Carver Says Legislation to
Settle Claims On the Way
Assistant Secretary of Interior
John A. Carver in Fairbanks Wed
nesday said legislation was being
drafted and would soon be intro
duced in U.S. Congress for resolv
ing Alaska Native land claims.
“On this trip we intend to go
over the various points with the
state and the two bureaus involved
(the Bureau of Indian Affairs and
the Bureau of Land Management).
We hope that legislation to resolve
these claims can be submitted dur
ing this session of Congress,” Car
ver said.
The Assistant Interior Secretary
then explained, “It is my general
feeling it is well recognized that
further legislative action has been
anticipated both by the Organic Act
and the Statehood Act.”
Carver said he hoped to have
■“some good hard sessions with the
state, looking toward a better un
derstanding of each other’s prob
lems.”
When asked by a Tundra Times
reporter if natives would be con
sulted about the proposed legisla
tion, Carver said no final formula
tion would be sent to Congress
“which in any way affects native
land rights without full opportunity
for them to be heard if they care
to be.”
“In general we hope to have Con
gress fix the standards and tests
which should be applicable in re
solving some of these disputed
claims,” Carver said.
He said the proposed legislation
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would concern both individual na
tive rights and native community,
tribal or village land rights.
Asked about the Minto claim,
Carver said he would have to fa
miliarize himself with the Minto
land selection problem.
‘‘I think you can assume the leg
islation we hope will get some at
tention may help resolve the prob
lem presented in the Minto case,"
he said.
While the legislative and adminis
trative action is pending, Carver
said the Interior Department would
jealously guard the rights of the
natives but was quick to add, “I
hope this doesn’t mean there can’t
be negotiation between the village,
the state and the federal govern
ment in resolving this problem."
Carver said the long standing dis
pute between the BLM and the state
regarding the selecting of land in
compact tracts had been settled but
he indicated that a compromise had
been reached.
“It was not clear cut victory for
the state,” he said.
After the dispute was discussed in
Senate and House committees, he
said it was discussed in conference,
that the conference report had been
filed and agreed upon.
Instead of the Interior Depart
ment being required to survey the
exterior boundaries of each half
township or 5.750 acres selected by
the state, he said the federal govern
ment would survey and locate’mon
ument markers every two miles
around selection a township in size
or 11,520 acres.
“This was a rational way of hand
ling the matter and we are satisfied
with the report,” the Assistant In
terior Secretary said.
Asked about the Board of Appeals
proposed by Alaska senators for
more expeditiously settling land
cases. Carver said while the Interior
Department recognized the symp
toms the bill sought to correct, it
did not feel the bill was the way
of solving them.
One of the principal reasons for
(Continued on Page 7)
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Letters to Editor
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Juneau Area Office
Juneau, Alaska
July 17, 1963
Dear Editor:
I enjoyed your editorial in the
July 1 issue of TUNDRA TIMES
entitled “The New Economy.”
I believe you have made a real
contribution to the public by your
impassionate and objective state
ment. It is one in which this office
wholeheartedly agrees and that is,
in the transition of the Native peo
ple of Alaska every effort should
be made to retain some of their fine
old traditions which will leave them
an identity and character.
Again, my sincere compliments on
this' fine editorial.
Sincerely yours,
Robert L. Bennett
Area Director
Star Route
Knit Road
Wasilla, Alaska
June 20, 1963
Dear Sir,
I am truly sorry to be writing this
so late to thank you on behalf of
| tha Community T.lbTBlty Bt TTOOrVlK
for giving space in your paper re
questing books. The response has
been very good. Pictures, Inc. in
Anchorage sent some books for
children, a teacher in San Francisco
I had her students donate about 60
paper back books which is being
sent up. Amerindian in Chicago is
going to write up a short article
for their publication which they
feel will bring the library books and
best of all Operation Bookshelf
from Scarsdale, New York contacted
us and is going to supply the library
i with all the books the library will
have room for.
I am taking the liberty of send
ing you the information we received
from Operation Bookshelf thinking
that perhaps you would be inter
ested in publishing part of this for
other communities who may want to
start a library. This information
should be passed on to Mrs. Wilbur
Melton of Noorvik for the library
files when you are finished with it.
Enclosed is an envelope for this.
The library is in the school build
ing and has to remain closed for the
summer which is a most unfortunate
situation. Maybe someday each com
munity will have a community hall
which could house books. I'm sin
cerely hoping the new teachers will
let this library continue in the fall.
In six months time the circulation
figures were 1,474 which is probably
a great thing when one knows that
the total population was 400 and one
also knows that each book taken
home was probably read by more
than one member of the family.
Your gift of a year's subscription
to the Tundra Times was very won
derful. The community can't help
but benefit from this gift and the
many others the library has received
because of your interest.
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Hal Post
fJoy Post)
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TERWILLIGER'S, Tok, Alaska
Bartlett Stresses
For Any Native
Senator E. L. (Bob) Bartlett
stressed in an exclusive interview
with Tundra Tirri?^ on July 5 the
need for the settlement of Alaska
native historic lahd claims and
pointed out legislation was now
being drafted by the Interior De
partment to accomplish this end.
