Oberg offers a detailed and sympathetic ethnographic monograph of the cultural and social life of the Tlinget Native American groups he observed over a period of some years, living in a traditional fashion in the early 20th century. He provides an illuminating and sometimes stirring commentary on and kinship structure, the economy of the potlatch, and the worldview of the Tlinget. He also provides an excellent commentary on the system of crests which are depicted on totem poles, which form a kind of currency of imagery in a social economy largely determined by the relationship of individuals to groups and ancestral lineages. It's a highly engaging and informative description of the marvelous culture of a fascinating people.