The Hunter 2018 Volume, Issue January / February | Page 8

NANA

2017 ELDERS AND YOUTH CONFERENCE

making some unqualified to hunt due to being less than ¼ Alaska Native . As a resolve , it is asked to change the blood quantum requirement to tribal members .
the 2017 First Alaskans Institute Elders and Youth Conference , be transmitted to suicide prevention programs , ANTHC , other health providers .

The First Alaskans Institute ( FAI ) Elders and Youth were proud to present seven resolutions to the Alaska Federation of Natives ( AFN ) delegates . The 2017 theme was “ Part Land , Part Water – Always Native .” This threeday event , held October 16 – 18 , took place in Anchorage , Alaska . Many workshops and presentations on Alaska Native cultures and language were offered .

According to FAI , more than 1,000 participants from around Alaska gather each year during the AFN convention . The purpose of the conference is to develop leadership in Native youth , strengthened with the experience and wisdom of regional Native Elders .
Seventeen Elders attended from the Regional Elders Council ( REC ), Iñupiaq Language Commission ( ILC ) and the region .
The First Alaskans Institute 2017 Elders and Youth conference resolutions packet was submitted and approved by AFN . A brief overview of the submitted resolutions are as follows :
RESOLUTION 17-01 Support the Federally Recognized Tribes of Alaska and the State of Alaska entering into a government-to-government compact agreement that allows Tribal governments to authorize , oversee , and operate kindergarten through high school public instruction .
RESOLUTION 17-02 Change the 1 / 4 blood quantum for hunting sea otters to lineal descent . Current regulations prevent many Alaska Natives and the future generations from harvesting sea otters as their ancestors have done in the past . Opportunities for economic development , traditional arts , and culture have been impacted by regulations
RESOLUTION 17-03 Addressing Equity in Education for Rural Communities . All rural Alaska students are not having their basic education needs met and are at a disadvantage because of unreliable and / or lack of access to technology , equipment , internet , and an in person qualified teachers . To resolve , the State will complete annual reports on the number of unfilled teacher positions in rural Alaska by the school and that Alaska eliminate VTC [ video teleconferencing ] as the rural education delivery system .
RESOLUTION 17-04 A Commitment to Natural Disaster Preparedness in our Communities . All rural communities in our state are at risk from natural disasters . Our communities seek out funding to assess risks , create emergency supply and shelter caches in a safe place , and take whatever steps are necessary to increase our self-sufficiency while decreasing the risk of loss of life in the event of a crisis .
RESOLUTION 17-05 LGBTQ Rights . Lesbian , gay , bisexual , trans and queer ( LGBTQ ) have some of the highest suicide attempts . LGBTQ need to feel accepted and happy and have a place in our communities . We must commit to educating our people and our communities to commit to educating about LGBTQ struggles and pronouns , names and love ; and once accepted by the participants of
RESOLUTION 17-06 ANCSA dividend tax exemption adjusted for inflation . The ANCSA act of 1971 provides for a $ 2,000 per year exemption of dividends received from being counted as income by the IRS . Federal Programs are adjusted for inflation and The ANCSA dividends income exemption has not been adjusted for inflation . It is requested that the Federal Government adjust for inflation for this $ 2,000 per year dividend income exemption .
RESOLUTION 17-07 Alaska Native Rights to Native Food from Coastal and River Systems . Alaska Native Tribes have harvested from the waters year-round to feed themselves and the Alaska population is growing at a very high rate and competition for these resources is growing and agencies that regulate those resources don ’ t always pass laws that include Alaska Natives . We urge all Native organizations and tribes to attain rights to resources that Alaska Natives rely on for food and cash economy . To resolve , the rights of Alaska Natives be researched through the federal government so that these resources can be allocated to Alaska Native Tribes as soon as possible .
To read the resolutions in their entirety , please visit firstalaskans . org
NANA is a proud sponsor of the Elders and Youth event . •

History of the Region

Reindeer Herding

Reindeer herding was introduced to Northwest Alaska at the end of the 19th century by missionary Sheldon Jackson , who was the commissioner of education for Alaska . Concerned by the declining Western Arctic Caribou Herd population in the region , Jackson asked Congress for funding to start a reindeer husbandry program . By 1894 , Congress appropriated $ 6,000 for Jackson ’ s idea , with additional annual funding in the years after .
A Laplander ( a native or inhabitant of the northern European region of Lapland ) by the name of Alfred Nilima , who had reindeer herding experience , was hired in Kotzebue to assist the Friends Mission with their herd of 96 . In 1905 , reindeer were brought to Deering and Kivalina .
Reindeer herding was prominent in the region until 1918 . The Reindeer Act of 1937 established that domesticated reindeer could only be herded by Alaska Natives , but by then the industry was relatively nonexistent .
Then , in December of 1974 , NANA Regional Corporation was granted ownership of a “ model herd .” The herd was established in 1966 through a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Indian Affairs ( BIA ) and the Bureau of Land Management ( BLM ) for reindeer studies near Nome .
In March of 1975 , approximately 900 reindeer were relocated to the Baldwin Peninsula under the care of NANA .
In April of the same year , NANA Reindeer Enterprises ( NANA , Kikiktugruk Iñupiat Corporation ( KIC ), Noatak Napuaklukmeut Corporation , Kivalina Sinuakmeut Corporation ) requested a grazing permit , which included the Baldwin Peninsula and portions of the Noatak-Kivalina Basin .
The goals of NANA Reindeer Enterprises , a non-profit , were to provide a dependable food source , stimulate and develop local industry , and determine the feasibility of reindeer herding in the NANA region . With caribou herd numbers in decline , a meat source for subsistence was important .
In 1975 , NANA President John Schaeffer reported the herd had grown to 1,100 and had sold $ 7,000 worth of horns ( reindeer horns are used for medicinal purposes in Asian countries ). He also said that they were looking into purchasing additional reindeer to bring the herd up to a size that would be economically self-sufficient .
By 1976 the herd grew to 3,000 head with the purchase of 1,500 from a herd in Shishmaref . The sale of horns reached $ 14,000 .
By 2006 , herders had lost 75 to 100 percent of their herds to commingling and out-migration with the wild Western Arctic Caribou Herd .
NANA Reindeer Enterprises decided to cease operations ; the wild herd was now sufficient to support subsistence hunting in the region . The original goals of ensuring a food source and protecting the wild herd had been successful . •
( right ) In 1975 , NANA President John Schaeffer helps clip reindeer antlers with his wife , Mary , looking on .
( below ) In 1918 , a Reindeer Fair was hosted in Noatak . Reindeer herders from Utqiaġvik ( Barrow ), Wainwright , Icy Cape , Pt . Hope , Kivalina , Noatak , Kobuk , Selawik , Buckland , Kotzebue , Deering , Candle , Shishmarref , and Noorvik attended this three-week fair .
8 HUNTER � 2018 JANUARY / FEBRUARY