Bartlett said he did not believe
villages needed over 1 million acres
for village purposes and that he
favored the state to proceed with
selection, with an agreed upon
lesser amount of land left to vil
lage use.
Compensation should be paid,
Bartlett said, for those portions of
land taken from native ownership
and maintained in the public do
main.
The lesser amount of land around
native villages should be left for
the “demonstrable needs of the vil
lage, for whatever purposes might
appear desirable,” he said.
After native origional occupancy
claims have been settled, Bartlett
pointed out that natives would have
the same rights as any other eiti
■Kfcna 'In appAy ing and acquiring land
under the land laws.
Bartlett said that the land claims
of villages in the area that would
be covered with water, in the event
Rampart Dam were to be built,
would be fortified. He pointed out
that one of the problems faced by
natives in Alaska had been that
there was no legislation whereby
natives might gain title to the land
they claimed through traditional
occupancy and use and that cases
could be presented to the Indian
Venetie Pulls
Self Up by
Its Bootstraps
Last year, the small Indian village
of Venetie. above the Arctic Circle,
amazed everybody.
It became the perfect example of
how a village can become progress
ive, self-supporting, and can “pull ]
itself up by the bootstraps.”
Three years ago the v\Wagc had \
a small inadequate airport, a small
inadequate school, the village was
untidy with debris scattered about,
the villagers could not get enough
food from the land and many be
came dependent upon welfare
checks. The village lacked security
and morale was low. _
Today the whole picture of Ve
netie has changed. It has a new
school, new 4,400 foot airfield, the
village is neat and clean. Fences
have been built and flowers
planted.
Last year the villagers disproved
the popular belief that agriculture
is impossible in the Arctic by rais
ing a bumper crop of vegetables,
providing themselves with a large
part of their winter's food supply.
This winter not one welfare check
was sent to the village.
Venetie was given the Herman
Turner Memorial Trophy for being
the most improved village in remote
Alaska in 1962. The name of the
village wms inscribed on the first
of the trophy’s 18 plaques.
The people of Venetie have
(Continued on Page 7)
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Compensation
Land Taken
Claims Commission only if there
had been “an actual taking.”
“Rampart would be an actual
taking,” Bartlett pointed out. He
went on to point out that “what
ever expenses are incurred with re
spect to resettlement will necessari
ly be included in the Rampart Bill
or subsidiary legislation."
Bartlett said he felt that the vil
lages in the Rampart Dam area
would be beuer off as a result of
the project than they are now. He
particularly stressed the employ
ment opportunities that would arise
by the dam’s construction.
The need is for a determination of
Alaska native land claims at the
earliest moment, Bartlett pointed
out, adding "and that won't be
early.”
“We need to arrive at the mecha
nics that will be employed in dis
posing of these claims.”
On other matters:
Bartlett said he had testified en
thusiastically for both the Area
Development Bill and a bill to es
l tabliaH a dome«tic cotp*. tv\»t
hoped tooth Hills passed this ses»
sion of Congress.
“I am convinced that training and
jobs, in that order instead of the
other way around, are the instru
ments of improving the lives of na
tives,” Bartlett said.
He particularly lauded the pilot
programs of the BIA and RCA Co.
in training young natives for elec
tronic positions on the DEW line
and the White Alice network and
said they proved that training na
tives would pay off in the long run.
“The so-called native community
has bridged a terrific gap — has
almost liiterallly leaped from an
economy which existed for thou
sands of years based on hunting and
fishing into the white mans econ
omy.”
“Good or bad, natives by and
large are now becoming as depen
I dent as anyone else on regular pay
checks."
Bartlett said more should be done
“to prepare native people to inte
grate more fully into the indus
trial and business life of the state
and make them fitted to hold tech
nical as well as other jobs”
■More natives shohitt go into the
professions, become lawyers, doc
tors, ministers, he stressed.
“I realize when this is done many
will not return to Alaska. That is
all right. Even so, a sufficient num
ber will inevitably return to their
homeland to provide that which is
so urgently needed, the leadership
which comes from a broad base.
“I think leadership is one of the
common lacks of the Indians. Eski
mo and Aleut people." he said.
I “They have been too exclusively de
I pendent upon white people for
j counsel and advice.”
Asked his opinion on how the
state will finance its operations af
ter transitional funds run out. Bart
lett said the Alaska has the free
dom of choice granted it under
statehood — it can either tax more
if more services are desired or can
reduce the services and lighten th©
tax load if this is desired.
He said he would not necessari
ly predict a rise in taxes in Alas
ka since the tax base is continually
broadened as the population in
creases.
Bartlett said he did not feel that
the romance of statehood would
bring people to Alaska in hordes —
that it was obvious that the grant
of statehood would not provide cir
cumstances whereby a large addi
! tional number cf people could live
with the comforts of life.
One of the aspects of statehood,
he said, would be that the state
government would be able to pass
more liberal laws for distribution
I of land.”
“History has shown people
own land if the community Is fo
achieve progress.”
(Continued on Page Tj