Alaska Federation of Natives

Last updated
Alaska Federation of Natives
FoundedOctober 1966
92-0034863 [1]
Legal status 501(c)(4) social welfare organization [1]
Headquarters Anchorage, Alaska [1]
Coordinates 61°12′23″N149°53′12″W / 61.2064351°N 149.8867904°W / 61.2064351; -149.8867904
Julie Kitka [2]
Maude Blair [2]
Benjamin Mallott [2]
AffiliationsAFN Education Fund [1]
Revenue (2014)
$2,892,013 [1]
Expenses (2014)$2,535,557 [1]
Employees (2014)
11 [1]
Website www.nativefederation.org

The Alaska Federation of Natives(AFN) is the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska. Its membership includes 178 villages (both federally recognized tribes and village corporations), thirteen regional native corporations, and twelve regional nonprofit and tribal consortiums that contract and run federal and state programs. AFN is governed by a 37-member board, which is elected by its membership at the annual convention held each October. The mission of AFN is to enhance and promote the cultural, economic and political voice of the entire Alaska native community. [3]

Contents

History

The Alaska Federation of Natives was formed in October 1966, when Emil Notti called the gathering of 400 Alaska Natives representing 17 Native organizations gathered for a three-day conference to address Alaska Native aboriginal land rights. The 1968 discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay prompted Native leaders to push for a land claims settlement with unprecedented urgency. [4] [5] It was officially incorporated on January 8, 1970. [6] From 1966 to 1971, AFN worked primarily to achieve passage of a just and fair land settlement. On December 18, 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law.

In the early- and mid-1970s, AFN provided technical assistance to help Alaska Natives implement ANCSA and set up the corporations mandated by the Act. [4]

AFN was instrumental in the development and passage of federal laws including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, and the 1987 Amendments to ANCSA (the "1991 legislation"). [4]

In the late 1980s, AFN turned its attention to social, tribal and economic issues. [7] At the state level, AFN plays an active role in the legislative process, promoting laws, policies and programs in areas such as health, education, resource development, labor and government. [8]

Mission

Alaska Native or Native Alaskan people began as members of full sovereign nations and continue to enjoy a unique political relationship with the federal government. AFN will help Native Alaskan people survive and prosper as distinct ethnic and cultural groups who will participate fully as members of the overall society. The mission of AFN is to enhance and promote the cultural, economic and political voice of the entire Alaska Native community. AFN’s major goals are to:

Annual convention

AFN's convention is the largest representative annual gathering in the United States of any Native peoples. Delegates are elected on a population formula of one representative per twenty-five Native residents in the area and delegate participation rates at the annual convention typically exceed 95%. 3,000 to 4,000 people attend each year, including 1,000 voting delegates from across the state [9] and the proceedings are broadcast live via television, radio and webcast reaching Alaska Natives and non-Natives alike from Russia, Utqiaġvik, Ketchikan, and from the Aleutian Chain to the Canada–US border. During the convention, the entire state of Alaska is blanketed with discussion on current events and issues. International observers are present at most meetings, both exchanging information and learning from the Alaska Native experience. Each year the convention adopts a theme. [5]

Quyana Alaska

Their traditional dances remain the lifeblood of their culture and their communities: they sustain them and connect them with their rich cultural history. Passed from generation to generation, their dances ensure that the many distinct Native cultures across Alaska remain connected to their origins. [5]

For over 20 years, Alaska Natives have come together in dance to celebrate Quyana Alaska during AFN’s Annual Convention. First introduced at the 1982 Convention, Quyana Alaska was designed to restore the traditional dances and ensure that they were passed on to the future generations. To date, over 200 different dance groups have performed at Native gatherings across the state. The cultural revival has certainly exploded across rural Alaska, and Quyana Alaska is now a treasured highlight of each and every Convention. [10]

Denali Awards

The AFN's highest honor for people of non-native ancestry is named after the state's (and continent's) highest mountain. Recipients have included Tony Knowles and Ann Fienup-Riordan.

Related Research Articles

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971, constituting at the time the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in Alaska, as well as to stimulate economic development throughout Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iñupiat</span> Ethnic group

The Iñupiat are a group of indigenous Alaskans whose traditional territory roughly spans northeast from Norton Sound on the Bering Sea to the northernmost part of the Canada–United States border. Their current communities include 34 villages across Iñupiat Nunaat, including seven Alaskan villages in the North Slope Borough, affiliated with the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; eleven villages in Northwest Arctic Borough; and sixteen villages affiliated with the Bering Straits Regional Corporation. They often claim to be the first people of the Kauwerak.

