Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Signed into law on December 18, 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) won a unique settlement from the United States Congress for Alaska's Eskimos, Indians and Aleuts. For the extinguishment of their aboriginal land claims, Alaska Natives were awarded title to 44 million acres of land and paid $962.5 million. The settlement provided for the formation of 13 regional, 4 urban, and over 200 village Native corporations, which received the cash and acreage. Any Native Alaskan born on or before December 18, 1971, who could prove one-quarter blood Native ancestry, was eligible to enroll in a local and regional corporation. Enrollment entitled each Native Alaskan to 100 shares in both corporations. On February 3, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law important changes to the settlement act. The "1991" amendments were the result of a five-year effort to correct some of the problems that emerged from ANCSA.

The amendments provide: automatic protections for undeveloped Native corporation lands; continued restrictions on stock to maintain Native control and ownership of the corporations; shareholder authority to issue stock to Alaska Natives who missed the original enrollment period, and to children born after the deadline; and shareholder authority to provide additional benefits to Elders and to make other changes in the corporation structure.

For more information, visit the ANCSA Resource Center.