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OCTOBER 5, 2000

On Wednesday, Alaska Native leaders and the US Department of Justice urged lawmakers to help over 200 Native villages combat alcohol and drug abuse in their communities.

Alcohol abuse has been identified by the federal government as the number one health problem facing Alaska Natives. High rates of infant mortality, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), suicide, and murder were among many alcohol-related problems cited by a report which was called a "blueprint for change" in 1994.

But six years later, these "chilling statistics" still remain, Julie Kitka, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), told the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Kitka said Alaska Natives themselves must have the power to make the changes.

"The clear message I want to send today is that the tragic consequences of drug, alcohol, and inhalant abuse in Alaska Native villages can only be resolved at the village level by Native people with adequate resources and support from outside the village," said Kitka.

Ernie Turner, the director of the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse for the state of Alaska, agreed. The state has been working with villages in an effort to combat alcohol and drug addiction, but he said funding is a problem.

"With more than 200 villages in need, we have to have resources to train and employ an additional 150 village counselors. On the face of it, it might seem expensive, say $10 million a year," Kitka told lawmakers. "But when we look deeper, it's not so expensive. Ten million dollars is what it takes to raise 7 FAS children."

Despite the state's efforts, however, Native villages are impeded by legal problems. Jacquelyn Agtuca, acting director for the Office of Tribal Justice, pointed out that a 1998 Supreme Court decision prevents villages from exercising the same type of control tribes in the states have over alcohol.

But when Alaska Natives take advantage of state laws and make their villages dry, some success can be achieved, said Agtuca. She said that some villages have experienced a 50 percent drop in homicide rates since becoming dry.

Nevertheless, Agtuca said state laws can't address the unique problems Alaska Natives face. "[T]he need for local tribal control and culturally suited approaches indicates to us that Alaska Native villages themselves will have to be directly involved in solving this problem and in efforts to control liquor in Alaska Native villages," she said.

For this reason, the AFN has proposed legislation that would give Native villages the legal authority to enforce alcohol ordinances. With the help of the Justice Department and the Interior, Kitka said Alaska Natives will be able to "do what it takes" to address local problems.

"It is clear we need decisive Congressional intervention," said Kitka. "Without it, our people will continue to suffer and die from alcohol-related offenses."

Relevant Links:
Alaska Native Commission Reports, commissioned by Congress - www.alaskool.org/resources/anc_reports.htm
The Alaska Federation of Natives - www.akfednatives.org
Alaska Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Department of Health and Human Services - www.hss.state.ak.us/dada
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs - www.senate.gov/~scia