Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
Encyclopedia
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, commonly abbreviated ANCSA, was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 23, 1971, the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in Alaska, as well as to stimulate economic development throughout Alaska
. The settlement extinguished Alaska Native claims to the land by transferring titles to twelve Alaska Native regional corporations
and over 200 local village corporations. A thirteenth regional corporation was later created for Alaska Natives who no longer resided in Alaska
.
discovered oil at Prudhoe Bay
on the Arctic
coast, catapulting the issue of land ownership into headlines. In order to lessen the difficulty of drilling at such a remote location and transporting the oil to the lower 48 states, the best solution seemed to be building a pipeline to carry the oil across Alaska to the port of Valdez
, built on the ruins of the previous town. At Valdez, the oil would be loaded onto tanker ships and sent by water to the contiguous states. The plan was approved, but a permit to construct the pipeline, which would cross lands involved in the native dispute, could not be granted until the Native claims had been settled.
With major petroleum dollars on the line, there was a new urgency for an agreement, and, in 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was signed into law by President Nixon, which abrogated Native claims to aboriginal lands. In return, they received up to 44 million acres (178,061.8 km²) of land and were paid $963 million. The land and money were divided among regional, urban, and village corporations. The settlement compensated the Natives for the collaborative use of their lands and opened the way for all Alaskans to profit from oil, one of the state's largest natural resources.
, Vermont
, New Hampshire
, Massachusetts
, Rhode Island
, Connecticut
, New York
, New Jersey
, Pennsylvania
, Delaware
, Maryland
and Virginia
.
The following thirteen regional corporations were created under ANCSA:
Also, most of these corporations set up nonprofit corporations of their own.
A more complete listing is available at www.ancsa.net.
Land selection by the State of Alaska under the Statehood Act and for the regional and village corporations has continued through the present.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. The settlement extinguished Alaska Native claims to the land by transferring titles to twelve Alaska Native regional corporations
Alaska Native Regional Corporations
The Alaska Native Regional Corporations were established in 1971 when the United States Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act which settled land and financial claims made by the Alaska Natives and provided for the establishment of 13 regional corporations to administer those...
and over 200 local village corporations. A thirteenth regional corporation was later created for Alaska Natives who no longer resided in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Background
In 1968, the Atlantic-Richfield CompanyARCO
Atlantic Richfield Company is an oil company with operations in the United States as well as in Indonesia, the North Sea, and the South China Sea. It has more than 1,300 gas stations in the western part of the United States. ARCO was originally formed by the merger of East Coast-based Atlantic...
discovered oil at Prudhoe Bay
Prudhoe Bay oil field
Prudhoe Bay Oil Field is a large oil field on Alaska's North Slope. It is the largest oil field in both the United States and in North America, covering and originally containing approximately of oil.. BP. August 2006...
on the Arctic
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
coast, catapulting the issue of land ownership into headlines. In order to lessen the difficulty of drilling at such a remote location and transporting the oil to the lower 48 states, the best solution seemed to be building a pipeline to carry the oil across Alaska to the port of Valdez
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 4,020. The city is one of the most important ports in Alaska. The port of Valdez was named in 1790 after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdés y...
, built on the ruins of the previous town. At Valdez, the oil would be loaded onto tanker ships and sent by water to the contiguous states. The plan was approved, but a permit to construct the pipeline, which would cross lands involved in the native dispute, could not be granted until the Native claims had been settled.
With major petroleum dollars on the line, there was a new urgency for an agreement, and, in 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was signed into law by President Nixon, which abrogated Native claims to aboriginal lands. In return, they received up to 44 million acres (178,061.8 km²) of land and were paid $963 million. The land and money were divided among regional, urban, and village corporations. The settlement compensated the Natives for the collaborative use of their lands and opened the way for all Alaskans to profit from oil, one of the state's largest natural resources.
