#ancsa

What is that? ANCSA, in simple form, was a way for Alaskan Natives to get title to their lands “officially.” Alaskan Natives hadn’t had full title to (some) of their lands since the time when the Russians first came to Alaska for fur trading with China. Not many Alaskan Natives were affected at this time, mainly only those on the Aleutian Chain and part of Southeast Alaska. Even then, the Russians were only having them get furs, they didn’t exactly take much land. They were harsh to the Natives, do not forget that.

Then when the Russians sold Alaska to the United States government for $7.2 billion, they transferred all public and vacant lands to ownership of the U.S. even though most of the land really wasn’t theirs in the first place. The only ones who even knew the land well was the Alaskan Natives.

Later comes the gold rush. Alaskan Natives started to become a minority in their own land. Some had already gone through boarding school and no longer was deemed “uncivilized.” Some tried to say they did own the land and that many generations before them it had been owned by their tribes. There was an act passed in congress saying Natives could claim title to a section of their land only if there was a clear border line of their property.

An organization called Alaska Federation of Natives(AFN) was soon formed. They would meet once a year and one main issue they pressed congress to solve was ownership to their land. All they were asking for was 16% of their land. Finally in 1971, president Nixon signed ANCSA and Alaskan natives got ownership to 44 million acres of Alaska(10% of Alaska) and were paid a certain amount of money to basically say they can no longer ask for any other lands and this is what they get.

12 corporations were made for 12 different regions of Alaska once ANCSA was formed(a 13th corporation later for Alaskan Natives outside of Alaska). Some get dividends at different times and it helps with producing jobs for Alaskan natives.

Only one town in Alaska did not sign or agree with ANCSA, which was Metlakatla. They are now a reservation, the only reservation in Alaska.

That is all I have to say. My sources are: 

http://www.koniageducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Do-Alaska-Natives-Get-Free-Medical-Care.pdf  

http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=139

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