What language do the Tlingit Indians speak? Almost all Tlingit people speak English today, but some Tlingits, especially elders, also speak their native Tlingit language. Tlingit is a complicated language with many sounds that don't exist in English. If you'd like to know an easy Tlingit word, "gunalchéesh" (sounds like gu-nall-chaish) means "thank you" in Tlingit. 

Today Tlingit is an endangered language because most children aren't learning it anymore. However, some Tlingit people are working to keep their language alive. 

How do Tlingit Indian children live, and what did they do in the past? They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Tlingit children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys and games to play. Like many Native Americans, Tlingit mothers traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents have adopted now.