MEG ROUSSOS
STEWARDING AND LIVING ON LANDS & WATERS INDIGENOUS STEWARDSHIP OF ALASKA IS VITAL TO MAINTAIN SUBSISTENCE WAYS OF LIFE AND RESTORE SACRED CONNECTIONS WHICH FORTIFY THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
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Since time immemorial, Indigenous Alaskans have lived in sustainable and reciprocal relationships with lands and waters. Colonial conquest brought a culture focused on maximizing resource extraction to benefit the rich with little concern for ecosystem health. Now is the time to return this wealth to our communities and enable them to support themselves by working in partnership with lands and waters. Alaska Native Nations are the original stewards of lands and waters that are now in the possession of state and federal governments. These lands and waters are often governed by state and federal laws, but tribes can also base their claims to these lands on principles of federal Indian laws which recognize the primacy and supremacy of tribally-reserved rights to hunt and fish. The intersection of legal authorities, contemporary land, water, and wildlife management, and traditional knowledge and stewardship practices led by Alaska Native tribes provides a basis for shared management of lands and waters, often called “comanagement.” Tribal co-management in this context refers to the opportunities for shared stewardship of federal lands and waters shaped by specific guiding principles: 1) the recognition of Tribes as sovereign governments, 2) the incorporation of the United States’ trust responsibility, 3) the existence of legitimation structures for Tribal involvement, 4) the integration of Tribes early in the decision-making process, 5) the extent of recognition and incorporation of tribal expertise, and 6) the effectiveness of dispute resolution mechanisms.
