Alaskan Native Title Privatisation

Cultural, Social And Economic Impact Of The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Dec 24, 2006 Woorama

Participation in the market economy is on the global agenda as a solution for Indigenous community dysfunction. But we should examine the Alaskan experience, and beware..

The 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act handed 44 million acres of land to 85000 native people, along with a billion dollars worth of compensation. Traditional owners were supported to build seafood companies, luxury hotels, mining companies, reindeer farms, timber mills and fisheries, moving them from their traditional economy into the “free” market economy.

However, this generous settlement concealed a more sinister colonial agenda. Previous native title was extinguished under the act, creating one vast claim that opened the path for the trans-Alaska pipeline to be laid. Reindeer owners were not allowed to harvest their stock for 20 years. All investments were “protected” by this 20 year rule.

Traditional owner status was determined by blood quantum, with cultural identity limited by proven native ancestry of 25% or above. Each individual was then awarded private ownership of stock, which could be purchased by non-aboriginal investors after 1991. Thus communal structures, knowledge and economies were eradicated, making traditional land and resources vulnerable to takeover by outsiders.

Job opportunities were made available to more women than men, effectively stripping males of their role as providers and upsetting the balance and equity of traditional gender roles. This, combined with the onslaught of western material culture, led to an erosion of native culture and language. This in turn resulted in social and health problems, opening the way for government agencies to further dismantle traditional social structures and identity through welfare.

Meanwhile, individual native success stories were celebrated, while the needs and conditions of the collective were ignored by a dominant culture eager to wash its hands of the destruction caused in the name of “development”.

Judging by the current rhetoric of governments and big business worldwide regarding indigenous futures, a similar fate is in store for aboriginal cultures across the globe.

The copyright of the article Alaskan Native Title Privatisation in Aboriginal Rights is owned by Woorama . Permission to republish Alaskan Native Title Privatisation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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