FROM THE ARCHIVE

Alaska subsistence amendment drafted

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2001

An Alaska state group has drafted a constitutional amendment to recognize subsistence priorities.

The draft, according to Attorney General Bruce Botelho, allows urban residents to participate in subsistence hunting and fishing. Sports fishermen and urban hunters had opposed strictly limiting a priority to rural resident and Alaska Natives.

The amendment is needed to reconcile state law with federal. The court system has ruled the federal government has to protect subsistence rights of Alaska Natives while the state's constitution forbids any sort of preference.

The battle over subsistence was fought and own by Katie John, an Athabaskan grandmother. Gov. Tony Knowles dropped an appeal of her case to the Supreme Court and created a panel to come up with an amendment.

Get the Story:
Draft holds promise for subsistence stalemate (AP 10/12)

Relevant Links:
Subsistence Amendment, Alaska Governor Tony Knowles - http://www.gov.state.ak.us/subsistence_amendment
Native subsistence rights, Native American Rights Fund - http://www.narf.org/pubs/justice/1999SPRING/spring1999.htm
Alaska Federation of Natives - http://www.akfednatives.org
Katie John et al. v. State of Alaska - http://www.mountainstateslegal.org/legal_cases.cfm?legalcaseid=64

Related Stories:
Lawmakers want to appeal Katie John (10/5)
Alaska subsistence panel meets (9/25)
Poll: Alaskans want subsistence vote (9/17)
Group wants Katie John appealed (9/14)
Alaska subsistence panel to meet (9/11)
Knowles criticized for Katie John decision (8/29)
Alaska won't appeal Native rights case (8/28)
Subsistence summit changes little (8/27)
March held for Native subsistence (8/22)
Subsistence summit calls for changes (8/17)
Subsistence summit begins in Alaska (8/16)

More on Katie John:
Katie John case having effects (5/11)
Alaska Native subsistence case upheld (5/8)
Norton cutting old associations (1/25)
Norton's legal work criticized (1/12)
Alaska Native elder dies (12/4)