Over a dozen Southeast Alaska tribal governments have banded together to form a new partnership.
The Alliance of Sovereign Tribes of Southeast Alaska was signed into accord last month at the National Congress of American Indians convention in Seattle. The joint effort, which was months in the making, promotes a unified approach to addressing regional tribal concerns while acknowledging each tribe’s individual differences. The accord also highlights the need for annual tribal gatherings and a focus on Indigenous values.
Gloria Burns is the president of the Ketchikan Indian Community. She said the new partnership has already improved communication between the region’s tribes.
“And as we communicate, we’re going to partner with each other, and when we partner with each other, then we’re creating real movement and change with each other,” Burns said.
While organizations like the Alaska Federation of Natives address statewide Native issues, Burns said there were no collaborative efforts to tackle Southeast specific concerns, like transboundary mining and invasive European green crabs. She said the new alliance also works to uplift individual tribal concerns.
Albert Smith is the mayor of the Metlakatla Indian Community, the only reservation in Alaska. He said there hasn’t been an established partnership of Southeast Alaska tribes in over 20 years.
“The importance is just tribes helping tribes, working together for a common goal of the betterment of our region, and Indigenous peoples of our region,” Smith said.
Other tribal governments that signed into the alliance include the Craig Tribal Association, the Organized Village of Kake, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, the Organized Village of Kasaan, Hydaburg Cooperative Association, Douglas Indian Association, Organized Village of Saxman, Yakutat Tlingit Tribe, Klawock Cooperative Association, Angoon Community Association, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and the Hoonah Indian Association.
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