Indigenous Affairs
RSSIndigenous Affairs in Alaska covers Alaska Native and American Indian governance, tribal institutions and cultural life. It spans ANCSA corporations, tribal councils, subsistence rights, language revitalization, repatriation of ancestral remains, and federal tribal policy.
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Calista pays to extend local Typhoon Halong recovery jobs after state funding runs out
Calista Corporation's board committed company money to keep local residents working on Typhoon Halong recovery after state funding ran out this fall, Calista President and CEO Andrew Guy wrote in a message published Thursday.
Calista is the Alaska Native regional corporation for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. The money kept people from storm-damaged communities on the job longer than they otherwise would have been, Guy wrote.
Calista Brice construction subsidiaries employed nearly 100 community members, including 81 Calista shareholders and descendants. They removed debris, repaired boardwalks and did electrical, plumbing and mechanical work. Together they worked nearly 62,000 hours and earned more than $4.3 million in wages.
Those figures come from Calista's own account in Storyknife, its shareholder newsletter. Guy didn't say how much the board committed, how much of that work it paid for or how long the extra work will last.
"This disaster is deeply personal to Calista," Guy wrote. Many of the company's friends, family members and coworkers are storm survivors, he said.
The remnants of the typhoon hit western Alaska on Oct. 11 and 12, 2025. In an earlier Calista publication, a Brice Inc. project manager called Kipnuk the hardest-hit village and said Kwigillingok also lost many homes, community buildings and critical infrastructure.
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Stories on what’s next
Calista Corporation 2026 Akilista Distribution Payment
Calista sets $400 payments for elders, capping what it says is a record $20.8 million year
Calista will pay $400 each to more than 3,500 original shareholders 65 and older by Dec. 11, closing a year of payouts it says totaled $20.8 million.
NANA Regional Corporation $16.87 Per Share Distribution
NANA's fall payout works out to about $1,687 for an original shareholder
NANA's fall payout is $16.87 a share — about $1,687 for an original shareholder with 100 shares. Update your information by Nov. 6 to be paid on time.
Calista Corporation 2026 Akilista Distribution Payment
Calista shareholders to get about $114 per 100 shares by Nov. 13
Calista's board approved a $4.95 million Akilista payout, about $114 per 100 shares, due by Nov. 13. Address and direct deposit updates are due Nov. 2.
BSNC Shareholder Distribution Payment
Bering Straits shareholders will get $13.50 a share, its highest regular payout
Bering Straits Native Corporation shareholders will receive $13.50 per share this fall, the highest regular payout on record, with an extra $1,600 for eligible elders.
Sauk County Historical Society may repatriate Barrow-area cultural items (additional requests due before then)
Museums in Wisconsin and Alabama plan to return 10 cultural items to Utqiagvik's tribe
Two museums, in Wisconsin and Alabama, plan to return 10 cultural items to Utqiagvik's tribal government, among them a doll, a horn ladle and harpoon points.
Latest
Week of Nov 9
Galena and Tanana tribes team up so neither takes a below-market BIA lease rate
Galena's Louden Tribe and the Native Village of Tanana will negotiate BIA building leases together so one village's low rate can't be used against the other.
by Maggie AlaskaNews19h ago3 min read
North Slope artists have until Monday to design the logo for Kivgiq 2027
The North Slope Borough wants a logo for Kivgiq 2027, the Iñupiat Messenger Feast revived in 1988. North Slope artists have until 5 pm Monday. No AI art.
by Maggie AlaskaNews19h ago2 min read
St. Paul Island tribe gets $1.73 million in federal grants for addiction treatment
The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island got $1.73 million in federal grants for its healing to wellness court and a family substance use prevention program.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3h ago2 min readFrom 
Fifteen Alaska tribal recipients get about $4.4 million for crime victim services
DOJ sent about $4.4 million to 15 Alaska tribal governments for crime victim services through 2031. Alaska got $29.2 million of a $90.1 million national pot.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3h ago2 min readFrom 
Two Alaska Native students who died at Carlisle Indian School are brought home
Tummassak of Shishmaref and Edward Angalook of Unalakleet, who died at Pennsylvania's Carlisle Indian School over a century ago, were brought home in October.
by Walter AlaskaNews12h ago2 min read
Panelists warn two-thirds of Alaska village corporations face a Red Dog revenue cliff
Red Dog Mine's shared payments to Alaska village corporations will likely end by 2032. Panelists say about two-thirds of the 176 village corporations depend on that money, and Red Dog supplies 50% to 90% of it.
