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Fri, December 17, 2021

Guide to Primary Sources on the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act


December 18, 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the landmark Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) by President Richard Nixon. The Alaska Historical Society wanted to recognize the movement that led to ANCSA and its evolving significance, and provide an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments and struggles of those who made this happen. The result is the “Guide to Sources for the Study of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act“ (edited by Karen Brewster), which presents primary archival, published and on-line sources that will be useful to anyone interested in learning about ANCSA.

The guide is presented in three-volumes and the current draft (as of 12/15/21) can be downloaded at the Resources for the Study of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act webpage in the Discover Alaska’s History section of the Alaska Historical Society website.

Volume 1: “Guide to Sources for the Study of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act”

  • Introduction to the Guide by William Schneider, Karen Brewster, Joan Antonson
  • Brief Interpretive History of ANCSA by William Schneider
  • Description of Collections By Location and Detailed Inventories of Collections by Karen Brewster
  • ANCSA Timeline by Joan Antonson
  • List of Key Participants in ANCSA by Sue Sherif and Ron Inouye

Volume 2: ANCSA Bibliography by Sue Sherif and Joan Antonson

Volume 3: Resources For Teaching ANCSA at 50 by Michael Hawfield (PDF’s of items mentioned in this list of resources is available at the PDF Resources for Teaching ANCSA at 50 webpage in the Discover Alaska’s History section of the Alaska Historical Society website)

The three volumes are also available through the University of Alaska’s Scholarworks database at: https://scholarworks.alaska.edu/handle/11122/12594

This project was supported by a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation, and contributions from  the following Native corporations: Doyon Limited, Sealaska, Bering Straits, Calista, and
Koniag. Additional support was provided by the Atwood Foundation through a grant to
the UAA Consortium Library.