Indigenous Affairs
RSSAlaska Native and tribal affairs: governance, ANCSA regional corporations, subsistence rights, language, and cultural preservation. Spans roughly 20% of Alaska's population and every major policy domain the state touches.
State board approves UAS master's program for Native language teachers
Alaska's State Board of Education approved a master's degree program in Indigenous language teaching at University of Alaska Southeast, expanding graduate preparation for Alaska Native language educators as the state addresses rapid language loss.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Tanana Chiefs Conference sets June family events in Fairbanks
Tanana Chiefs Conference hosts a resource fair June 5 in Fairbanks and a cultural activity night June 29 with crafts, drumming, and family workshops.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Peltola cites fuel costs as barrier to rural Alaska campaign stops
Democrat Mary Peltola wrapped a rural Alaska campaign tour by small plane and boat to reach villages where fuel costs exceed $6 a gallon, pressing affordability as her main message against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in the August primary.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Begich bill to expand commerce in Alaska sea otter handicrafts gets first congressional hearing
A new bill in Congress that asks, what otter we do?
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Juneau arts council offers $2,000 for new logo design
Juneau Arts and Humanities Council is offering $2,000 for a new logo design, with submissions due July 1, 2026.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Southcentral Foundation offers cultural education classes in June
Southcentral Foundation's Traditional Healing Clinic offers Alaska Native cultural classes in late May and early June, including Ahtna language, traditional food prep, and craft skills like kuspuk sewing in Anchorage.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Haida fashion designer Dorothy Grant to sign career monograph at Alaska State Museum Friday
Haida fashion designer Dorothy Grant signs her career monograph at Alaska State Museum Friday from 4 to 5 pm during First Friday, with free museum admission from 4 to 7 pm.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago1 min read
Supreme Court leaves federal subsistence authority intact
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Alaska's challenge to federal subsistence protections, leaving federal authority intact over hunting and fishing on federal lands statewide.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Alaska Native Heritage Center collects traditional foods for typhoon relief
The Alaska Native Heritage Center is collecting traditional Native food donations for about 1,600 people displaced by Typhoon Halong in Western Alaska, with drop-off instructions available at its Anchorage campus.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Okitkun files for Alaska House District 39 seat
Reynold Okitkun filed Tuesday as a nonpartisan candidate for Alaska House District 39, focusing his campaign on restoring fishing and subsistence rights to rural communities.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min readMt. Edgecumbe names new academic, residential principals as applicant deadline nears
Big change ups at Mount Edgecumbe High School, also there's a deadline approaching quickly for students
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court clarifies active-efforts standard in Jace B. ICWA case
Alaska Supreme Court ruled in Jace B. case that state caseworkers must meet a higher active-efforts standard under federal Indian Child Welfare Act when confirming a newborn's tribal status before any move to terminate parental rights.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
ANWR lease sale will test whether Alaska oil appetite reaches the Arctic Refuge
After eight years, two underwhelming sales, and one federal lawsuit, ANWR gets another go on June 5 — and the oil industry finally has to bid or stop being coy.
by Cale Green4mo ago4 min read
Chitina dipnet fishery tentatively set for June 10; low rivers and ice flows could delay opening
Alaska Department of Fish and Game tentatively set the Chitina Personal Use dipnet fishery to open June 10, but low river levels and ice flows from Miles Lake could delay the opening pending sonar salmon counts in early June.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
BLM Alaska to repatriate Native remains and cultural items under three federal notices
BLM is going to give some stuff back that they probably shouldn't have.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Sealaska Heritage Institute names seaweed contest winner at Celebration
Christina Weber won Sealaska Heritage Institute's seaweed contest at Celebration 2026 in Juneau, judged on freshness, color, taste, and texture as part of a traditional Native food competition.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage Police Publish 2026 Missing Persons, Homicide Solve Rates
Anchorage Police Department published 2026 missing persons investigation and homicide solve rate data on a new web page focused on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, providing accountability metrics for cases that disproportionately affect Alaska Native communities.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
TCLL graduates first 8th grade class after years of Tlingit immersion
Juneau's Tlingit immersion program graduated 8th graders who delivered speeches in Tlingit after years of fluency growth. • Students moved from reluctant speakers to confident communicators in the language. • Program is free for all students and partners with Sealaska Heritage Institute. • Graduates received traditional headbands and advance to high school.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 4mo ago3 min read
Tanana Chiefs warns Dalton corridor transfer threatens subsistence lands
Interior Alaska tribes warn a 1.4 million-acre Dalton corridor land transfer to state control could threaten subsistence rights, as state management rules differ from federal protections.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Fitch upgrades Tanana Chiefs Conference bond rating to AA-
Fitch upgraded Tanana Chiefs Conference bond rating to AA-, lowering borrowing costs for healthcare and infrastructure. • Karen Sitton named new CFO after 30-year finance career. • TCC opposes federal land transfer in Dalton Utility Corridor, citing threats to ancestral hunting grounds. • Morris Thompson Center hiring youth ages 14 to 21 for summer jobs.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage health facility secures federal approval for land transfer to expand services
