Expanding northward for centuries, the Tlingit nation consists of three language subdialect regions with 16 component "tribes" (which they call qwaan), each with a primary village. These are:

North to south, the Gulf Coast region with Yakutat and Lituya Bay (now combined with Yakutat);

The Northern region with Hoonah, Chilcat, Auk, Sitka, Hutsnuwu, Taku, and Sawdum;

The Southern region with Kake, Kuiu, Henya, Klawak, Stikine, Tongass, and Sanya.

Neighbors to the south were the Tsimshian, to the west were the Haida, and to the east were Athapaskans (who call themselves Dine) of Interior Alaska. Further north were the Eyak, remotely related by language ancestry but adopting Tlingit speech and culture over past centuries.

Also see: Tlingit Legends