|
(Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act)
When Alaska became a part of the United States in 1867, there was no
provision in the law for private ownership in Alaska. The exceptions were the
individual property holders who had obtained written title to the land under the
Russians. Most of the Native American tribes had claims to their ancestral lands,
but had no citizenship rights. |
In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state of the
United States. At that time, most of the land in
Alaska was claimed by the federal government.
Small areas of land around the cities were owned
by private individuals, who were mostly
non-Natives. Although the rights of Alaska
natives to their ancestral lands was
acknowledged, exactly which ancestral lands had
not been addressed until the late 1900's. |
|
 |
The question of "who owns Alaska" became
a national issue in 1971 due to the growth of
non-Native American population, the
discovery of major oil fields on the North
Slope and the building of the Alaskan
Pipeline. To settle the Native Land Claims in
Alaska, Congress passed the Alaska Native
Claim Settlement Act in 1971 (ANCSA).
Thirteen (13) regional corporations were
formed by ANCSA. These native
corporations were given capital, land and
government procurement preferences.
n 1990, Congress passed a law that gave
tribally-owned Native American
corporations the ability to conduct
business as an ANC 8(a). It is codified in
13 CFR 124.506(b).
|
|
