ANCSA, 50th Anniversary

A black and white photo of a man pointing to a map.

Unsettled: A podcast examining the legacy of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Fifty years ago, U.S. Congress passed legislation that permanently terminated Alaska Natives' land claims. On its anniversary, Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News, with Indigenous leaders from around the state as guests, examine the legacy of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and its impacts on subsistence, culture and the state's economy.

Profits eluded Sealaska for decades. Now it’s ditching timber and plastics, and investing in kelp.

An investment in Barnacle Foods, while small, is a potent symbol of the corporation’s new vision. Other corporations are taking similar steps.  

ANCSA made only Natives born before December 1971 corporate shareholders. Those born after want change.

Shares mean dividends, identity and a say in what corporations do. Many Alaska Natives under 50 are waiting to be included. 

Proposed Ambler project underscores promise and peril of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Ambivalence about the Ambler road and mine projects extends across the Upper Kobuk River region, where jobs could support subsistence but development could jeopardize it. 
A child stands with a sign that says: I am a future shareholder.

ANCSA at 50 on Talk of Alaska: The next generation of leaders looks forward

As the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act approaches, shareholders in and outside the state are reflecting on the landmark legislation and how it’s evolved over time. Despite the successes, problems remain, including how younger generations of Alaska Natives will be included.
A large red hangar building with some vehicles outtside in a snowy, mountainous lanscape

Many see Red Dog as an ANCSA success story. What happens when the ore runs out?

The mine has brought wealth to Northwest Alaska, supporting Alaska Native communities and culture. But its relationship with the only village downstream is fraught, and the mine is running out of ore.
A community on the edge of a frozen ocean.

A historic settlement turns 50, but questions linger over whether it was fair

While the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act created monetary wealth for Alaska Native shareholders, it also came at a huge cost.
A black and white photo of barracks near mountains and water

Berries, wildlife and toxic land: The continuing push to clean up contamination in rural Alaska

When a string of Yup'ik elders from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, all received the same cancer diagnoses, officials initially shrugged it off as a bizarre medical mystery. But not long after, a different village reported an increase in unusual cancer symptoms as well.
Female television host talks to guests via Zoom.

ANCSA at 50 | Special Edition of Alaska Insight

Fifty years ago this December, Alaska Native leaders joined forces with national lawmakers to create legislation that ensured certain native land rights in our state. How has that legislation evolved over the decades? What does the next generation of Alaska Native leaders want to see moving forward?

ANCSA at 50: Who will be included in the next generation of shareholders?

Video: Corporations formed under ANCSA are slowly opening up to new generations of shareholders, allowing younger Alaska Native people to have a voice in shaping the future.

‘Being good relatives’: New program aims to increase collaboration between Alaska Native tribes and corporations

There is a phrase that Iñupiaq elder Vernita Sitaktun Qutquq Herdman likes to say: “When Natives fight Natives, someone else is winning.”

With knowledge of his ancestors, young leader looks to ANCSA’s future

Aaron Tolen has tribal and ANCSA regional corporation affiliations across the state. He aims to balance a modern education with the values and traditions of his people, so he can continue to feel grounded in his culture and also experience success in a contemporary way.
A photo shows a village on the water.

Alaska without ANCSA? Look to Metlakatla.

At first glance, Metlakatla looks similar to many of the other villages in Southeast Alaska: glacier-cut coastlines, dense temperate rainforests, dramatic mountains in the backdrop. But locals know better — there is something distinctly different about the place. 
A map of Alaska shows ANCSA corporation boundaries.

ANCSA at 50 on Talk of Alaska: The role of Native corporations in Alaska’s economy

Fifty years ago, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act established regional and village corporations throughout the state. In the second of our three-part discussion of ANCSA, we’ll speak with corporate executives about the economic and cultural impact the corporations have on not just Alaska Native lives, but on all Alaskans.

Special Alaska Insight: Celebrating ANCSA at 50 – Nov. 17

Fifty years ago this December, Alaska Native leaders joined forces with national lawmakers to create legislation that ensured certain native land rights in our state. How has that legislation evolved over the decades? What does the next generation of Alaska Native leaders think of it?
A man in a vest speaks into a microphone.

ANCSA at 50 on Talk of Alaska: Behind the history of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act is 50 years old in December and the economic effect of the Native Corporations ripples across the state, representing an increasingly larger piece of the state’s economy and jobs.
logo says ANCSA50

Cheat sheet: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 101

It can be confusing to keep track of the various Native organizations and layers of tribal enrollment options within Alaska, so we put together a list of definitions that explain some of the basics.
A woman rowing a boat with mountains behind her.

Can Indigenous subsistence rights still be protected in Alaska?

As the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act approaches, the question still remains: What can be done to protect subsistence rights today? 

The modern treaty: protecting Alaska Native land, values

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, in its simplest terms, provided Alaska Natives with $962.5 million and title to 44 million acres of land in exchange for the extinguishment of aboriginal land claims.
children and adults gathered in an audience

The next generation of Alaska Native shareholders

When the Alaska Native Claims Settlement passed it inadvertently created another system of Indigenous grouping and belonging, much like one sees in tribes. It also meant that those born after the date, like Boerner’s future children, would be left out of the act.
Child with ulu

Alaska Native identity ‘weighs heavily’ on friends and a future

Throughout discussions on subsistence rights, education access, and other policy matters, blood quantum has consistently loomed in the background.

Alaska Natives’ complicated identities

Depending on different factors, an Alaska Native could be an enrolled citizen of their tribe, village corporation, and regional corporation. They could be enrolled in their regional corporation, but not their tribe. They could be enrolled in different corporations or tribes than their siblings are.

The grant funding for this project comes from the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism.

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