Permission to Participate: Resource Governance in Alaska and Incorporating Alaska Native Participation through Alaska Native Corporations

Abstract

Modern urban and economic development within Alaska has depended heavily on the industrial development of its natural resources. This dependency has led to many conflicts and negotiations, geographically and historically, between Alaskan Natives, the State of Alaska, and the US Federal Government in regards to indigenous land claims. Through tracing the geographical evolution of these land claims and their settlements within Alaska, this paper seeks to understand how land claims settlements have impacted Alaska Native’s participation in further developing Alaska’s natural resources, such as oil and gas, fish and wildlife, and timber. This paper focuses on the historical and geographic struggle to settle indigenous land claims which culminated into the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) passed in 1971. ANCSA is a piece of legislation passed through congress that stipulates for Alaska Natives to construct, own, and operate newly conceptualized for-profit institutions called Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) in order to receive any indigenous settlement land claims money. Since its passage, ANCSA has played a significant role in how participation in resource development is approached within Alaska, specifically in the construction of for-profit corporations heavily invested in resource extraction and development.