TheAlaskaPurchaseof1867
BigQues8onforToday
•  Howhavethelegalandsocialconceptsof
“tribe”influencedtreatmentofAlaska
Na8ves?
ExtentofRussianInfluence
Ar8cleIIIoftheTreaty
•  UnderAr8cleIIIoftheTreatyofCessionwith
Russia,thepopula8onofAlaskawasdividedinto
the“inhabitants”andthe“uncivilizedtribes”.
MostNa8veswereclassifiedas“uncivilized”;
theywerenotci8zens.Instead,theyhadtribal
statuswhichmeantthatthegovernmenthadto
recognizetheir“aboriginal8tle”tolandbut,in
thelanguageoftheTreaty,theyweretobe“…
subjecttosuchlawsandregula8onsasthe
UnitedStatesmay,from8meto8me,adoptin
regardtoaboriginaltribesofthecountry(Case
andVoluck2012:62-63).
WilliamSeward’s1869triptoAlaska
•  .Addressingtheci8zensofSitkain1869,Seward
summedupthefateofAlaskaNa8ves:
•  •  “…canneitherbepreservedasadis8nctsocial
community,norincorporatedintooursociety.
TheIndiantribeswilldohereastheyseemto
havedoneinWashingtonTerritoryandBri8sh
Columbia:theywillmerelyservetheturnun8l
civilizedwhitemencome.”(Seward1869:13-14)
•  TlingitResponsetoPurchase
•  Didn’trecognizeRussianownershipoflandin
Alaska,1870TreasuryDepartmentReport,
CaptainCharlesBryant,SpecialAgentofthe
TreasuryDepartment.
•  Conflictsoverfishingstreams:“TheCanoe
Rocks”,1898mee8ngofTlingitchiefswith
GovernorBrady
•  TlingitcontrolofChilkoottrailandpassesintothe
Interior.RoleofCaptainBeardsleeinnego8a8ng
passage,1879-1880
“Conflic8ngVisions”:FatherJohnVeniaminenov(1797-1879),
MetropolitanofMoscow[fromRichardDauenhauer]
“Conflic8ngVisions”,ReverendSheldonJackson,
(1834-1909)[fromRichardDauenhauer]
TheGoldRushinInteriorAlaska
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FortyMile,1886
Rampart,1888,1893
BirchCreek,1893
Klondike,1896
Fairbanks,1902
TheStoryoftheBirchCreekGold
Discovery
•  PitkaPavaloffandSergiCherosky,financedby
LeroyJackMcQuestenmadethediscoverybut
theirrightstoholdtheclaimwerechallenged
onbasistheywerenotci8zens
JohnMinookandCi8zenship
JamesWickersham
ChiefJarvisandtheBarriganCase
ImpactsoftheGoldRush-LtEmmons’
reporttoPresidentRoosevelt(1904)
Lt.EmmonsandAlaskaNa8ves
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CollectorofTlingitandHaidaCultureandArt
Reportoncondi8onsofAlaskaNa8ves,1905
PlightofCopperRiverNa8ves
Issuesoflandandci8zenship
ImpactsoftheGoldRush-Fish,the
MailCarrier(1900)
ChiefsIvanandWilliamwri8ngtothe
SecretaryofWar,1906
ImpactsoftheGoldRush-Chief
AlexanderfromTolovana(1910)
JudgeWickershamwithchiefatTolovana
in1914(presumablychiefAlexander)
AmtudesaboutNa8veRights
*TheOrganicActof1884
*TheGeneralAllotmentAct,1887
•  TeddyRoosevelt’s1901addresstoCongress
“Inmyjudgmentthe8mehasarrivedwhenwe
shoulddefinitelymakeupourmindsto
recognizetheIndianasanindividualandnotas
amemberofatribe.TheGeneralAllotmentAct
isamightypulverizingenginetobreakupthe
tribalmass.”(December3,1901)
Roosevelt,inthemidstofChanging
Times,1905InauguralParade
The1906AlaskaNa8veAllotmentAct
•  160acresavailabletomaleheadoffamily
over21yearsofage
•  Inalienableandnontaxable
•  Applica8onprocess
The1915TananaChiefsmee8ng
AreaofInteriorrepresentedbythe
chiefs
1915AlaskaNa8veCi8zenshipAct
•  ActofTerritoriallegislature
•  Examina8onbyteacherstoinsurewillingto
accept“obliga8ons”ofci8zenship
•  Abandonmentoftribalcustoms
•  FiveWhitesupporters
JamesWickershamandWilliamPaul;Earlystepsto
Tlingit-HaidaSeplementandroleoftheANB
StatehoodandAlaskaNa8ves
AlaskaNa8veLandClaims
FederalRecogni8onofTribesin1993
GovernmenttoGovernmentrela8onshipof
tribeswiththefederalgovernmentwilllikely
leadtotribalen88esassumingmorecontrolin
areassuchascommunitypolicing,childwelfare,
andlocalgovernance
Ques8on
•  Howdoesthe150thanniversariesprovide
opportunitytore-examineourunderstanding
oftheTreaty’simpactonAlaskaNa8ves?
And,OurFirstQues8on
•  Howhavethelegalandsocialconceptsof
“tribe”influencedtreatmentofAlaska
Na8ves?