“The indigenous hunting and fishing practices of ALL Alaska Natives, including the harvesting and sharing of fish, game, and other resources and the ceremonies which accompany these practices provide for the SOCIAL, CULTURAL, SPIRITUAL, & ECONOMIC WELL-BEING & SURVIVAL of the Alaska Native community.
The current regulatory of hunting and fishing in Alaska leaves Alaska Natives disenfranchised; with little voice in the decisions affecting their daily lives. Many have become CRIMINALS in their own lands, CRIMINALS for hunting, fishing, and sharing.”
The conclusion of the new report co-authored by the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments and Alliance for a Just Society is a firm statement on the change needed for the families of over 260 tribes throughout the State of Alaska. The report details the ongoing legal morass between federal and state law. In particular the way that Native Alaskans living in the Yukon Flats are criminalized for traditional and subsistence living. Food is not a special right of any American; feeding hungry children is an imperative in an area of the country where grocery stores are sparse if best, and produce arrives bruised, frozen and often inedible.
