Native Alaskans in the frozen north

 

A writer asked me to write something about the situation of Native Alaskans in my next blog post. Many people are familiar with different parts of the Native American history in this country but probably never knew that there are native people in Alaska. The history and treatment of native Alaskans follows many of the same characteristics of native people in the United States.  A recent example of this was  the topic of a 2010 PBS program entitled "Need to know".

Through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA), Native Alaskans were allocated land and the ability to form for-profit corporations to govern it. This PBS episode examines whether this program, intended by Congress to help native Alaskans, has delivered on its promise. In cooperation with the Washington Post, "Need to Know" examines whether a plan to promote the welfare of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised has instead enriched non-native executives and shortchanged taxpayers.


Please use this link  to watch this short PBS episode: 　
**"From the beginnings of Russian America to the present, Alaska Natives have experienced periods of rapid change, often with tragic results such as epidemics and culture loss. But there has also been a revitalization of Native traditions and a growing grass-roots movement to consolidate self-governance at the village level."

"But contrasts between Alaska Native cultures, state and federal policies, and regional economies is only part of the story. There are also deep ideological divisions between Alaskans, particularly among non-Natives, regarding the future prospects for Native societies."

"With regard to minority rights, those who emphasize the rights and responsibilities of the individual and healthy competition between different interests are less likely to support what they perceive as privileges belonging to Alaska Natives. Those who accept the premises of the federal-tribal relationship are more willing to consider the collective rights of tribes."


"Nevertheless, many Alaska Native villages are sweeping aside the ambiguity and establishing or strengthening their own institutions: tribal courts, tribal councils and schools. Through their own actions, they are contributing to the complex evolution of minority rights in Alaska."

　
**Alaska Native languages

Language family	Language
Eskimo-Aleut	Aleut
	Alutiiq
	Central Yupik
	Siberian Yupik
	Inupiaq
Tsimshian	Tsimshian
Haida	Haida
Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit	Tlingit
	Eyak
	Ahtna
	Tanaina
	Ingalik
	Holikachuk
	Koyukon
	Upper Kuskokwim
	Tanana
	Tanacross
	Upper Tanana
	Han
	Kutchin

**AN EDITED TIMELINE OF ALASKA:

1741- Vitus Bering sights Mt. St. Elias on Alaskan mainland.

1784- First white settlement in Alaska on Kodiak Island.

1790- Aleksandr Baranov becomes director of Russian settlement


1799- Czar Paul claims Alaska as Russian possession. Baranov named first Russian governor of Alaska.

1818 Russian navy assumes authority in Alaska.

1867- The sale of Alaska by Russia to United States - which rightfully belonged to neither .

1880 Gold discovered near Juneau.

1906- Act Authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to allot homesteads to the natives of Alaska.

1906- Alaska Native Brotherhood founded the first modern Alaska Native organization.
　
1914- Ben Benson, who as a boy 13 years old, designed Alaska’s flag, was born of an Aleut mother at Chignik. Upon the death of his mother in 1918, the orphaned boy and his younger brother were sent to the Jesse Lee Home at Unalaska.


1924- Indian Citizenship Act grants citizenship to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives, without terminating tribal rights and property.


1931- Control of education among the Natives of Alaska was transferred to the Office of Indian Affairs. Became known as the Alaska Indian Service.

1945- Alaska passes a law ending legal segregation in Alaska.

1959- Alaska Statehood Act includes provision to not take lands of Native peoples.

1961- Alaska Natives organize to protest "Project Chariot" - a plan to use nuclear weapons to blast an artificial harbor into existence in Northwest Alaska.

1962- The Tundra Times established, the first state wide newspaper devoted to representing the views and issues of Alaska Natives.

1966- Alaska Federation of Natives formed in Anchorage, Alaska.
1971- Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act becomes law. ANCSA

1972- The Marine Mammal Protection Act becomes law with the important provision that Alaska Native would be able to continue traditional use of marine mammals.

1974- A lawsuit filed against the state of Alaska on behalf of a 14-year-old Yupik student, Molly Hootch, (Tobeluk vs. Lind) for not providing local secondary schools in villages, led to dramatic changes. Due to the lack of secondary schools in rural Alaska, village students had to be sent to Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools in southeast Alaska or other western states.

1987-8 A total of 7,781 Alaska Native students were enrolled in bilingual education programs, the majority located in the Yupik and Inupiaq regions. A major obstacle to providing bilingual education is the shortage of Native speakers. According to one linguist, most Alaska Native languages (with perhaps the exception of Yupik) are spoken by few or none under the age of 40. It must also be mentioned that rural education remains dominated by non-Natives. Only 2.8 per cent of all teachers in the state are Alaska Native, and the percentage of Alaska Native school administrators is even lower.

