Legislature(2025 - 2026)DAVIS 106
02/04/2025 08:00 AM House TRIBAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Alaska Natives 101 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON TRIBAL AFFAIRS
February 4, 2025
8:06 a.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Maxine Dibert, Chair
Representative Ashley Carrick
Representative Andi Story
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Robyn Niayuq Burke
Representative Rebecca Schwanke
Representative Jubilee Underwood
Representative Elexie Moore
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): ALASKA NATIVES 101
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
RENEE SEDAADZE LINTON, Director
Alaska Native Policy Center
First Alaskans Institute
Holikachuk, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-offered the Alaska Natives 101
presentation.
AUSTEN SULUNAQ ERICKSON, Advancement Director
First Alaskans Institute
Utqiagvik, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-offered the Alaska Natives 101
presentation.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:06:42 AM
CHAIR MAXINE DIBERT called the House Special Committee on Tribal
Affairs meeting to order at 8:06 a.m. Representatives Carrick,
Story, and Dibert were present at the call to order.
[Committee members, upon invitation from Chair Dibert,
introduced themselves.]
^PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Natives 101
PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Natives 101
8:12:43 AM
CHAIR DIBERT announced that the only order of business would be
the Alaska Natives 101 presentation.
8:13:17 AM
RENEE SEDAADZE LINTON, Director, Alaska Native Policy Center,
First Alaskans Institute, as co-presenter, began the Alaska
Natives 101 presentation [hard copy included in committee
packet], starting on slide 2, which gave a broad overview of the
presentation and what it aimed to achieve. She skipped to slide
4, which highlighted that all Alaskans need to know about the
over 10,000 years of stewardship and the distinction in cultures
of Alaska Native People.
8:19:20 AM
AUSTEN SULUNAQ ERICKSON, Advancement Director, First Alaskans
Institute, picked up the presentation on slide 5, and explained
that tribal entities are sovereign alongside the state and
federal government. He continued to slide 6, which displayed a
map of Alaska that highlighted the expanse of Alaska Native
tribes. He explained that in 1983 the Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) granted federal recognition to every tribe in Alaska, even
if the tribe no longer existed. He moved to slide 7 and
discussed the importance in the cultures of Alaska Native people
to care for their lands and for everyone to have a purpose to
the community. To slide 8, he described the graph as depicting
the categorization of the 20-plus distinct Alaska Native
cultural groups and languages in Alaska. He additionally drew
attention to Alaska Native people making up 19.5 percent of the
population not being represented in government.
8:24:17 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON moved to slide 9, which displayed a map of
Alaska and neighboring regions divided by Alaska Native language
groups. She emphasized the Alaska Native people have the right
to a traditional way of life which has been increasingly
threatened over the past two centuries.
8:26:06 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 8:26 a.m.
8:26:41 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON resumed the presentation on slide 9, where
she elaborated on the importance of tribal/governmental
relationships.
8:27:24 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON continued the presentation on slide 10,
which displayed a map of Alaska that was divided by both the
borders of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)
corporations and the Alaska Native languages. He moved to slide
11, which touched on Alaska Natives' relationship with the State
and Federal Government and emphasized that their relationship
with the two entities is based on their political status, not a
racial status. He continued to slide 12, which highlighted
consultation, compacting, and contracting as three ways for
Alaska Native entities to strengthen their relationships with
government entities.
8:31:03 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON picked up the presentation on slide 13,
which described the different types of Alaska Native entities
that currently exist in Alaska.
8:34:25 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON moved to slide 14, which emphasized the
complex nature of the relationships between Alaska Native
entities and governmental entities. He continued to slide 15,
which listed the various types and number of Alaska Native
Organizations in Alaska.
8:38:25 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON transitioned to slide 16 and described the
difficulties with the recognition and funding of tribal
jurisdiction.
8:39:56 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON moved to slide 17, which highlighted the
three law enforcement authorities that work with tribal entities
in communities.
8:41:50 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON moved to slide 18, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
"Hunger knows no law... what we struggle to get
through is our hunger in our minds, spirit and souls.
That's what happens when we aren't able to get out on
the lands and water, to harvest for all of our
sustenance. Hunger in our stomach, mind, body and
soul. When our people are oppressed and restricted in
our ways of life, it creates a void, a hurt that our
Ancestors went through."
-Protecting Our Ways of Life Summit 2020
8:43:41 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON transitioned to slide 19, which emphasized
that Alaska Native peoples have been caretakers of their lands
for thousands of years while maintaining abundance of resources.
He continued to slide 20 and stated that Alaska Native people
hold valuable knowledge to bring to discussions on issues within
Alaska.
8:47:01 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON moved to slide 21 and stated that building
relationships, trust, respect, and recognition of self-
determination and self-governance are the keys to working with
Alaska Native people. To slide 22, she referenced a guide that
discusses many frequently asked questions of Alaska Native
peoples [hard copy included in committee packet]. She concluded
the presentation on slide 23 and said "dogedinh" and "enaa
baasee'."
8:49:25 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON said "quyanaqpak" and "quyana."
8:50:30 AM
[A music video titled "Our Stories" by Qacung Blanchett played
before the committee.]
8:55:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY listed the tribal entities within her
district.