by Bill AlaskaNews1d ago3 min read
AFN delegates back Alaska Pacific University's new Tribal governance model
AFN delegates backed APU's plan to bring Tribes, Native corporations and allies into its leadership as the school seeks to be an Alaska Native University.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readFrom 
Area M's June chum catch was near average as fish board moves to reconsider voided limits
Area M caught nearly 500,000 June chum this year with no cuts, after the state voided limits on the fishery. Now the fish board is moving to reconsider them.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago4 min read
More from Indigenous Affairs
BLM ties remains of at least 35 people held in Arizona to Native Village of Akutan
The remains of at least 35 people taken from Akun and Akutan islands in the early 1970s and held in Arizona could be returned to the Native Village of Akutan.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Tlingit scholar says Southeast climate adaptation should rest on Tlingit knowledge
A Tlingit scholar argued in Juneau that Southeast should face climate change mainly at a local and regional scale, grounded in Tlingit knowledge.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read
Tlingit man at Juneau lecture says Sealaska, not clans, has the say over clan land
At a Sealaska Heritage lecture, a Tlingit man said Sealaska, not clans, now has the say over clan land, and called for clan intellectual property rights.
by Melinda Communities.News2d ago3 min read
Commonwealth North gives Hickel award to former CIRI and Old Harbor chief Carl Marrs
Commonwealth North gave its Hickel Award to Carl Marrs, former CIRI and Old Harbor Native CEO. His advocacy helped pass parts of a bill that included a deduction for corporations' contributions to Native settlement trusts.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Tlingit Elder to argue culture is why Baby Raven Reads gains last
A Tlingit Elder and scholar will argue Thursday that culture is why reading gains from SHI's Baby Raven Reads hold up when many programs' gains fade.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2d ago2 min read
Ahtna dividends reach $16.50 a share for 2026 as its turnaround continues
Ahtna's trust declared a $9 fall dividend, bringing 2026 to $16.50 a share, up from $10.60 last year, as the corporation's turnaround continues.
by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago2 min readFrom 
Tanana Chiefs plans advocacy workshop as Board of Game takes up Ambler Road hunting
Tanana Chiefs Conference will hold an advocacy workshop Nov. 20, the day the Board of Game takes up an Ambler Road hunting closure TCC wanted five times wider.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read
Week of Nov 2
Sealaska board approves $9.5 million fall shareholder distribution, payable Nov. 12
Sealaska will pay shareholders a $9.5 million fall distribution on Nov. 12. Update your address or bank info by Nov. 9 to get paid on time, it's down from $11.8 million last fall.
by Maggie AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
Coming up
ANCSA: Why It Matters
The Hotel Captain Cook, 939 W 5th Ave, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Class
Public Comment Deadline: Dingell Act Native Allotment Relinquishment (GS-5241)
Public notice
NAGPRA Repatriation Request Deadline
Public notice
NAGPRA Repatriation Eligibility: BLM Alaska Human Remains
Public notice
About Indigenous Affairs
Indigenous Affairs in Alaska takes in Alaska Native and American Indian governance, tribal institutions and cultural life. It spans the regional and village corporations created under ANCSA, tribal councils and consortiums, and the peoples of the state, among them Tlingit, Haida, Athabascan, Yupik, Inupiat and Aleut.
Recurring questions include corporation shareholder elections, scholarships and distributions, the return of ancestral remains and cultural items from museums and federal agencies, language revitalization, tribal authority over fish, wildlife and land, and tribal health and elder programs funded by federal grants.
The Alaska Federation of Natives brings these institutions together at its annual convention, and federal agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service fund many tribal programs. Subsistence hunting and fishing rights are a closely related subject.
More from Indigenous Affairs
Afognak Native Corporation names Alutiiq LLC executive Autumn Sellars interim CEO
Afognak Native Corporation named an interim CEO. Its announcement doesn't mention Dan Corbett, CEO when it bought a majority of Weaver Bros. in September.
by Melinda Communities.News6d ago2 min read
Tlingit scholar to speak in Juneau on Tlingit knowledge and climate change
Tlingit scholar Aandax̱joon Sabena Allen speaks Tuesday at Sealaska Heritage Institute on Tlingit knowledge, the Raven Cycle and adapting to climate change.
