North Slope leaders participate in Congressional briefing

In early December, just a few short weeks before the 50th Anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANSCA), executive leadership from five different North Slope entities united to participate in a congressional briefing in Washington, D.C.

The purpose of the briefing was to educate key members of Congress about ANCSA and the various organizations that represent and serve the Iñupiat of the North Slope of Alaska. It was an extraordinary opportunity for our region to share, firsthand, the history of our people and entities that serve our people and communities. The panelists included:

• Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA) – Martha Monnin, President and CEO

• Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) – Bridget Anderson, Vice President of External Affairs

• Iḷisaġvik College – Debby Edwardson, Chair of the Board of Trustees

• Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS) – Morrie Lemen, Executive Director

• North Slope Borough (NSB) – Harry K. Brower Jr., Mayor

The passage of ANCSA was a significant departure by the government to federal Indian policy, and it created a fragmented system of Alaska Native representation and delivery of services. The Alaska model of Indigenous representation is a system that congressional leaders are largely unfamiliar with.

"Our presentation was very important because the political map of Alaska Natives, and Alaska in general, has been shaped by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and is very different from that understood by Native American leaders in the Lower 48…[which] has led to many misunderstandings in D.C. This meeting allowed us to educate lawmakers on who we are and how we work which will, in turn, benefit us all," said Debby Edwardson, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Iḷisaġvik College.

More often than not, there is a misconception about how Alaska Natives are organized and represented. Different from the typical Lower 48 model of indigenous representation, Alaska does not have reservations (except for Metlakatla) nor the Tribe as the central entity that administers the delivery of services such as health care, public safety, education, land management and economic development. The passage of ANCSA created Alaska Native corporations, like ASRC, but it also created the need for other entities.

the political map of Alaska Natives, and Alaska in general, has been shaped by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and is very different from that understood by Native American leaders in the Lower 48…

– Debby Edwardson, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Iḷisaġvik College

We have the North Slope Borough (NSB), our region’s Home Rule municipal government. In 1972, the Iñupiat people of the North Slope formed the borough to ensure our communities would benefit from oil and gas development on our ancestral homelands. It is believed to be the first time Native Americans took control of their destiny through the use of a municipal government. The NSB exercises its powers of taxation, property assessment, education, and planning and zoning services.

More than 90% of property tax receipts come from taxes levied on oil and gas infrastructure, which has enabled the NSB to invest in public infrastructure and utilities, support education, and provide police, fire, emergency and other services. Elsewhere in rural Alaska these services are provided by the state or federal government.

Left to right: Bridget Anderson (ASRC), Martha Monnin (ASNA) and Rex A. Rock Sr. (ASRC).

We were also represented by Arctic Slope Native Association, an Alaska Native-owned, non-profit health and social services organization that serves the villages of the North Slope. ASNA manages the Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital in Utqiaġvik – the only Level IV Trauma Center in the region – and also administers social services programs in Indian child welfare, medical travel, funeral assistance, assisted living and preventative behavioral health.

“ASNA was originally formed by Edward ‘Etok’ Edwardsen, Samuel Simmonds and others in 1965 to protect the lands of the North Slope region, beginning the process that led to the passage of ANCSA,” shares ASNA President and CEO Martha Monnin. After the passage of ANCSA, ASNA was deactivated. In 1991, however, the borough and ASRC provided grants to reactivate ASNA in order to pursue goals of selfdetermination for health and social services programs. This is just one of many examples of how our network of entities have worked together for a common goal. Through these partnerships, ASNA is able to provide critical health care services to our people.

Additionally, our region is home to the only federally recognized tribal college in Alaska – Iḷisaġvik College. Iḷisaġvik College was formed under the authority of the NSB, and authorized by ICAS, in recognition of the importance of education to the sustained self-determination and local control for its people.

Finally, the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope is a federally recognized regional tribal government governed by the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, and a tribal constitution that represents and is selected by the Iñupiat people of the North Slope region. ICAS has a governmentto-government relationship with the federal government and defends the aboriginal rights of its membership to promote security and social welfare, and is a strong voice on subsistence and resource management.

Since the passage of ANCSA, our regional organizations have had to meet a higher level of cooperation and coordination to effectively serve our people, communities, and to protect and ensure that the cultural and economic interests of North Slope Iñupiat are protected for generations to come.

The opportunity to speak directly to lawmakers and share how Alaska’s structure of indigenous representation is different was not only powerful – it was needed. Laws and regulations aimed at Lower 48 indigenous people and communities often are not easily applicable in Alaska due to several circumstances, including the Alaska model of indigenous representation, land ownership, the sheer size of the state, lack of infrastructure and harsh environments.

“We’re proud to stand together for the common good. ICAS is committed to coordinating with our regional partners to help ensure critical investments in our communities happen. As the regional Tribe, ICAS is determined to further develop these partnerships so we can execute common goals together, for the good of the people,” said ICAS Executive Director Morrie Lemen.

The panelists had less than an hour to share their stories with members of the House of Representatives – most notably to Representative Teresa Leger-Fernandez, Chair of the House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States. Members like Chair Leger-Fernandez were able to ask about the ANCSA model and what it means to Alaska Natives directly from Alaska Native people.

“I, along with our residents and my staff, are grateful for the time congressional members took out of their busy schedules to sit down and listen to the leadership of the North Slope,” shares North Slope Borough Mayor Harry Brower Jr. “This face-to-face time with lawmakers is incredibly important. So often, decisions that are aimed at supporting the indigenous people and communities of the North Slope are made without input from the organizations that represent our people. This panel with members of the House was a continuation of the decadeslong commitment by our region’s leadership to protect our Iñupiat way of life and our economic foundation.”

“I want to thank Congressman Young and his staff for coordinating this briefing. I also want to thank my fellow panelists who made the long journey from Alaska’s North Slope to Washington, D.C. to speak on behalf of our Iñupiat of the North Slope. Our people have a powerful story of indigenous self-determination, and it was moving to share that story directly with members of Congress,” said Bridget Anderson, ASRC Vice President of External Affairs.

Representatives from ASRC and the NSB visit with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.