The Political Geography of Alaska: An Exploration of Alaska Native Tribal Land
Presentation Abstract
Rural Alaska land management is complex, especially for tribal members who rely on the harvest of traditional fish and game. Within each village, multiple entities are land owners who rule over tribal members, the state of Alaska and its Fish and Wildlife management programs, the Federal government and its rule over fisheries and national refuges, the city government, and Alaska Native Corporations. Excluded are tribal governments, who do not have a land base. With the complexity of land management, the Alaska Native tribal member is marginalized and excluded from land use decisions, just as Washington tribal members were excluded from fishery management prior to the Boldt Decision (1974).
The United States Supreme Court denied Indian Country in Alaska by its rulings in Tee-Hit-Ton Indians v. United States (1955 ) , in addition to the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA), and especially through Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government (1998). Of the 566 federally recognized tribes in the United States, 229 tribes originate from Alaska. By exploring modern day Alaska Native land issues, I delineate the relationship of property ownership to the government and describe how complex and calculating Alaska Native land issues are. I parallel Alaska Native fisheries to the Boldt decision and discuss how tribal rights to manage homelands can be won.
ANSCA acknowledged that Alaska Natives had title to their ancestral homelands and an Indian Country designation in Alaska wouyld mean that tribes 1) have a land base formerly denied to them through ANCSA, and 2) have the ability to execute sovereign rule over their land base.
Session Title
The Power of Place - Promoting Decolonizing Methodologies in Water Governance in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
People
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Alaska Natives--Land tenure; Alaska Natives--Government relations; Alaska Natives--Claims
Geographic Coverage
Alaska
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
The Political Geography of Alaska: An Exploration of Alaska Native Tribal Land
2016SSEC
Rural Alaska land management is complex, especially for tribal members who rely on the harvest of traditional fish and game. Within each village, multiple entities are land owners who rule over tribal members, the state of Alaska and its Fish and Wildlife management programs, the Federal government and its rule over fisheries and national refuges, the city government, and Alaska Native Corporations. Excluded are tribal governments, who do not have a land base. With the complexity of land management, the Alaska Native tribal member is marginalized and excluded from land use decisions, just as Washington tribal members were excluded from fishery management prior to the Boldt Decision (1974).
The United States Supreme Court denied Indian Country in Alaska by its rulings in Tee-Hit-Ton Indians v. United States (1955 ) , in addition to the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA), and especially through Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government (1998). Of the 566 federally recognized tribes in the United States, 229 tribes originate from Alaska. By exploring modern day Alaska Native land issues, I delineate the relationship of property ownership to the government and describe how complex and calculating Alaska Native land issues are. I parallel Alaska Native fisheries to the Boldt decision and discuss how tribal rights to manage homelands can be won.
ANSCA acknowledged that Alaska Natives had title to their ancestral homelands and an Indian Country designation in Alaska wouyld mean that tribes 1) have a land base formerly denied to them through ANCSA, and 2) have the ability to execute sovereign rule over their land base.
