"The Alaska Federation of Natives uses an exclamation point in its theme for the 2010 convention -- "Village Survival!" That lends an urgency to the subject that makes sense for many of the delegates heading to Fairbanks from all over Alaska next week.

Village survival isn't an academic question at the AFN meeting, or a chin-stroking meditation on future economic prospects off the road system. For people from Sleetmute, Tuluksak, Holy Cross, Nulato and all points of the compass, survival in Alaska's villages is a real, day-to-day question on many levels, ranging from the high cost of food and fuel to the future of young people, from economic sustainability and education to how villages fit in the 21st century.

"This is a declaration that the villages will survive and thrive, and an invitation to discuss how," said AFN spokeswoman Erin Fogg.

That might be a tall order for some villages. For years, arguments have gone back and forth about the sustainability of village life in Alaska: Can the villages achieve the degree of self-sufficiency required to thrive? Does the often-cited -- and sometimes disputed -- migration to the cities make the end of some villages inevitable?

What about the social problems -- spasms of violence, substance abuse, sexual assault and suicides? These are not exclusive to Alaska's villages but their impact can be mightily magnified in small communities with few services."

Get the Story:
Our view: Village survival (The Anchorage Daily News 10/12)

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Alaska Federation of Natives prepares for annual convention (10/11)