REPORT OF DENA NENA HENASH
INTRODUCTION
Last year, for the first time since
1913, the Athabascan Chiefs and
Delegates of Interior Alaskan vil
lages met at Tanana. They consid
ered many problems which vitally
affected their way of life and their
economy.
Again this year the villages have
met to consider these problems and
work toward their solutions.
The serious problems that existed
■then are not yet solved.
The principal problem facing our
people concerns our land. In the
past year the Alaska Task Force of
the Interior Department has stated
that natives in Alaska should be
granted only small areas of land.
We strongly disagree with the
Statement because from time imme
morial we have required large
areas of land for our livelihood
«nd will continue to require such
areas.
LANDS
while certain provisions of the
Alaska Task Force Report relating
to native lands are reasonable, the
Dena Nena Henash does not feel
the Task Force recommendations
on land are adequate.
leconateiiMMs
The Dena Nena Henash urges:
1. That the Native Allotment Act
should be more effectively imple
mented for the benefit of the na
tives to allow the natives to receive
title to their camp-sites and their
hunting, gathering, and fishing sites,
as well as to their homesites in sev
eral allotments, if desired, instead
Of a single tract of land. It further
urges that consideration be given
to increasing the size of native al
lotments from 160 acres to a size
that will more nearly meet the
needs of the native people of Alas
ka.
2. The need for authority to lease
and otherwise develop, for the bene
fit of the natives, some of the lands
included in the tribal claims al
ready reserved for them and to ex
tend this authority to future with
drawals for their benefit,
3. That the United States does
not divest itself of its title to the
State of Alaska or any division
thereof until the natives gain title
to their ancestral lands.
4. We recommend that Congress
define the aboriginal land rights of
the natives and to establish a for
um in which their claims may be
heard.
5. That Congressional hearings be
held in Alaska concerning any le
gislation affecting land claims.
LABOR AND ECONOMICS
The Native People of Alaska
should have the jobs in their vil
lages for which they are qualified,
and train those who are not.
Government contractors, Federal
State Agencies should hire native
labor where there are qualified
equipment operators, common or
skilled labor.
The best job in the villages is the
job of post master. It pays about
$4,000 per year. We think it should
belong to a Native. We have educat
ed boys and girls who can handle
the post office job.
Financial aid for commercial
fishery for the Yukon River Valley.
Specific training in business for
such ventures. Survey of other pos
sibilities, such as lumber.
We also want to know what is
being done about the Task Force
and Socio-Economic recommenda
tions for this year as they stated.
These are the recommendations
of the Labor and Economics Com
mittee and it shall be followed up
by a letter to the Governor of
Alaska, Senator Bartlett, Senator
G r u e n i n g, and Representative
Rivers.
RAMPART DAM COMMITTEE
REPORT
The Dena Nena Henash requests
the Corp of Engineers to include
in their cost' analysis of Rampart
Dam, the value of intangibles and
income producing values of land
now in use and occupancy and
claimed by villages and natives af
fected by the dam site, as well as
the cost of relocation of villages
and acquisition of substitute lands.
Maps of areas claimed and oc
cupied will be furnished subse
quently.
In the event Rampart Dam is
built, Venetie wants their reserva
tion extended in the amount flood
ed by the resulting lake. They also
want their village relocated to a
site of their choosing and wish to
use labor from the villages to re
build the village.
Chalkyitsik wants to relocate
their village to a site of their own
choosing which includes land equi
valent to, or of equal value to the
hunting, trapping, and fishing areas
now claimed by them which would
be flooded by the dam. They also
wish to use local village labor in
rebuilding.
We request the BIA to provide
Legislation in Congress Soon
To Settle Native Rights, Claims
Bills will soon be introduced in
Congress to settle Alaska native
rights and claims.
So spoke Robert L. Bennett, area
director of the Bureau of Indian Af
fairs, to delegates of 23 villages at
. the recent Interior Indian Confer
ence at Tanana.
In making the announcement
which has since appeared in the j
general press, Bennett confirmed
an exclusive story in the May 6
issue of the Tundra Times.
Bennett said that the Department
of Interior had drafted a bill which
Secretary of Interior Udall will
submit to the two committees of
Congress, the Senate and House .
Committees on Interior and Insular J
affairs.
Ho said the staffs of the two com
mittees would study the bills, which
would be identical, make whatever
changes they felt necessary, and
then the bills would be introduced
in Congress.
Then he said copies of the bills*
would be procured from the com
mittees and the Congressional dele
gation to* distribution to every na
tive village for study, noting that
the conference had gone on record
asking that congressional hearings
on such legislation be held in
Alaska.
“The reason why you are here
and why you have problems is be
cause changes are taking place
among you,” Bennett said.
“Some of these changes are
brought about by your own desires,
your own needs and some of these
(Continued on Page 6)
training for jobs involved in pre
paring for and building the Ram
part Dam Projects and economic
opportunities provided by the dam
immediately. Also that it under
take studies of economic develop
ment which might benefit the na
tives, and that assistance be given
to individuals and villages in finling
claims for land now occupied, and
if that is flooded; then for substi
tute land, for example, lakeshore
areas.
