Alaska Natives Without Land discuss mission in local meeting

The mission of Alaska Natives Without Land is to correct a decades-old injustice done to five Southeast Alaskan native communities. Back in 1971, the group's website reads, Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. This act granted Alaska Natives 44 million acres of land across the state, and $963 million, to form tribal corporations. In Southeast Alaska in particular, according to the website, ANCSA returned 560,000 acres of land to native ownership. However, five communities were "inexplicably excluded" from the act: Wrangell, Petersburg, Haines, Ketchikan, and Tenakee Springs.

Richard Rinehart Jr., who lead a presentation on Alaska Natives Without Land's mission on Aug. 28, said that to claim a place like Wrangell did not have a strong native history or any claim to land was ridiculous. A 1993 study by Congress and the University of Alaska was unable to find any reason these five communities were left out of the ANCSA. Since then, he said, this is a mistake they have been trying to correct.

"When we talk about this being 48 years that it's been since we've not had our land, it's a lot longer than that," Rinehart said. "1867 is, what, 152 years ago ... We've been at it for over 150 years and it's about [expletive] time we get something taken care of, here."

Over the years, Alaska Natives Without Land has attempted to get a bill amending the ANCSA four times, Rinehart said, but each time was met with failure. They are building the groundwork for a fifth attempt right now, he said, and the political landscape has changed in ways that he feels boost their chances. Not only has the organization seen support from Alaska's politicians, such as Representative Don Young, Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Senator Dan Sullivan, but other groups in Washington are coming around. The Trump administration is seemingly more open to letting go of federal land than previous administrations, he said. Conservation groups have historically been opposed to their mission, too, but he said that is starting to change.

"Basically from everything I've always heard, and I can't speak for them 100 percent, but conservation community is afraid that we will clearcut everything," Rinehart said. "My thoughts on that are this isn't 1980. The world market for timber has changed. There's a lot of competitors, and our timber isn't worth what it was then. Southeast Alaska has changed."

Allowing these five native communities to claim land and form their own corporation would serve multiple benefits, Rinehart said. The corporations would serve as job creators, providing work for both natives and the wider community. The land would also allow for some economic development, could bring in tourists, and in general grow local economies. According to a flyer passed out at the meeting, many existing corporations offer scholarships and internships for shareholders, and can also help strengthen cultural ties within the native community.

Alaska Natives Without Land plans to introduce a new, fifth, bill to let the five landless communities into the ANCSA to Congress this fall. They are seeking to claim a single township of land, 23,040 acres, from federal land and organize them into corporations in each of the five communities. Currently, they are going from community to community and building support. Wrangell was just the most recent stop on Aug. 27 and 28. There will be a meeting on this topic in Petersburg on Sept. 3 and 4, as well, at the Sons of Norway Hall.

More information about Alaska Natives Without Land can be found at http://www.withoutland.org. For further questions, contact Wrangell Volunteer Coordinator Christie Jamieson at bcjamieson@gci.net, or Campaign and Volunteer Coordinator Todd Antioquia at tpantioquia@gmail.com.