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Peoples

Tlingit

The people of the coast of southeast Alaska, who traded sea otter skins with La Pérouse at Lituya Bay in 1786.

Trading with the Tlingit at Lituya Bay

Jean-François de La Pérouse, Voyage around the World, vol. 2 (Paris, 1797), chapter 7, edited by L.-A. Milet-Mureau · written 1786, printed 1797 (events of July 1786)

1

Pendant notre séjour forcé à l'entrée de la baie, nous avions sans cesse été entourés de pirogues de sauvages. Ils nous proposaient, en échange de notre fer, du poisson, des peaux de loutre ou d'autres animaux, ainsi que différens petits meubles de leur costume ; ils avaient l'air, à notre grand étonnement, d'être très-accoutumés au trafic, et ils faisaient aussi-bien leur marché que les plus habiles acheteurs d'Europe.

While we were held at the entrance of the bay, we were constantly surrounded by the savages' canoes. They offered us fish, the skins of sea otters and other animals, and various small items of their dress, in exchange for our iron. To our great surprise, they seemed very used to trading, and they drove as good a bargain as the shrewdest buyers in Europe.