·
Alaska Native Claims Setlement Act of 1971 was
about two things:
o
the struggle for Native Americans to poses a
bigger role/share in Alaska’s development
o
that the Claims will not endanger lands of
special conservation value
·
American whalers, starting around 1848,
harvested huge amounts of whales and walruses creating a shortage of both. The
trade between the Natives and Americans also lead to disease and an
introduction of alcoholism to the local population.
·
In Southeast the salmon stocks were also overfished
and went into decline until statehood.
·
After the sea exploitation, the Americans turned
their eyes to the interior and persuaded the Chilkat Natives to allow them over
the pass. This was the beginning of interior exploration, trade, and conquest
by Americans.
o
With the advent of gold rushes many non-Natives
came into Alaska, this was the first population boom.
·
In 1906 one of the first Native Claims type act
was passed. The Native Allotment Act enable Alaska Natives to obetain legal
title to 160 arce homesteads. Only 80 allotments were ever given out.
·
The Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native
Sisterhood was formed in 1912. Their purpose was to win citizenship, improve
Native education, and preserve Native cultures.
o
1915 – an act allowing Natives to become
citizens occurred, however it required the Natives give up their culture and
old lifestyle
·
In 1934 the Indian Reorganization Act was
passed. This included the right to create reservations if majority vote by
Natives allowed it. This became a big topic in Alaska and most of the Natives
and whites were against it.
o
Tlingits and Haidas filed claims for
compensation for fishing, hunting, and land rights unfairly taken away. They
won little money from the settlement.
·
1958 land was given to the state by the federal
government, excluding any lands used or occupied by Natives. The state then
slowly chose pieces of land.
·
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) made plans to
blast a new harbor using a hydrogen bomb in the Cape Thompson area of Alaska.
o
At first it was supported by the public, but
when scientific studies of the are were done controversy arose because of a
lack of hard evidence for the harbor, as it would be for the coal and mineral
supposedly around .
o
Point Hope residents opposed the project because
of its uncertain effects on their livlihoods, as their town was close by.
o
Eskimo and public opinion eventually turned
against the project and it was abandoned.
·
The creation of the Alaska Federation of Natives
in 1966 continued the fight for Native Claims and land rights.
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