1991 Amendments to ANCSA take affect .

No more Republican help needed

Yesterday in New Hampshire Republican White House hopefuls blamed everything wrong in the United States on President Obama. From the economy and unemployment, to the recently passed Health Care bill this lack luster group of talking heads all had criticism of the current administration. But they never talk about their role in getting us to this point.

But in a Hampshire Gazette editorial on Monday June 13, 2011 "Credit for the national debt", written by Representative Richard Neal, the truth becomes clear.

"On Jan. 20, 2001, when President George W. Bush took over from President Clinton, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the total budget surplus for 2002-2011 would be $5.6 trillion. But in 2001 President Bush aided by a Republican controlled Congress, proposed and passed a $1.6 trillion tax cut. The true cost of this tax cut soon became $2.2 trillion.

The other major expenditure contributing to our budget deficit was the engagement in two wars, Iraq and Afghanistan. The total for these wars cost well over 1.4 trillion dollars and by the time George Bush left office on Jan. 20, 2009, the surplus had turned into a $10.6 trillion debt, setting a record for debt for any administration. Pursuing two wars and massive tax cuts is the reason. "


Since the 2008 election, President Obama has actively tried to pass legislation which would address the issues of high unemployment, healthcare, the economy, education, financial reform, social security, the wars, and other domestic issues.

The Republicans, to their discredit, have blocked, slowed down, filibustered, mislead and, in whatever other ways possible, have voted against bills in the House and Senate that would have aided ordinary people struggling in this recession.
Jt

The Palin tempest in a teacup

Lately Sarah Palin has been in the news commenting, or rather rewriting the history, on Paul Revere's midnight ride through Massachusetts.  Without spending alot of time on this, suffice it to say that she offered up  her own version of the purpose for Revere's ride which of course runs contrary to history.

The point here is not whether she understands anything about the history of the American Revolution.  The point is the "media's" absurd fascination with everything she says in the hope of hearing her say if she will run for president. 

In my opinion thats not going to happen.  Sarah Palin is not a politician.  She quit her job as Governor of Alaska because she found something more exciting.  She found that being on the stage, speaking with a funny accent, telling homespun feel good stories, making a few jokes, deriding her opponents (mostly democrats), and an occassional wink could make her more money than being the governor of the frozen north.  End of story!

Sarah Palin is a performer that some people find interesting. She enjoys the spotlight and the attention but in  a recent poll of likely Republican voters the majority said they would not vote for her if she ran for president.  I think the news media needs to move on.

You betcha.

jt

The Jobless

June 6, 2011

I have noticed that there seem to be many more people standing at traffic intersections holding signs asking for money.  "I am homeless"  or "I haven't worked for a year" or "I haven't eaten today"  are some of the typical signs they hold up.  Usually it is men standing on these corners but I have seen my share of women with children in these very same places. Over the past year or two there seem to be more and more people standing at intersections asking for handouts. You could say its an act or a scam and it could be.  But whatever you may think it takes your breath away to see the pain in the eyes of these men and women as they stand in the rain and snow begging for help.

Somewhere in the back of your mind you are saying,  "I hope this will never be me".

Where I work I' ve seen the anxiety in the eyes of graduating students as they begin their job search.  Some of you readers may have seen the fear, and dread in the eyes of your friends who may face uncertainty in their current job.  I would guess that all of us, over these past few years, have been witness to the effects of hopelessness that comes from long term unemployment.

To be without a job in a capitalist society tends to strip away a person's self esteem. The connection to society grows distant and life sustaining options lessen to the point where people will do things they never thought possible just a year earlier.

So what should be done? Given the political climate over the current economy...what can be done?

I would have liked to see the Obama Administration experiment more with a national jobs program.

In my mind the bankers and investment firms were bailed out with taxpayers money at the exprense of working men and women.  Now these very same bankers and investment firms, having regained their financial footing, have done little to help increase the work force in the country.

In fact it seems they have done the opposite by making it harder for small businesses to get loans, not providing mortgage relief to homeowners, and fighting against policies which would help reduce credit card debt. Many large corporatons have been making profits over this very same period but have not used that money to create or reinstate jobs,  using the excuse that they want to take a 'cautious' approch until the economy gets better.

So if something is going to happen to turn the economy around it will have to come from the government.  President Obama and the democrats (and perhaps some republicans) should stop waiting and move forward with some creative ideas similar to the depression era job program.

jt