Senate approved 3.37 acre land transfer to Southcentral Foundation to expand mental health services for Alaska Native people. • Committee advanced eight tribal land bills nationwide for housing and wildfire management. • Administration proposed major cuts to tribal services including 32 percent reduction to Indian Education bureau.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska House passes Native corporation reinstatement bill after Senate changes
Alaska House voted 36-3 to accept Senate changes to HB 126, allowing involuntarily dissolved Native corporations to reinstate as the same legal entity rather than transfer assets to a new corporation.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Murkowski presses federal law enforcement on Alaska trafficking, missing Indigenous people
Murkowski pressed FBI on Alaska's missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis, 229 missing with 75 percent Alaska Native. • FBI launching tribal lands operation with Starlink communications for investigations. • DEA opening two Canada offices, intercepted 10 kilos of fentanyl bound for Alaska. • Murkowski raised Alaska's need for federal detention facility, Marshals director agreed to review.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago3 min readFairbanks council blocks mayor's cabin deal, demands open bidding
Fairbanks City Council rejected Mayor O'Neall's negotiated lease for a downtown riverfront cabin and ordered a competitive bidding process instead.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readDowntown library to be named for Anchorage's original townsite
Anchorage's Public Naming Commission scheduled a June 10 public hearing on naming a new downtown library the Anchorage Original Townsite Downtown Library, honoring donor Janet Goetz's wishes and the city's historic core.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min read
Inupiaq craftsman revives nearly lost qayaq-building tradition
Lou Logan will present on his 18-month project building a traditional Inupiaq qayaq at the Alaska State Museum, working to recover construction techniques that were almost entirely lost due to cultural loss and assimilation.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readHouse panel backs call for federal help relocating storm-destroyed villages
The House Community and Regional Affairs Committee approved a resolution Friday urging federal support for relocating two Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta villages devastated by Ex-Typhoon Halong, though no federal framework exists for such emergency relocations.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readKodiak artists face Sunday deadline for 26th Crab Fest Art Show
The Kodiak Arts Council and The Frame Shop are accepting submissions until May 17 for the 26th annual Crab Fest Art Show, which will exhibit May 22-24 at the Kodiak Harbormaster building with both physical and virtual components.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readNew Forensic Methods May Help Alaska Museums Identify Ancestors
Alaska State Museum and Sheldon Jackson Museum will host a virtual meeting on May 19, 2026, featuring a University of Alaska researcher presenting new forensic methods to identify ancestral remains and connect them to descendant communities as part of NAGPRA compliance efforts.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readRailbelt power grid operator schedules three subcommittee meetings in two days
The Railbelt Transmission Organization will hold three subcommittee meetings in two days this week to advance work on technical standards, tariff structure, and financing for Alaska's largest power grid.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min readSenate panel advances Native corporation reporting exemption despite concerns
The Senate Labor and Commerce Committee advanced a bill that would exempt most Alaska Native village corporations from state reporting requirements, rejecting an amendment to preserve oversight of larger corporations.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAlaska Native Women Face Trafficking Risks Across Rural and Urban Areas
Alaska Native women and girls face trafficking and missing persons risks from rural villages to urban areas, with federal reports documenting foster care failures and recent arrests in Anchorage.
by Alaska News4mo ago3 min readAlaska House bill would tighten hunting, fishing residency to 180 days
The Alaska Senate Resources Committee heard House Bill 93, which would require residents to be physically present in Alaska for at least 180 days annually to qualify for resident hunting and fishing licenses, aligning the standard with Permanent Fund Dividend eligibility.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min read
Douglas man to share journey building traditional Inupiaq qayaq
Douglas resident Lou Logan will present on his 18-month experience building a traditional Inupiaq qayaq at the Alaska State Museum on May 16.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min readAlaska House bill to ban polystyrene food containers moves to Senate
The Senate State Affairs Committee heard testimony on House Bill 25, which would prohibit polystyrene foam food containers statewide, with industry groups citing cost concerns and environmental advocates pointing to pollution and health risks.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
House panel hears bill to extend confidentiality to tribal victim advocates
The House Tribal Affairs Committee heard House Bill 384, which would add tribal governments to the definition of victim counseling centers, extending confidentiality protections to survivors who seek help from tribal organizations.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
Federal Subsistence Board adopts 52 wildlife proposals for Alaska
The Federal Subsistence Board approved 52 wildlife proposals that will reshape hunting and trapping rules on federal public lands across Alaska for 2026 through 2028.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 5mo ago4 min read
House panel advances tribal victim advocate confidentiality bill
The House Tribal Affairs Committee unanimously advanced House Bill 384, which extends confidentiality protections to tribal domestic violence and sexual assault advocates by adding two words to Alaska statute.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
Tlingit & Haida building two education campuses on Prince of Wales
The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is constructing two early education campuses in Craig and Klawock to expand Head Start and childcare capacity while integrating Indigenous language instruction.
by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read
House Judiciary advances bill extending confidentiality to tribal advocates
The House Judiciary Committee moved forward legislation Monday that would extend confidentiality protections to tribal domestic violence and sexual assault advocates, closing a gap that leaves survivors served by tribal governments without the same privacy safeguards afforded to those served by other organizations.
by Alaska News5mo ago3 min read
