Alaska Native archival collections : Organizations

HMC-0472. Please note: this is a different organization than the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN). The Alaska Federation of Natives, International (AFNI) was created in 1973. AFNI was a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the cause of Alaska Natives in the United States and abroad through charitable work and outreach programs. Membership was open to Alaska natives living outside the state of Alaska. AFNI was also instrumental in the formation of the Esk-Ind-Al Corporation, and the Thirteenth Regional Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation representing Alaska natives living outside the state of Alaska. This collection contains records of the Alaska Federation of Natives, International. The collection contains administrative records of the organization as well as the office files of Helen Marie Klein who served as Executive Secretary. Documents include business and organizational records, correspondence, court papers, literature from other Alaska Native organizations, general files, and legal files of cases involving AFNI and the Thirteenth Regional Corporation.

HMC-0021. The Alaska Native Association of Oregon was incorporated under the laws of the state of Oregon in December, 1971. It was a non-profit organization which seeks to promote pride on the part of Alaska Natives in their heritage to preserve their customs, folklore, and art; promote their physical, economical, and social well-being; discourage racial prejudice and inequities; and to promote good government. The membership of the corporation consists of all persons of Eskimo, Indian. or Aleut extraction and their descendants. A board of directors of three members was to be elected at each annual meeting. The organization participated with the Alaska Federation of Natives, International in a suit against the Secretary of the Interior, Rogers Morton, in 1973 which brought about the establishment of a thirteenth regional corporation for Alaska under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The Secretary was directed to enroll every eligible non-resident Native who elected in favor of the thirteenth region. The Secretary of the Interior was directed to distribute monies from the Alaska Native Fund to members of this group. The organization went on to participate in the enrollment of Alaska Natives living outside of the state. This collection consists of articles of incorporation, documents relating to the lawsuit between the association and the Secretary of the Interior, grant files, correspondence, membership inquiries. newsletters, fund raising information, and other materials concerning the organization’s activities between 1971 and 1977.

HMC-0075. The Bristol Bay Area Development Corporation was founded in 1969 with assistance from the Alaska Federation of Natives and the Rural Alaska Community Action Program. The purpose of the corporation was to promote economic, community, and regional development in the Bristol Bay area by providing better housing, health services, education, job training, and job opportunities for natives in the area. The name was later changed to Bristol Bay Native Association. Programs with which the the association has been involved include the Headstart Program, the Johnson O’Malley (JOM) bilingual/bicultural education program; the Bristol Bay Housing Authority, limited entry fishing, CETA and CETA Health Aide Training, the Rural Alaska Community Action Agency (RurALCAP), the Bristol Bay Disaster Fund, and the Community Enterprise Development Corporation (CEDC). This collection consists primarily of the administrative records, correspondence, and subject and agency files of the Bristol Bay Native Association for the period 1968-1979. The records contain information on the operation and activities of the Bristol Bay Native Association, and on subjects and programs the association was involved in. These include native allotments, native education and school programs, community development programs, rural housing, fisheries, health programs, grants, the Alaska Federation of Natives, village governance, and other subjects.

HMC-0390. The Thirteenth Regional Corporation was the last of the regional corporations formed by Alaska Natives as a result of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Public Law 92-203. The Thirteenth Region encompasses all other places except Alaska, which is location of the other twelve regional corporations. Each Alaska Native not living in Alaska at the time of the ANCSA enrollment, or during the later opt-in/opt-out election, had the option of joining either the most appropriate regional corporation in Alaska or the Thirteenth Regional Corporation. The articles of incorporation were filed in 1975 and the first Board of Directors was elected by the shareholders in 1976. Early investments of the corporation included a fishing fleet; real estate in Seattle; and land in Cold Bay, Alaska. The corporation created numerous subsidiaries in the course of pursuing business opportunities. The corporation also mounted a major campaign to obtain a land grant in Alaska (which the other twelve regional corporations had received as a part of the ANCSA settlement) and started a non-profit subsidiary, Al-Ind-Esk-A. The collection consists of records relating to the administration and operation of the Thirteenth Regional Corporation. Included are records relating to the board, the shareholders, the management of the corporation, corporate finances, subsidiaries and business ventures, law cases, corporate land claims, and corporate publications. Among these are articles of incorporation, minutes, election materials, corporate reports, correspondence, shareholder lists, records of the general manager, legal documents, congressional legislation, corporate newsletters, newspaper clippings, photographs, and videotapes.

This is a guide to many collections of records related to Alaska Native organizations held by many archives across Alaska.