How did the Tlingit Raven and Wolf moieties support one another during funerals?

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Kinship An 18th-century family register listing births, marriages, and deaths within a kin group; in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.

In Tlingit culture, the moiety system organizes society into two complementary groups: the Raven and the Wolf. These moieties maintain social cohesion through reciprocal duties and rights, which are particularly evident during funerary rites.1

Members of the Raven and Wolf moieties support one another by performing essential tasks for the opposite group, such as preparing funerals. This practice reflects the broader function of moieties, where the two divisions of society act as complementary partners, ensuring that members of one group provide necessary ceremonial services for the other.1