What has the divisive Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act created for Alaska's Native Peoples and how does Congress hold accountability? Or do they?
DEC 18, 2023
Sophie Swope
Executive Director of the Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition
Fifty-two years ago, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was enacted. This legislation profoundly reshaped the lives of Alaskan Natives, including my own at age 25. The Dec. 18, 1971 legislation meant to usher in a new era of native land settlements from the failed reservation system, instead led to the fragmentation of our ancestral lands and a redefined relationship with them.
Under ANCSA, 11 percent of Alaskan lands were distributed to the native population. Each adult received a 160-acre allotment – a measure that seemed generous but proved insufficient for large families like mine. With enough cousins to populate a small Alaska village, the village where my grandmother called home is no longer a place where I can build my own home or raise my children. Heartbroken as I feel sentimentally tied to the place she once gathered and processed food and encountered her first airplane, hiding between two mud huts in the mid 1900’s.
Beyond displacement, ANCSA transformed our cultural and economic landscape. It entrusted the remaining 11 percent of lands to for-profit Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs). This altered our traditional values centered around mutual care and respect for nature, and became values folded at the mercy of profit-driven native corporations. We find ourselves caught between our roles as Tribal members and corporate shareholders, often forced to prioritize the latter. It’s a confusing world here in Alaska.
While frustrated, I recognize that for profit native corporations undertake the intricate task of harmonizing contemporary business strategies with the preservation of cultural heritage and traditional ways of life. This struggle is evident in my community, where foreign corporate interests often clash with our traditional values and rights.
The strong tribal opposition to projects like the Donlin Gold Mine illustrates this systemic problem. This project is one of the world's largest proposed gold mines, situated on our delicate rainbow smelt and salmon spawning tributaries. Unfortunately, Donlin Gold and our own native corporations are known to finesse unearned trust with promises of development and profit. The corporate pursuit of wealth overshadows our voices and concerns for human health, cultural longevity, and ecological stability.
Questions were raised during the decision-making process about compliance with environmental Law and adequate consultation with tribal communities and stakeholders. Despite these questions, the agencies still issued the first of its kind joint record of decision, permitting the project.
As Alaska Natives, we increasingly feel marginalized by the government's prioritization of profit over the well-being of its people. Our sovereignty and the well-being of our people should be a priority for both state and federal governments. It's imperative that ANCs operate transparently and in the best interests of their shareholders. For this to happen, our governments must ensure our rights to information, participation in decision-making, and most importantly - the respectful treatment of our lands. Our corporations hold unique ownership to lands that support a vital part of our cultural identity with these ties that are not to be viewed as just an economic asset.
The government's role in rectifying issues like those arising from the Donlin Gold permits is crucial. This begins with collaboration and the integration of Indigenous knowledge into policy-making as directed by the Executive office of the President. Elected officials can proactively help both tribes and native corporations by recognizing the unique needs of ANCs and creating supportive policies. If done correctly, we can strategically preserve our rich cultural heritage for the next century of shareholders, without imminent catastrophe on our ever changing Alaskan landscape.
As we mark the 52nd anniversary of ANCSA, it is a time not just for reflection but for action. This act has indelibly marked our community, reshaped our identities and often silenced our voices in the pursuit of profit. Yet, our resilience and dedication to our heritage persist. We advocate for a future where our aboriginal traditions, lands, and rights are not merely acknowledged but revered and protected. We call on our Alaska congressional officials to support our tribes and enforce corporate responsibility with their shareholders, starting with the Donlin Gold permits. With strong nation-to-nation relationships, we can ensure the safety and prosperity of our elders, youth, and future generations for centuries to come.
Anaan’arar Sophie Irene Swope from Bethel, Alaska - is the Executive Director of the Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition, and serves as a council member of her tribe the Orutsararmiut Traditional Native Council while also serving as the Vice-Mayor for the City of Bethel. With passion for her peoples health and cultural heritage, she is driven to confront the challenges of governing tribal sovereignty created by the for-profit indoctrination of Aboriginal Alaskan lands.