We further request that heavy
Equipment be sent to the villages
to provide training in the opera
tion and maintenance of the equip
ment and at the same time use this
equipment be sen to the villages
HUNTING AND FISHING
Most Natives of Alaska today ex
ist by hunting and fishing through
out the year. The hunting situation
has been getting more difficult as
the years go by. The reason is that
the game laws are regulated in
such a way so that open season for
certain animals are bunched to
gether into a short period of time.
In the State of Alaska moose
season opens on August 20. While
the meat is good at that time of
year, there is no way of keeping it
from spoiling because most villages
have no refrigeration. When the
weather gets cold enough, moose
can be taken in November, but the
meat is not fit to eat because of the
mating season.
We would like to have the laws
changed so we can hunt moose by
use of game tags isued and con
trolled by the village council so we
could take our moose when needed.
During springtime there is us
usally a shortage of meat. It is the
time of the year when ducks begin
to migrate, and we are not allow
ed to take them. We should be al
lowed to take them as we need
them. Each village should be al
lowed to fix its season because they
know best when to take animals
without wastage.
License fees for fishwheels and
small boats to haul fish from fish
wheels should not be applicable to
Interior Alaska. Fish are not pro
cured in sufficient numbers to war
rant the license fees charged.
We recommend that villages in
each unit form Fish and Game Ad
visory Committees to state their
recommendations to the State Fish
and Game Department.
The Dena Nena Henash Confer
ence has found that Metlakatla fish
traps are not detrimental to the
conservation of fish. The economy
of Metlakatla would be destroyed
if the fish traps were lost to this
community. We recommend that
fish traps be retained.
EDUCATION
Whereas the schools administered
by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
are not suitably situated for the
children in the Interior except at
great cost. The probable number of
students who would enter such a
school number at least 500.
Whereas in connection with such
a school supervised dormitories and
boarding facilities will be needed.
Whereas the school should be
j both academic and vocational with
! standards equivalent to that of
I state schools.
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Whereas it is the opinion of the
delegates present that such a school
be located in Fairbanks. Alaska.
Be it resolved that the Bureau
of Indian Affairs use its best ef
forts to have a complete school at
Fairbanks, Alaska at the earliest
available date.
Be it further resolved that copies
of this resolution be sent to the
Bureau of Indian Affairs for trans
mittal to the Secretary of the In
terior and to the members of the
Alaska delegation in Congress.
DELEGATES
Fred John — Mentasta, Alaska.
William Fredson — Chalkyitsik,
Alaska.
DeLois Ketzler — Nenana, Alas
ka.
Charles A. Ryan — Metlakatla,
Alaska.
Rev. David Salmon — Venetie,
Alaska.
Stanley Jonas — Canyon Village.
Alaska.
Lawrence Martin — Birch Creek,
Alaska.
Joe C. Newman, Holy Cross, Al
aska.
Raymond Douglas, Koyuk, Al
aska.
Turak, Newman — Beaver, Alas
ka.
Markle Ewan — Gulkana, Alas
ka.
Bacille George — Copper Center,
Alaska.
Neil Simon — Stevens Village,
Alaska.
Edgar Nollner, Jr. — Galena, Al
aska.
Benedict Jones, — Koyukuk, Al
aska.
Ralph W. Perdue — Fairbanks,
Alaska.
Richard Grant — Tanana, Alaska.
Carl Seseui — Medfra, Alaska.
Percy Herbert — Ft. Yukon, Al
aska.
Louise Tansy — Cantwell, Alas
ka.
Franklin Madros, Sr. — Kaltag,
Alaska.
Walter Titus — Minto, Alaska. >
Mrs. Claude Demientieff — Nu
lato. Alaska.
Alfred R. Ketzler — Chairman.
Clarabell Charlie — Secretary.
GUESTS
Howard Rock, Executive Secre
tary Inupiat Paitot — Fairbanks,
Alaska.
William L. Paul, Sr., Grand Pres.
Emeritus Alaska Native Brother
hood — Seattle. Wash.
Steven V. Hotch, 1st Grand Vice
Pres. Alaska Native Brotherhood
— Klukwam, Alaska.
Lester Oliver, Tribal Chairman
white Mountain Apaches — White
river, Arizona.
OTHER GUESTS
Robert Bennett, Area Director,
Bureau of Indian Affairs.
William Byler, Executive Dieec
tor, Association on American Indian
Affairs.
Dr. Theodore B. Hetzel, Ameri
can Friends Service Committee.
Gil Dyer, Industrial Develop
ment, Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Col. Sawyer, Corps of Engineers.
Roy Peratrovich, Tribal Opera
tions, Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Art Nagozrok, Tribal Operations
Officer, Nome Bureau of Indian Af
fairs.
Neal Jensen. Housing Officer, Bu
reau of Indian Affairs.
Daniel Jones, Manager, Fairbanks
Land Office, Bureau of Land Man
agement.
Ross Youngblood, Director, Fair
banks office, Bureau of Land Man
agement.
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