"Alaska Federation of Natives Convention committee chairman Edward Thomas said the AFN chose "Strength in Unity" as its theme this year because there appears to be less unity and more divisiveness among Alaska Natives.

If that's the case, then Alaska's first peoples are tracking much of the rest of the United States.

Some of that is healthy. Any democratic process has division. But as Thomas pointed out, fighting within a group makes it harder to deal with challenges to the whole group. He cited high energy costs in rural Alaska, costs that hit predominantly Native villages hard.

AFN's convention always has been a unifying force in more ways than one."

Get the Story:
Our view: Convention theme extends beyond AFN (The Anchorage Daily News 10/20

Also Today:
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Parnell addresses Alaska Federation of Natives (AP 10/21)
Alaska Federation of Natives committee undecided about 2012 location (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 10/20)
AFN proposals: Should Columbus Day be abolished? (The Anchorage Daily News 10/20)
Alaska's Natives gather for state's largest convention (The Anchorage Daily News 10/19)

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