Facebook Twitter Email
SEPTEMBER 20, 2000

The Alaska Federation of Natives is co-hosting a conference today in Washington, DC, hoping to draw attention to the battles for sovereignty and subsistence rights faced by Alaska Natives.

White House officials, civil rights leaders, representatives of the National Congress of American Indians, and the state's congressional delegation are among those scheduled to speak today.

Although Alaska Natives exercise some forms of self-determination, land owned by Alaska Native villages and corporations is not considered Indian Country, due to a 1998 Supreme Court decision. Only the Annette Island Reserve is considered Indian Country.

Additionally, the listing of 226 Native villages by the Department of Interior as tribes is opposed by some legislators in the state. Governor Tony Knowles, however, has begun the process of government-to-government relationships with many.

Subsistence rights also continue to be a main focus of battles with the state and the federal government.

Get the Decision:
Alaska v. Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, et al.:
Syllabus | Opinion

Get the Story:
Gathering pushes Native sovereignty (The Anchorage Daily News 9/20)

Related Stories:
Alaska Natives vow to protect fishery (Enviro 09/11)
Alaska Natives fight monument (Enviro 09/07)

Relevant Links:
The Alaska Federation of Natives - www.akfednatives.org/