"I remember hearing the following phrase repeated by my father, Mark Jacobs Jr., numerous times: "When a white man fights for his land he is called a patriot. When an Indian fights for his land he is called a savage."

In 1912, the Alaska Native Brotherhood was formed. The future of Native people was the vision of the founding fathers for civil rights and the lands they came from.

They could not file for land claims but with the formation of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes in 1935, they took up the cause and were eventually granted "permission" to sue the U.S. Government for land entitlements.

These are our inherent rights - rights that cannot be granted, taken away, legislated away or extinguished in any form.

Or can they?

The U.S. Constitution gives Congress "plenary powers" over Native American tribes. That means with the stroke of a pen, a tribe can cease to exist. Fortunately, that has not happened and our claim to the land was recognized.

One clause in the pending lawsuit was that a percentage of the profits from the sale of timber was to be put in a trust fund by the U.S. Forest Service for the tribe. I often heard my father talk about this and how much money the tribe was robbed of and what it should have today. Deny it if they wish, this is no doubt why timber was sold by the U.S. Forest Service at rock-bottom prices and below market value to private companies to keep from putting any money into a tribal governments' funds. One can only imagine the value of that timber and what the tribe would have today."

Get the Story:
Harold Jacob: ANCSA remains another unfulfilled promise (The Juneau Empire 6/21)

Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization Act:
H.R. 2099 | S.881

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