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| December 17, 1971 Cover Story Tundra Times: Courtesy of Google Images |
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 impacted Alaska and its Native citizens in many ways. Some of the impact was beneficial as was seen as opportunistic while other impacts were seen as detrimental to the Native culture.
The first impact to Alaska was in relation to the oil industry. Because a pipeline had to be established for the transportation of oil, the question of who would own the land were the pipeline was built became a major concern. Through ANCSA, the pipeline land was "purchased" by the government and therefore had all control of this industry. This in turn became a huge revenue for the state of Alaska and controlled much of the economy.
A second impact that stemmed from the creation of the pipeline was Alaska's natural environment. With the creation of the pipeline, many worried that much of the land would be uprooted and destroyed changing the unique landscape of Alaska and affective the current Native lands. In order to compromise, Alaska passed a second act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, which designated a vast amount of acreage as National Parks and protected wilderness areas.
ANCSA not only impacted Alaska as a whole, but it also had several direct impacts on the Native populations. Because the Alaska Settlement Act provided the Native corporations with a large upfront monetary compensation as well as access to oil-revenue sharing, the Natives saw this opportunity as a way to better their current standard of living. They could use this money to develop their communities and villages for future generations. Many Natives also loved the idea of having Title to their land that they considered theirs for years anyway. However, not all parts of the bill were completely understood by the Natives corporations and the complexity of the petroleum industry often forced the Natives to compromise on aspects that were not always of their choosing.
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| The Native Corporations as delegated by ANCSA: Google |
While the monetary funds and oil share was seen as beneficial, ANCSA clearly changed the scope of the freedom of Alaskan Natives. Prior to the act, the Natives were all co-owners of a great body of shared land. After the bill was passed, the scope was changed and the Natives become "shareholders" of corporately owned land which in turn led to the inability of Natives to make their own decisions of how to use the land as they saw best. Because much land was given back to the government in this act, it led to the fear that the lands would be easily accessible to a governmental takeover and assimilation would take place, destroying the Native cultures that were being held onto for many generations. Fred Bigjim summed up the potential crisis by stating, "What is happening to Native people in Alaska is not a new story; it is a new chapter in an
old story."
While the Native populations now operate under corporations and a smaller shared body of land, the unique Native cultures of Alaska have stayed strong and present since the settlement act.
Identify the Alaska
Senate and House Districts in which you live. Identify the name and political party of your
state senator and representative. Identify the type of local
government you have (city? borough? what class?) Identify the tribal
government, if any, in your area, and if possible find out if it is an
IRA or traditional council.
I live in Craig, AK which is located on Prince of Wales Island and belongs in House District 5 Senate District C. Our State Senator is Albert Kookesh and our House Representative is William "Bill" Thomas Jr.
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| Courtesy of State of Alaska |
Senator Kookesh is a member of the Democratic Party and was raised in Angoon since birth. He is a commercial fisherman/market owner and is married with five children.
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| Courtesy of State of Alaska |
Representative Bill Thomas is a member of the Republican Party and has lived most of his life in Haines. He is also a fisherman and is married with five children. Representative Thomas was a member of our military and a Vietnam Vet receiving multiple awards for his service.
Craig AK operates under a local city government and is also a part of the Central Council for Tlingit and Haida Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA). Other towns on POW island including Kasaan, Klawock, and Hydaburg are also a part of this Tribal governing body. CCTHITA is one of only two federally recognized regional tribes in Alaska.
How could you use this module in your professional practice?
Although I currently teach Kindergarten students, I do not feel that this age is too young to begin teaching the local government systems in Alaska. In order to help students develop into active community members and global citizens, they need to have an understanding of how our governmental system works and how governments work together; for instance how our local city government works along side our tribal government affiliation. Of course, I would have to break this content down into the correct vocabulary and concepts for these young students but by demonstrating or modelling governmental processes such as voting and elections, students will begin to understand how they fit into a greater body and system.
Colleague Comments
Nikki provided a wealth of information on the different affects of WWII on the political, social, and economic infrastructures of Alaska. Very interested to read!
Lane had some wonderful videos imbedded in his blog that I found creative and interesting.
Tina answered some of the same questions as I did, but had some different information. It was great to see some sources that I had not found.
Evaluation
What a wealth of information this week. Although this module was considerably larger than past ones and took more time, I feel that I have gained a lot of valuable knowledge that I have not previously learned. Alaska truly is a unique place and to read about the issues and historical government acts, it helps me gain a better understanding of the links and ties of many modules we have been studying.
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