Although historians say the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act is probably the second most important legislation for Alaska since statehood, most Alaskans have little awareness about its impact. When President Nixon signed ANCSA into law 50 years ago, it was the largest land settlement in U.S.history, which returned more than 44 million acres of land to Native control and awarded almost a billion dollars in compensation. The legislation also cleared the way for the Trans Alaska Pipeline.
In our weekly radio series on ANCSA, two longtime Alaska Native journalists, Nellie Moore and Joaqlin Estus, talk about the challenges of covering ANCSA, legislation that has many moving parts and isn’t easy to explain. This broadcast is designed to be a companion program to ANCSA@50: The Journey Continues, a series that airs on KTOO 360TV every Thursday night at 8:00 p.m.
Also on this program, Congressman Don Young weighs in on the 50th anniversary of the claims act and explains why the odds were against its success.
The companion radio series airs on Thursdays on at 3:00 p.m. on KTOO Juneau 104.3. The rebroadcast airs at 7:00 p.m. on KTOO. You can also listen online at ktoo.org.
Listen to the program:
