Environmental Studies Faculty and Staff Publications

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2005

Keywords

ANCSA, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Abstract

"Why do we want forty million acres of hunting rights when we've got the whole state?" On December 18, 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), was signed into law by Richard M. Nixon. ANCSA provided a federal land settlement extinguishing aboriginal claims to the state's 375 million acres of land and territorial waters by providing Alaska Natives with forty-four million acres of land and nearly one billion dollars. One of the most significant features of the bill was the establishment of twelve regional4 and approximately 200 village corporations as owners of the land and recipients of the money. The consequences of this corporate structure have reverberated through Alaska Native communities and the entire Alaskan economy and society in the years since. As Steve Colt notes, "[b]y vesting the land and the money in Alaska Native business corporations and shareholders-not tribes­ ANCSA deliberately repudiated previous United States Indian policy, based on reservations and federal oversight."

Publication Title

Journal of Land, Resources & Environmental Law

Volume

25

Issue

2

First Page

131

Last Page

137

Required Publisher's Statement

The Journal of Land, Resources & Environmental Law is now published as the Utah Environmental Law Review by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Comments

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Alaska Natives--Claims; Alaska Natives--Land tenure; Alaska Natives--Legal status, laws, etc.

Geographic Coverage

Alaska

Genre/Form

articles

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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