ANCSA 50th anniversary series

A collaborative series by Alaska Public Media and the Anchorage Daily News, with support from the Alaska Center for Excellence in Journalism.

Sealaska’s move from timber to kelp may signal a wider shift in how Native corporations invest

Last in a series on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act at 50: An investment in Barnacle Foods, while small, is a potent symbol of the corporation’s new vision. Other corporations are taking similar steps.

By Nathaniel Herz, Alaska Public Media●

ANCSA made only Natives born before December 1971 corporate shareholders. Those born after want change.

Fourth in a series: Shares mean dividends, identity and a say in what corporations do. Many Alaska Natives under 50 are waiting to be included.

By Nathaniel Herz●

Proposed Ambler project underscores promise and peril of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Third in a series: Ambivalence about the Ambler road and mine projects extends across the Upper Kobuk River region, where jobs could support subsistence but development could jeopardize it.

By Nathaniel Herz, Alaska Public Media●

Many see the Red Dog mine as an ANCSA success story. What happens when the ore runs out?

Second in a series: The mine has brought wealth to Northwest Alaska, supporting Alaska Native communities and culture. But its relationship with the only village downstream is fraught, and the mine is running out of ore.

By Nathaniel Herz, Alaska Public Media●

A historic settlement turns 50, but questions linger over whether it was fair

First in a series: While the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act created monetary wealth for Alaska Native shareholders, it also came at a huge cost.

By Nathaniel Herz, Alaska Public Media●