8:57:19 AM
CHAIR DIBERT commented on the tribal entities within her
district as well.
8:57:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY commented that Tlingit & Haida played a
major role in Juneau's recent flood recovery efforts and shared
her appreciation for the recommendation by the presenters to
create relationships with Alaska Native people. She asked the
presenters if they had any concerns regarding Village Public
Safety Officers (VPSO.)
9:00:28 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON replied that providing transportation for
victims of violence to and out of cities is important.
9:01:41 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON added that there needs to be more training
for village police officers (VPO) and VPSOs and said that they
are often trained for only two weeks before they work on their
own. He said that they often feel alone and have little
direction with regards to their work.
9:03:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY provided her desire to see a report about
VPSOs' salaries. She commented that it would be important for
the Alaska State Legislature to include a training regarding
Alaska Native peoples.
9:05:15 AM
CHAIR DIBERT cited a drowning and a missing persons case that
occurred in her community and said that the first person she saw
working on the cases were VPSOs. She referred to SB 151 from
the former legislature that passed and added two missing and
murdered indigenous persons investigators.
9:06:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK shared her agreement with Representative
Story that she would like to see a training done on Alaska
Native peoples and their relationships with the Alaska State
Government. She asked to provide examples of compacting and
contracting.
9:07:53 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON provided his understanding that compact is
a trust agreement, and a contract is a commanding agreement. He
used the Indian Health Service as an example of a compact as it
is provided funding without specific requirements towards its
goals. He said that compacting is a "more hollistic way of
looking at things." She clarified that the Indian Child Welfare
Act (ICWA) was meant to reunify and strengthen indigenous
families throughout the United States.
9:09:41 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON added that the Indian Health Services
compact contributed $2 billion per year to the state. She
emphasized that preserving Indigenous knowledge is paramount and
said that she would like to see it in public school curriculum.
9:11:18 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON, in response to a question from
Representative Carrick, explained that the ICWA was created to
ensure indigenous children stay within Indigenous families.
9:13:12 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON added that ICWA is a good example of
compacting that put the governance of Indigenous children in the
hands of the tribes, not the federal or state's authority.
9:14:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked the presenters to elaborate on their
understanding of the salmon crisis on the Yukon River.
9:15:33 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON answered that it is important to hear Alaska
Native perspectives and recognize indigenous knowledge. She
stated that trawl bycatch and climate change were the driving
factors behind the salmon crisis.
9:17:49 AM
CHAIR DIBERT commented that her family is from the Tanana Ruby
area and has been struggling for the past few years since there
has been a decline in salmon on the Yukon River. She shared
that the first meeting of the 34th Legislature's House Resources
Standing Committee worked to address the salmon crisis.
9:19:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY opined that the House Resources Standing
Committee should look at Sitka and its declining herring eggs.
9:20:24 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON, in response to a question from
Representative Carrick, stated that the indigenous economy is
not competitive in contrast to Western economies. She opined
that moving the Subsistence Division from the Department of
Transportation & Public Facilities to the Department of
Commerce, Community, and Economic Development.
9:22:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY commented that she appreciated the music
video and would like to see more recognition for rural dance
groups.
9:23:44 AM
CHAIR DIBERT echoed Representative Story's remarks and said that
she would like to hear more Alaska Native languages before the
committee.
9:24:27 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON added that the First Alaskans Institute has
a "language of the year" and said that he would support the
House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs to hear more Alaska
Native words. He highlighted one of his favorite words,
"pukuk," which he defined as: being nosy, picking through
others' things, or touching things that aren't yours.
9:25:48 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON said that her language of Holikachuk
Athabascan went extinct in the 1970s and emphasized that
preserving and revitalizing Indigenous languages is extremely
important, as it gives Alaska Native peoples their identity.
9:27:03 AM
CHAIR DIBERT commented about the current resources available to
revitalizing Alaska Native languages and stated that the
committee could investigate ways of supporting the effort.
9:27:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said she would like to see the House
Special Committee on Tribal Affairs do a "word of the week."
She provided her understanding that the council of Alaska Native
Languages moved from the Department of Commerce to the
Department of Education.
9:28:39 AM
CHAIR DIBERT added that she would like to hear from the
commissioner of Alaska Department of Fish & Game about a follow
up on the Yukon salmon crisis.
9:29:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK commented that the committee may be the
first comprised only of women. She stated that she would like
to see the committee focus on addressing issues facing girls and
women.
9:30:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said gunalcheesh to the presenters and
further clarified that she is aware that Alaska Native people of
all tribes are spread across the state.
9:32:08 AM
MR. SULUNAQ ERICKSON commented that he would like to make
himself available to help the committee in any way possible.
9:32:55 AM
MS. SEDAADZE LINTON clarified that the North Pacific Fisheries
Management Council was meeting this week in Anchorage, Alaska,
and said that she would like to see Alaska Native peoples help
contribute more to data collections.
9:34:34 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Tribal Affairs meeting was adjourned at
9:34 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Native Peoples 101 Tribal Affairs- 2025.pdf |
HTRB 2/4/2025 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Do Alaska Native People Get Free Medical Care FAQ Booklet.pdf |
HTRB 2/4/2025 8:00:00 AM |