What difference would it make if the bladesmith was "pure" Tlingit, "half" Tlingit or no Tlingit at all? In any case the knife would remain a contemporary replica, unrelated to Tlingit history and tradition. Of course, you would like to have a genuine, 200 years old Tlingit knife ( who wouldn't!), but as long as there is no history behind it, the ethnicity of the creator is of no consequence. It is the artistic level that counts.
Shakespeare was English, but Hamlet was a Prince of Denmark, Romeo was Italian and Othello was a Moor.
My neighbor, Louis Mills, is a world-famous Nihonto bladesmith and his creations are sold in Japan for tens of thousands of dollars, and the best contemporary wootz-makers are in Russia,
On a topic closer to my heart, virtually all sushi places over here are owned and staffed by ethnic Koreans and some of their apprentices are White. Visiting Japanese patronize them all the time and judge them by the quality of rice and freshness of fish rather than by the ethnic origin of cooks.
A lot of Chinese junk on e-bay is made by purebred ethnic Chinese. Does it make their stuff any less junkier?
Harry, enjoy your knife, it is a first-class work of art. Nothing else counts.
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