The Alaska Native Regional Corporations were established in 1971 when the United States Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) which settled land and financial claims made by the Alaska Natives and provided for the establishment of 13 regional corporations to administer those claims.

Calista Corporation is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Calista was incorporated in Alaska on June 12, 1972. Although the Calista region is in western Alaska, Calista Corporation is headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. Calista is a for-profit corporation with 34,500 Alaska Native shareholders primarily of Yup'ik descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sealaska Corporation</span> Alaska Native corporation

Sealaska Corporation is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Sealaska was incorporated in Alaska on June 16, 1972. Headquartered in Juneau, Alaska, Sealaska is a for-profit corporation with more than 23,000 Alaska Native shareholders primarily of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian descent. In 1981 Sealaska Corporation sponsored the creation of the non-profit Sealaska Heritage Foundation, now the Sealaska Heritage Institute, which manages its cultural and educational programs. Sealaska’s primary economic drivers are natural resources, land management, environmental services and seafood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanana Chiefs Conference</span> Gathering of Indigenous leaders in Alaska

Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), the traditional tribal consortium of the 42 villages of Interior Alaska, is based on a belief in tribal self-determination and the need for regional Native unity. TCC is a non-profit organization that works toward meeting the needs and challenges for more than 10,000 Alaska Natives in Interior Alaska.

The Aleut Corporation, or TAC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. The Aleut Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 21, 1972. Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, The Aleut Corporation is a for-profit corporation with approximately 3,410 Alaska Native shareholders, primarily of Aleut descent originating in the Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, and Shumagin Islands of Alaska.

Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) was formed in 1972 as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) regional corporation for the Bering Straits and Norton Sound region. The corporation actively pursues responsible development of resources and other business opportunities. Through its subsidiaries, BSNC serves the federal government and commercial customers.

Bristol Bay Native Corporation, or BBNC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Bristol Bay Native Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 13, 1972. Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, Bristol Bay Native Corporation is a for-profit corporation with approximately 9,900 Alaska Native shareholders primarily of Eskimo, Aleut, and Indian descent. BBNC states its mission as “Enriching Our Native Way Of Life" as a corporation "that protects the past, present and future of the Natives from Bristol Bay.”

Chugach Alaska Corporation, or CAC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Chugach Alaska Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 23, 1972. Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, Chugach Alaska Corporation is a for-profit corporation with over 2,200 Alaska Native shareholders primarily of Chugach Alutiiq, Eyak, and Tlingit descent.

Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI) is one of thirteen Alaska Native regional corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Cook Inlet Region, Inc. was incorporated in Alaska on June 8, 1972. Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, CIRI is a for-profit corporation, and is owned by more than 7,300 Alaska Native shareholders of Athabascan and Southeast Indian, Inupiat, Yup’ik, Alutiiq and Aleut descent.

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, or UIC, is one of about 200 Alaska Native village corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on April 19, 1973. Located in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation is a for-profit corporation whose Alaska Native shareholders are primarily of Iñupiat Eskimo descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Hensley</span> Native Alaskan politician

William L. "Willie" Hensley, also known by his Iñupiaq name Iġġiaġruk, is a semi-retired Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Alaska known for his work regarding Native Alaskan land rights. Hensley played a critical role in the creation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971, one of the largest and most important land claims by indigenous peoples in U.S. history. Hensley went on to serve a term in the Alaska House of Representatives (1967–1970), and then a four-year term in the Alaska Senate (1971–1974). Hensley also served another year in the Alaska Senate from 1987 to 1988, when he was nominated by 6th Governor of Alaska Steve Cowper.

The Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center (YPCC), also known as Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center and Museum, formerly known as the Yup'ik Museum, Library, and Multipurpose Cultural Center, is a non-profit cultural center of the Yup'ik culture centrally located in Bethel, Alaska near the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Kuskokwim Campus and city offices. The center is a unique facility that combines a museum, a library, and multi-purpose cultural activity center including performing arts space, for cultural gatherings, feasts, celebrations, meetings and classes. and that celebrates the Yup'ik culture and serves as a regional cultural center for Southwest Alaska. The name of Yupiit Piciryarait means "Yup'iks' customs" in Yup'ik language and derived from piciryaraq meaning "manner; custom; habit; tradition; way of life" Construction of this cultural facility was completed in 1995, funded through a State appropriation of federal funds. Total cost for construction was $6.15 million. The center was jointly sponsored by the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) and at the present the center operated by the UAF's Kuskokwim Campus, AVCP and City of Bethel. The building houses three community resources: the Consortium Library, the Yup'ik Museum, and the Multi-purpose room or auditorium. The mission of the center is promote, preserve and develop the traditions of the Yup'ik through traditional and non-traditional art forms of the Alaska Native art, including arts and crafts, performance arts, education, and Yup'ik language. The center also supports local artists and entrepreneurs.

