The artist of this work is unknown. Today, October 29th is the Iroquois Feast of the Dead -- a Native American festival akin to All Soul’s Day of the Christian tradition. Traditionally held every 12 years, the dead are reinterred and honoured, with a huge grave dug and lined with beaver skins. As an Iroquois, I feel a connection to the Tlingits who account for 16 percent of Alaska's population; the Tlingits were the fiercest warriors in southeastern Alaska; the Iroquois share the same fierce reputation.