by Maggie AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
Ketchikan's Totem Heritage Center marks 50 years with a new exhibit
Ketchikan's Totem Heritage Center, home to 19th-century Tlingit and Haida totem poles, turns 50 this month and was set to open a new exhibit Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews6d ago2 min read
Robes telling the story of the Navy's 1882 bombardment of Angoon will be danced Friday
Shgendootan George made 10 robes telling how the U.S. Navy shelled and burned her village, Angoon, in 1882. They'll be danced in Juneau Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
Kuskokwim Corporation will teach beaver mitten sewing over Zoom in December
The Kuskokwim Corporation will teach a three-day Zoom class in December on sewing beaver mittens lined with rabbit fur. Applications are due Nov. 16.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readFrom 
Fairbanks police officers start sewing beaver hats with elders at Denakkanaaga
Three Fairbanks police officers began sewing beaver hats with Native elders at Denakkanaaga on Tuesday, the newest group in the Caps for Cops program.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Juneau talk ties an 1880 sea otter dispute to Tlingit offshore rights claims
In 1880, Hoonah chiefs asked the Navy to drive off British Columbia sea otter hunters or let them do it. A Juneau talk asks what it means for Tlingit claims.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
State revises Native corporation proxy rules, shortening time to seek investigations
The state would give Native corporation shareholders 60 days, not 90, to seek proxy investigations, and spell out when shareholders can urge a vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
AFN delegates send Klukwan tribe's hardrock mining consent resolution to committee
AFN delegates sent Klukwan's resolution on tribal consent over hardrock mining to a committee, at the tribe's own request. They passed the other 49.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readFrom 
Alaska Native groups object to plan to drop race questions from 2030 census
Alaska Native groups oppose a Census Bureau plan to drop race questions from the 2030 count. The bureau's own draft analysis flags trouble for small tribes.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
Tanana Chiefs' public safety manager named state VPSO coordinator of the year
Tanana Chiefs Conference's public safety manager was named the state's VPSO program coordinator of the year, and three TCC colleagues were commended.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Juneau could sell Indian Village lots to Tlingit & Haida below market value
Tlingit & Haida applied to acquire four city-owned lots in Juneau's Indian Village, and city staff want the Assembly to weigh selling them below market value.
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Kawerak seeks comments on draft Bering Strait regional energy plan
Kawerak wants comments on a draft energy plan for a region where heating oil averaged $6.57 a gallon in a state survey and homes spend about $6,400 a year.
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Week of Oct 26
Pittsburgh museum plans to return Tlingit Raven Hat to Tlingit & Haida as soon as Nov. 23
A Pittsburgh museum plans to return a Raven Hat, Yéil S'áaxw, to Tlingit & Haida after nearly three decades on display in its hall of American Indian cultures.
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Draft deal would renovate Haines' preschool building and give it to the tribe
A draft Haines deal would spend a $1 million federal grant fixing up the borough's preschool building, then hand it to the tribe. Two other groups want it too.
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Bill named for Don Young to help tribes restore buffalo heads to the full House
A bill named for the late Don Young that would help tribes restore buffalo herds is headed to the full House. An earlier $14 million authorization got cut.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
UIC approves a second 2026 payment for its shareholders
UIC shareholders get a second payment this year. The Utqiaġvik corporation now shares amounts only with shareholders. Much of its revenue is federal work.
by Alaska News1w ago2 min read
Bering Straits Native Corporation board appoints Shaktoolik teacher to vacant seat
The Bering Straits Native Corporation board appointed Shaktoolik teacher Silas Paniptchuk to a vacant seat. He will serve the remainder of the term through 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Aleut opens winter and spring scholarships to shareholders and descendants Sunday
Aleut shareholders and descendants in school this winter or spring can apply for Ulakaia Center scholarships Nov. 1. The deadline is noon Dec. 2.
by Melinda Communities.News2w ago1 min read
Calista tops 40,100 shareholders as most regional Native corporations enroll descendants
Calista now has more than 40,100 shareholders, triple its original count. Most regionals have voted to add descendants; 7(i) still uses the 1971 roll.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Koniag posts history of its 1980 Karluk and Larsen Bay merger, says it can't be undone
Koniag posted records of its 1980 merger with the Karluk and Larsen Bay village corporations, and says the merger can no longer be reversed.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readFrom 
Chignik tribal coalition sues the state months after its Area M salmon rule was voided
The Chignik Intertribal Coalition sued the state in Dillingham. The record doesn't say why, but the state voided the coalition's Area M salmon rule in May.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Park Service corrects wording of new Alaska harvest rule's "subsistence uses" change
The Park Service fixed one instruction in its new Alaska harvest rule so the terms under "subsistence uses" stay put. The rule still starts Nov. 18.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
An Angoon weaver tells the story of the Navy's 1882 bombardment of her village in 10 robes
Angoon weaver Shgendootan George made 10 robes telling the story of the Navy's 1882 bombardment of her village. They'll be danced, then shown in Juneau Nov. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
