but that you know it. I still have to discover my own.
Besides being proven to be imbued with fighter qualities in the war they appear to be very much a set of proud people. Thanks for sharing Yolanda!
http://imagery77.blogspot.my/2016/04/karl-and-nik-of-flying-wallendas-haibun.html
Hank
I didn't know Steven—I like Atian better—was half Native American! That's so cool, Yolanda. Makes for a very interesting character backdrop, and I'm sure his ancestry will have a significant role in this book :)
Thanks for all your visits over at Life In Dogs; much, much appreciated :)
It is really interesting to read your posts about Alaska and the culture there. I add my vote for that photo. So cool to read about the Tlingit.
A matrilineal society? That's so rare! I can see how the picture would be influential. ☺
This is the first I've read about Tlingits. Thanks for the education!
The photo is really inspiring :D I think matrilineal societies are rare.
Great photo. That fellow already looks like a movie star. It's a shame how kids are left out for any and all sorts of ridiculous reasons. Mine (a mix of asian and caucasian) have been okay so far, but they haven't hit high school yet. Fingers crossed.
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