Title: The National Congress Of American Indians Supports The Tribal Governments Of Alaska As Being The Original And Final Government Authority With Aboriginal Jurisdiction To Govern Affairs Within Their Chosen Jurisdiction.

 

WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and

WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is the oldest and largest national organization established in 1944 and comprised of representatives of and advocates for national, regional, and local Tribal concerns; and

WHEREAS, the health, safety, welfare, education, economic and employment opportunity, and preservation of cultural and natural resources are primary goals and objectives of NCAI; and,

WHEREAS, prior to the arrival of western society Alaska and America’s aboriginal inhabitants had chosen jurisdictions, whose leaderships made laws and rules to govern every person and aspect of life of that particular community, including but not limited to, determining land mass, domestic relations, natural resources, punishment for crime, protection of people, protection of environment, and social structure; and,

WHEREAS, after contact, places of residency in Alaska became known as the "ANCSA" villages (Alaska Native claims Settlement Act of 1971, Public Law #92-203, 85 Stat. 688, Codified at 43 U.S.C. Sec. 1601 et Seq.) land later listed on the Ada Deer list of federally recognized Tribes of Alaska (58 FR 54364) 60 FR 92501; and,

WHEREAS, these winter or summer places of residency- now permanent villages- were originally founded where they presently exist because of some significant natural resources feature, such as by a river for travel, at a spring for drinking water, at the foot of a mountain range for caribou hunting, near a swamp for migratory birds or moose harvest, and/or by a protruding land feature for look-out to protect the village or for a ceremonial burial site; and,

WHEREAS, nowhere in the past 550 years, or in Alaska’s 250 years of contact, nor by any law approved or disapproved or supported by the aboriginal inhabitants of Alaska, did any Alaska Native Government give up any right to have exclusive jurisdiction to govern village affairs, some of which we noted above, regardless of their proximity to western society towns, boroughs, municipalities and/or cities: and,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that NCAI does hereby support the tribal governments of Alaska as being the original and ruling governmental entity with aboriginal jurisdiction to govern affairs within their chosen jurisdictions,

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that NCAI does hereby support submitting this issue to the United Nations, U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Native American Rights Fund, and any other entity which would assist in settling this plaguing issue as a priority issue for meaningful resolve.

The foregoing resolution was adopted at the 2000 Mid-Year Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska on June 25-28, 2000 with a quorum present.

_____________________________

Susan Masten, President

Juana Majel, Recording Secretary

Adopted by the General Assembly during the 2000 Mid-Year Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Centennial Hall in Juneau, Alaska on June 25-28, 2000.