Cheers greeted Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on Thursday as he told the Alaska Federation of Natives that "we don't need regionalization."

Stevens angered tribal leaders a year ago with a videotaped speech proclaiming that "sovereignty is not the answer" to the challenges facing Alaska Natives. But on the opening day of AFN's annual conference in Anchorage, Stevens struck a more conciliatory tone.

"I'm not going to use the word regionalization any more and I'll tell you why," he said to applause. "Everywhere I went I saw the results of cooperation, partnership and sharing. It's going on already."

Stevens, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said trips around the state showed him that tribal councils, village corporations, regional corporations, regional non-profits, municipalities and state agencies were working to better the lives of Alaska Natives. "Each was contributing what they had to offer to the greater good of the community," he said.

"That's the kind of efficiency and sharing I envisioned when I talked about regionalization," he continued. "But we don't need regionalization. It's already there."

Last year, Stevens inserted riders into appropriations language that would have forced regionalization on tribes. He wanted to shift housing funds to regional organizations and law enforcement funds to the state, saying that it was unrealistic for Alaska's 220-plus tribes to expect their own individualized resources.

Stevens removed the language under pressure from AFN and tribal leaders but he succeeded in establishing a commission to examine law enforcement issues in rural Alaska. The panel has one member representing AFN and another representing tribal governments and will make recommendations on a "unified" jurisdictional system.

Despite the warm reception Stevens received, some tribal leaders are still wary about the underlying message of the regionalization campaign. Stevens and other state officials, mostly Republicans in the Legislature, do not believe Alaska's tribes are sovereign governments.

"This is not just Sen. Stevens, one person," said Ed Thomas, president of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes, earlier this month. "This is a movement we are seeing."

At its annual convention in Florida, the National Congress of American Indians adopted a resolution supporting the Alaska tribes and their right to self-determination. Leaders of tribes in the Lower 48 compared the struggle to the battle against termination.

"As a California Indian woman, I know we're not very far down the plate" from what's happening in Alaska, said Juana Majel, secretary of NCAI.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who is running for re-election after being appointed to the Senate, also spoke to AFN yesterday and broached the subject of sovereignty. But she placed it another context, one of health and well-being.

"If you ask your lawyers which Native movement is the most important to your future, they would probably say the sovereignty movement," she told AFN. "But if you ask me which movement is most important to your future, I'd say the sobriety movement because you can't exercise your sovereignty unless your mind is strong."

The convention continues today with speeches on housing, the Native vote and a candidates' forum featuring Murkowski and her opponent, Democrat Tony Knowles, a former governor. The two are locked in an extremely tight race in which the Native vote may play a big difference.

AFN reported a 95 percent attendance rate at the convention, which officials said was one of the best ever. Next year, the convention will move to Fairbanks for one year in an attempt to draw even more Alaska Natives.

Relevant Links:
Alaska Federation of Natives - http://www.nativefederation.org/flash.html