ANCSA Corporations and Tribes
- ANCSA Corporations and tribes serve many of the same constituents – both have a mission to improve the lives of our shareholders and tribal citizens.
- Relationship can be collaborative
- Supporting traditional ways of life (subsistence)
- Sustainable rural communities; employment
- Education
- Cultural and language preservation
- Land into trust

There can be disagreement
- ANCSA corporations as “tribes” for purpose of specific federal acts
- Conservation vs. economic development
- Political differences can arise (e.g. CARES Act funding and Roadless Rule)
- Recent efforts through “Being Good Relatives” to bridge the divide
Relationship with Tribes
There was congressional intent and expectation that tribes would cease to exist as a result of ANCSA. However, tribes did not disappear. We are tribal people.
Tribal governments in Alaska continue to be recognized by the federal government, which maintains a government-to-government relationship with tribes. Tribes participate through contracting and compacting in programs established for the benefit of tribes and tribal citizens. Tribes also exercise sovereign authority over their memberships – they set their own standards for inclusion, which often do not rely on blood quantum – and their children through the Indian Child Welfare Act. However, very little land is held in trust for Alaska tribes.