The administration of Richard Nixon, from 1969 to 1974, made important changes in United States policy towards Native Americans through legislation and executive action. The Nixon Administration advocated a reversal of the long-standing policy of "termination" that had characterized relations between the U.S. Government and American Indians in favor of "self-determination." The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act restructured indigenous governance in the state of Alaska, creating a unique structure of Native Corporations. Some of the most notable instances of American Indian activism occurred under the Nixon Administration including the Occupation of Alcatraz and the Standoff at Wounded Knee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosita Worl</span> American anthropologist (born 1937)

Rosita Kaaháni Worl is an American anthropologist and Alaska Native cultural, business and political leader. She is president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, a Juneau-based nonprofit organization that preserves and advances the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian Native cultures of Southeast Alaska, and has held that position since 1997. She also served on the board of directors of the Sealaska regional Native corporation for 30 years, beginning in 1987, including as board vice president. The corporation, with more than 22,000 shareholders, founded the heritage institute and provides substantial funding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Jane Fate</span> Koyukon Athabascan activist (1933–2020)

Mary Jane Fate was a Koyukon Athabascan activist. She was a founding member of the Fairbanks Native Association and the Institute of Alaska Native Arts and worked as a lobbyist for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. She co-founded the Tundra Times newspaper and served as a director of the corporate board for Alaska Airlines for over two decades. She served as co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives between 1988 and 1989, the first woman to serve in the capacity, and was the third president and a founding member of the North American Indian Women's Association. Fate has served on various commissions and national studies of issues which affect indigenous people. She was the project manager of a study of women and disability, served as the only indigenous member of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission and was a member of U.S. Census Advisory Committee on indigenous populations. She has received numerous honors and awards for her activism on behalf of Native Americans and was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emil Notti</span> American engineer, businessman and activist (born 1933)

Emil Reynold Notti is an American engineer, indigenous activist, businessman, government employee, and political candidate of Koyukon Athabaskan heritage.

The Barrow Duck-In was a civil disobedience event that occurred in Utqiaġvik, Alaska in the spring of 1961. During the Duck-in, the Iñupiat protested a federal hunting ban on ducks, which threatened their livelihood and rights to food security. The Alaskan North Slope is a remote and rural area, and many residents rely on seasonal bird hunts for sustenance. A series of attempts to regulate Iñupiat subsistence by federal and international entities led to the Duck-in, in which over one-hundred Iñupiaq residents of Utqiaġvik protested waterfowl regulations in the area. The Duck-in is considered a seminal protest, as it had significant influence over future subsistence regulation and Native claims laws in Alaska, such as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Bergt</span> Native American political activist (1940–1984)

Laura Mae Bergt was an Iñupiaq athlete, model, politician, and activist for the Iñupiat and other Indigenous Alaskans. Born in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska to bi-racial parents, she grew up in Nome and Kotzebue before attending high school in Sitka. Involved in the Native Olympic movement, she was both a nine-times winner of the Arctic Circle blanket toss event and served as chair of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in 1966. She worked as a promoter for the new state of Alaska attending trade shows and making marketing appearances as a spokeswoman and guest on radio and television programs. From the 1960s, she worked in various policy positions at the tribal, local, state, and national level to address issues like disability, education, employment opportunities, housing, and poverty, and promoting the rights of Indigenous people.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Alaska Federation of Natives. Guidestar. December 31, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "Staff Archived 2016-05-22 at the Wayback Machine ". Alaska Federation of Natives. Accessed on May 7, 2016.
  3. ↑ "About AFN". Alaska Federation of Natives. Accessed on May 7, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Alaska Federation of Natives History". Alaska Federation of Natives. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Alaska Federation of Natives | Visit Anchorage". www.anchorage.net. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
  6. ↑ "Alaska Federation of Natives, Inc." Corporations, Business & Professional Licensing Division. Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Accessed on May 7, 2016.
  7. ↑ Arnold, Robert. Alaska Native Land Claims. Anchorage: The Alaska Native Foundation, 1976.
  8. ↑ DeMarban, Alex (May 8, 2023). "2 major tribal organizations pull out of Alaska Federation of Natives". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  9. ↑ "Options to follow Alaska Federation of Natives convention Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine ". Alaska Dispatch News. October 17, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Quyana Alaska". Alaska Federation of Natives. 2012. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012.
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