NEWS & MEDIA

Program Honors Students with Academic Achievement and Leadership Skills Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has chosen a Ph.D. student with a focus on Alaska Native sovereignty as the recipient of its 2021 Judson L. Brown Leadership Award. The honor was given to Tlingit scholar Breylan Náajeyistláa Martin, who holds a master’s degree from Brown University and is pursuing her doctorate in ethnic studies with a focus on Native American studies at the University of California, Berkeley. The $5,000 award goes to students

Shows support for proven leaders with a history of advocating for Alaska Native people The Sealaska Board of Directors today endorsed Bill Walker and Heidi Drygas for Alaska Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the race for U.S. Senate and will oppose the ballot measure that would initiate a constitutional convention in Alaska. The actions follow the board’s decision a week prior to support the candidacy of former state lawmaker Mary Peltola to fill the vacancy in the

Today, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy signed House Bill 123, the Alaska Tribal Recognition Act – legislation that generations of Alaska Native advocates have worked tirelessly to bring about. This specific piece of legislation was sponsored by Representative Tiffany Zulkosky of Bethel and championed by Alaska Native leaders from around the state, including Sealaska’s board of directors. The bill will now pass into law, officially recognizing Alaska’s 229 tribes in a significant first step in building a positive, government-to-government relationship with the state to build

Sealaska and its partners in the Seacoast Trust gathered last week in Juneau to celebrate meeting the first major fundraising milestone — $20 million — for the newly created trust. In September of 2021, Sealaska and its partners in the Sustainable Southeast Partnership announced the creation of the trust as a long-term, sustainable and sovereign funding vehicle for SSP. Sealaska’s initial $10 million commitment was matched by $7 million from The Nature Conservancy. The SSP team immediately went about fundraising

In June, Sealaska shareholders voted to extend eligibility for Class D (Descendant) stock to descendants with less than one-quarter blood quantum. Sealaska will no longer ask for or collect blood quantum information from applicants for Class D shares.  Filling out the application for Class D stock is easy and can be done entirely online. If you need assistance, Sealaska created this step-by-step guide to Class D enrollment.  We are excited to welcome new descendant shareholders to the company.

Discover a Fulfilling Career! Are you a student starting to think about what to do after high school? Are you between secondary and post-secondary school right now and not sure what is the best next step? Are you a post-secondary or college student who isn’t sure what to major in yet? Join fellow Alaska Native students to learn practical ways to take your next steps in your education or career pathway! In collaboration with Sealaska’s Intern Program, Spruce Root and

On August 16, Alaska will hold a special election to fill out the remainder of former Congressman Don Young’s term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Alaskans will have three choices to rank in order of preference on the August 16 ballot: Nick Begich, Sarah Palin and Mary Peltola. Sealaska encourages Alaskans to choose Mary Peltola first as they rank the special election candidates. If elected, she would be the first Alaska Native to hold a Congressional-level post representing Alaska. Each vote –

Sealaska shareholders gave strong support to a resolution that will extend eligibility for Class D (Descendant) stock in Sealaska to lineal descendants of original shareholders without respect to their documented Alaska Native blood quantum.  Sealaska joins Calista and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation in rejecting the practice of quantifying degree of Indian blood in order to be a shareholder.  “I want to thank our shareholders for having the difficult conversations and doing the soul searching that so many did as we

Q: What did the blood quantum resolution do?  A: When it was approved by shareholders, the resolution on this year’s proxy eliminated the requirement for applicants for Class D (Descendant) stock to prove they have at least one-quarter Alaska Native blood quantum.   Q: Who is eligible for Class D stock?  A: Lineal descendants of original shareholders who were born after Dec. 18, 1971 and who were previously ineligible because their blood quantum was either too low or couldn’t be