WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ?

This is just the "tip of the iceberg" LOL, there is much more at the web site but unfortunately not enough room to provide all the information.

NATIVE LAND CLAIMS

Two of the most important issues in Alaska today are the Native land claims and the resulting "land freeze" imposed by the Secretary of the Interior. The question of land ownership has an obvious impact on the economic growth of the state. Since most of the natural resources in Alaska have yet to be developed, the decision as to who has title may affect the overall pace and direction of economic development.

Native groups, asserting their "right" to own, develop and manage lands their ancestors have "used and occupied since time immemorial," have submitted claims covering approximately 290 million of Alaska's 375 million acres. The Natives are asking both for full title to the lands they claim and for compensation in the form of monetary settlements for lands already taken from their claim areas. In filing these claims, Native groups have stressed the importance of owning ecological areas supporting their villages and have been adamant in their belief that, in the long run, the state will enjoy a greater prosperity if the Natives, rather than a public agency, develop these areas.

While some of the Native claims were first filed over 30 years ago, the majority were recorded in a snowballing action that saw large areas claimed in the latter part of 1966 and in the early months of 1967. In December of 1966, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall halted action on the disposal of all public lands in the state to which Natives claimed "aboriginal possession" based on use and occupancy. Since the claims cover much of the most valuable unappropriated land in Alaska, most land disposal in the state was affected. Some state officials predicted serious losses in oil and gas revenues would result from the freeze and charged that natural resource development in the state would be slowed to a standstill.

Secretary Udall told state officials he was legally bound to impose the freeze because of a congressional guarantee (made in 1884) that Alaska Natives would not be disturbed in their use and occupancy of lands. The secretary said he would lift the freeze when Congress passes a bill defining the rights of the Native claimants, a process Alaska's congressional delegates estimate would take from two to five years. Two bills concerning land claims were introduced in Congress by October of 1967, one prepared by the Interior Department and the other by the Alaska Federation of Native Associations (now the Alaska Federation of Natives).

gatita

Degree in History (focus Jewish studies) and Spanish, New Mexico State U. 1990