Effect of land conveyances
ANCSA and related legislation produced changes in ownership of about 148500000 acres (600,958.7 km²) of land in Alaska once controlled by the Federal Government. That is larger by 6000000 acres (24,281.2 km²) than the combined areas of MaineMaine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Selected provisions of ANCSA
- Native claims to almost all of Alaska were extinguished in exchange for approximately one-ninth of the state's land plus $962.5 million in compensation distributed to 200 local village and 12 Native-owned regional corporationsAlaska Native Regional CorporationsThe Alaska Native Regional Corporations were established in 1971 when the United States Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act which settled land and financial claims made by the Alaska Natives and provided for the establishment of 13 regional corporations to administer those...
, plus a thirteenth corporation comprising Alaska Natives who had left the state. - Of the compensation monies, $462.5 million was to come from the federal treasury and the rest from oil revenue-sharing.
- Settlement benefits would accrue to those with at least one-fourth Native ancestry.
- Of the approximately 80,000 Natives enrolled under ANCSA, those living in villages (approximately 2/3s of the total) would receive 100 shares in both a village and a regional corporation.
- The remaining 1/3 would be "at large" shareholders with 100 shares in a regional corporationThe 13th Regional CorporationThe 13th Regional Corporation, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. It was incorporated in Alaska on December 31, 1975....
plus additional rights to revenue from regional mineral and timber resources. - The Alaska Native Allotment ActAlaska Native Allotment ActThe Alaska Native Allotment Act of 1906, , enacted on May 17, 1906, permitted individual Alaska Natives to acquire title to up to of land in a manner similar to that afforded to Native Americans in the other states and territories of the United States under the General Allotment Act of 1887...
was revoked and as yet unborn Native children were excluded. - The twelve regional corporations within the state would administer the settlement.
- A thirteenth corporationThe 13th Regional CorporationThe 13th Regional Corporation, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. It was incorporated in Alaska on December 31, 1975....
composed of Natives who had left the state would receive compensation but not land. - Surface rights to 44 million acres (178,061.8 km²) were patented to the Native village and regional corporations
- The surface rights to the patented land were granted to the village corporations and the subsurface right to the land were granted to the regional corporation, creating a "split estateSplit estateIn the United States, a Split Estate is when the property rights to the surface and the underground are split between two parties. It is the result of Homestead Acts such as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act or the Stock-Raising Homestead Act . Who owns the right the exploit the underground...
"
Alaska Native regional corporations
- Main article at: Alaska Native Regional CorporationsAlaska Native Regional CorporationsThe Alaska Native Regional Corporations were established in 1971 when the United States Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act which settled land and financial claims made by the Alaska Natives and provided for the establishment of 13 regional corporations to administer those...
The following thirteen regional corporations were created under ANCSA:
- Ahtna, Incorporated
- The Aleut CorporationThe Aleut CorporationThe Aleut Corporation, or TAC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. The Aleut Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 21, 1972...
(TAC) - Arctic Slope Regional CorporationArctic Slope Regional CorporationArctic Slope Regional Corporation, or ASRC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Arctic Slope Regional Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 22, 1972...
(ASRC) - Bering Straits Native CorporationBering Straits Native CorporationBering Straits Native Corporation, or BSNC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Bering Straits Native Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 23, 1972...
(BSNC) - Bristol Bay Native CorporationBristol Bay Native CorporationBristol Bay Native Corporation, or BBNC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Bristol Bay Native Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 13, 1972...
(BBNC) - Calista Corporation
- Chugach Alaska CorporationChugach Alaska CorporationChugach Alaska Corporation, or CAC, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Chugach Alaska Corporation was incorporated in Alaska on June 23, 1972...
(CAC) - Cook Inlet Region, Inc.Cook Inlet Region, Inc.Cook Inlet Region, Inc., or CIRI, is one of thirteen Alaska Native regional corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Cook Inlet Region, Inc. was incorporated in Alaska on June 8, 1972...
