Chickaloon Village leader denounces state-tribal government-to-government meetings

Chickaloon Views

Athabascan Chief Gary Harrison made the following comments about the tribal/state meetings: "Not having leaders from each tribe was a cop-out excuse of the state not having enough funding. [The state] further said, ‘It's too complicated to deal with over 228 tribes.' There are over 228 cities in Alaska and the state has to coordinate with each and every one of them as well as all the corporations. We have never heard ‘It's too complicated to deal with the cities, boroughs, etc.'

"The state has over a billion-dollar budget and fewer than a million residents. The only time the state seems to want to deal with the tribes is when we have resources to take. For example, in our area, coal and gas are being reviewed at present with no community review, environmental impact statements, etc.

"We are significant stakeholders and need to be sitting at negotiation tables as equals. The value of the resources taken from our lands collectively is in the multi billions of dollars and now the state can't even come up with the money to meet and coordinate with 228 tribes?

"The meetings were not respectful and participants were not fully informed. Not all questions were answered. It wasn't negotiations with fully informed consent being sought.

"Even though this agreement has a disclaimer, the state hasn't lived up to their disclaimer clause. Taxation of Indian lands continues by the state's subsidiaries. There have been no treaties ratified by Alaska Natives. Our traditions, customs and laws are intact and they are non-negotiable.

"There was pressure to get the deal done. Many of us need to think about major issues and consider the pros and cons. It takes time to get information to the other leaders, time to read and make comments. Many times we have been rushed into things or decisions we didn't understand — all the pitfalls were not apparent. We don't like being rushed, it makes us suspicious, like my suspicions on how the state wants to use this agreement."

Arctic Athabascan Council

The Arctic Athabascan Council (AAC) held two days of organizational meetings in Fairbanks during the week of Jan. 22. Chief Gary Harrison was chosen as one of three delegates from Alaska. He will travel to Copenhagen later this month for more AAC meetings.

Peace Officers "Become Part of the Solution"

Chickaloon Village tribal peace officers (745-0743) and forest rangers (745-0742) are presently providing services to tribal members and surrounding neighborhoods. The public is encouraged to become involved in our "Community Watch" and "Safe House" programs.

The officers have implemented an outreach program to introduce themselves, make home visits, and identify special needs of elders and individuals with disabilities. All people qualify for these services and the officers are on call 24 hours per day.

Our forest rangers are providing patrol on tribal lands as well as the neighboring communities and will help hunters, campers and hikers obtain necessary permits to legally enter tribal lands. They are the enforcement mechanism for the Chickaloon Village Environmental Protection Program.

Ya Ne Dah Ah School happenings

Many thanks to the following people for their assistance with our Ya Ne Dah Ah Students: PJ Williams — main instructor; Hope Finkelstein and Elder Katie Wade — foods program and writing a cookbook; Kari Johns — history and maps-geography; Angie Wade — science through experiments and hands-on projects; Daniel Harrison and Sondra Stuart — language, sewing and Indian songs; Steve Simmons and Patricia Wade — music lessons; Dentist Fred Frederickson — oral hygiene; Sharon Aubrey — helped start labels program; Health Department — assisting with rides; Dean and Mary Babcock came in one day and told a story and their daughter sang a song; George Shade, an Aleut/Eskimo/Athabascan originally from Dillingham who lives in Sutton, showed the students how to scrimshaw using whale baleen. George has been a scrimshaw artist for 25 years.

The children have gone to the Heritage Center, zoo, and the play, "Curious George." They will participate in the roller-skating program in Sutton. All the children have taken part in the Sutton Library program. Librarian Nancy Bartels has created an age-appropriate program for preschool through fourth grade.

Mission Statement: Ya Ne Dah Ah School is committed to all students receiving an education which instills respect for human dignity and diversity, which validates the history and culture of all ethnic groups, which is based on high expectations for academic success for every student, and which encourages students and parents to actively participate in the learning process.

Patricia Wade is the editor of the Chickaloon News.