(CIRI) - Doyon, LimitedDoyon, LimitedDoyon, Limited is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Doyon, Limited was incorporated in Alaska on June 26, 1972...
- Koniag, IncorporatedKoniag, IncorporatedKoniag, Incorporated is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Koniag, Inc. was incorporated in Alaska on June 23, 1972...
- NANA Regional CorporationNANA Regional Corporationis one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of Alaska Native land claims. NANA was incorporated in Alaska on June 7, 1972. NANA is a for-profit corporation with a land base in the Kotzebue area in northwest...
(NANA) - Sealaska Corporation
- The 13th Regional CorporationThe 13th Regional CorporationThe 13th Regional Corporation, is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 in settlement of aboriginal land claims. It was incorporated in Alaska on December 31, 1975....
Also, most of these corporations set up nonprofit corporations of their own.
Alaska Native village corporations
ANCSA created about 200 separate "village corporations." Below is a short list of some of the village corporations created under ANCSA:- Ukpeagvik Iñupiat Corporation the village corporation for Barrow, AlaskaBarrow, AlaskaBarrow is the largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is one of the northernmost cities in the world and is the northernmost city in the United States of America, with nearby Point Barrow being the nation's northernmost point. Barrow's population was 4,212 at the...
- Bethel Native Corporation, the village corporation for Bethel, AlaskaBethel, AlaskaBethel is a city located near the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, west of Anchorage. Accessible only by air and river, Bethel is the main port on the Kuskokwim River and is an administrative and transportation hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.Bethel is the largest...
- Cape Fox Corporation, the village corporation for Ketchikan, AlaskaKetchikan, AlaskaKetchikan is a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States, the southeasternmost sizable city in that state. With an estimated population of 7,368 in 2010 within the city limits, it is the fifth most populous city in the state....
- Deloycheet, Inc. The village corporation for Holy Cross, AlaskaHoly Cross, AlaskaHoly Cross is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States...
- Huna Totem Corporation, the village corporation for Hoonah, AlaskaHoonah, AlaskaHoonah is a Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's "panhandle" in the southeast region of the state. It is 30 miles west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inland Passage. Hoonah is the only first-class city on Chichagof Island, the 109th largest island in the world and the 5th...
- Haida Corporation the village corporation for Hydaburg, AlaskaHydaburg, AlaskaHydaburg is a town in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 382 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hydaburg is located at . It is the southernmost city on Prince of Wales Island...
- Goldbelt, Inc. Juneau, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaThe City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
's urban native corporation - Paug-Vik, Inc. Ltd. The village corporation for Naknek
- Chenega Corporation The village corporation for Chenega in Prince William SoundPrince William SoundPrince William Sound is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System...
A more complete listing is available at www.ancsa.net.
Land selection by the State of Alaska under the Statehood Act and for the regional and village corporations has continued through the present.
External links
- The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Resource Center run by Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP.
- Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act of 1971. Through Arctic Circle, University of Connecticut.
- Revisiting the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Through Alaskool.
- Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Network (ANCSA.net)
- "Native Experience" A four part television documentary series about the impact of oil and mineral development on the Native cultures of Alaska, dealing in particular with the historical background leading up to ANCSA and the experiences, memories and perceptions of both natives involved in the lands claim and their descendants today in rural Alaska. The series website includes many images from the television series as well as background information on the subject. "Native Experience" was produced by Adrian Redmond of Channel 6 Television in Denmark.
- Alaska Native Corporation Links
Further reading
- James D. Linxwiler, The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act: The First Twenty Years Paper 2, Proceedings from the 38th Annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute (1992)
- Alaska Natives and American Laws 2nd ed Authors: Case, David S.Voluck, David A. ISBN 978-1-889963-07-5
- Village journey; the report of the Alaska Native Review Commission by Thomas R. Berger pub. 1995 ISBN 0-8090-1579-X
- GAO Report: Increased Use of Alaska Native 8(a) Firms Calls for Increased Oversight