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Mr.Pibbleton posted:corporation talk Just to clarify for outsiders, native corporation can refer to two kinds of entities - regional and village. So that means 12 regional corporations and each village had/had a village corporation, although some have merged, like MTNT or Alaska Peninsula Corporations. Each village corporation after ANSCA was signed in 1971, and anyone alive then was granted 100 shares, along with 100 shares in the regional corporation where they lived. Since shares are passed down generationally, it's possible to be a tribal member but not a shareholder and vice versa. Some corporations gave to stock to the so-called 'after-born' descendents of the original shareholders, but that's up to each corporation to decide. Another regional corporation was set up for natives who no longer lived in the state, but the Thirteenth Corporation has been a giant clusterfuck since its inception and its misdeeds could fill a book. Also, the native corps didn't buy all that land, it was part of ANSCA. Each village corp got an entitlement of land (surface rights) based on the size of the eligible shareholders at the time of ANSCA and then the regional corporation received the subsurface (think mineral rights) to the same land. PopeCrunch posted:I don't know, I dug it. I had a gig doing home inspections for insurance companies, so I got sent a few other places in AK on business - Sitka was similarly gorgeous, but Anchorage was just enh. Juneau was PERFECT. Probably because it's cheaper by a dollar or two. Vitamin R was the drinker's choice where I lived and Alaska beer was for the goddamn tourists and visiting yuppies. e: holy poo poo that was some horrid grammar I Drink Stove Oil fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Sep 10, 2014 |
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Sep 9, 2014 01:45
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Are you going to be a Real Alaskan(tm) and blow your PFD at Best Buy or Cabella's? Maybe at Mattress Ranch? On a serious note, how do you see the tribal governance structures working in the future as intermarriage and out-migration becomes more common? For most villages the tribal rolls are growing due to the birthrate and present eligibility rules, but those younger members on the whole are "less native" (at least for BIA purposes of blood quantum) and have weaker ties both familial and physical to their tribe/village. Do you think this will have an impact on village/regional corporations?
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Sep 18, 2014 23:43
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How long do think the current village model will last? When I look at place like Kwethluk or Wales or Crooked Creek, I can't see the lasting as viable communities based on the massive costs to keep each community supplied with modern infrastructure. Powerplants and electric grids are almost a million dollars each and burn diesel, water and sewer systems cost 5 million plus are very expensive to run if there's lift stations involved and expensive maintenance, roads are a million dollars a mile due to gravel costs, plus mobilization costs for construction are ungodly high, schools run about 25 million at least for places like Koliganek and the state is on the hook build several more due to the Kasayulie case, plus whatever health clinic and village city offices cost to build and maintain. Then there's housing, mostly paid for by HUD, and those run 250-300k each due to the remoteness of the bush communities. Looking at Newtok, the estimated cost to move to the new site of Mertarvik is at least 100 million dollars. 100 million dollars to recreate a village for 350 people is a steep price. Then you have operational costs, most of which aren't covered by user fees or any tax at the local level, since there's effectively no economy or tax base in the communities. The state is essentially broke once you factor in pension/healthcare costs and oil production is going down regardless of any new tax and/or investment schemes, so that means less money overall. As the bulk of the population continues to live in the railbelt and the political power moves accordingly, the villages' political clout will decline accordingly as will their ability to get money from the state. When the clamor for public safety in each village arises, and it should, there's no mechanism to pay for it. Where's the money going to come from? The cost to put Troopers in each villages would be astronomical once you factor in the trooper pay, housing, vehicles and any jail/holding cell. People rightly point out that the state wastes tons of money on study after study after study for mega projects that will never materialize, but that doesn't change the underlying problems of a bush community. Also, the feds aren't exactly flush, either, and they don't have the best track record of keeping promises with natives, to say the least. It's a pretty negative outlook from a financial perspective. I understand that the villages came about haphazardly overtime due to western government and paternalism, ANSCA, and a weird dual state/federal funding model that differs from reservations, but I can't see the bulk of them being there as permanent, year-round communities in 20 years, especially in the smaller communities. Once the school closes due to lack of enrollment, it starts a chain reaction and the community goes into a death spiral. What are your thoughts on this? Do you see a future for most of the bush communities?
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Nov 20, 2014 05:08
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Mr.Pibbleton posted:The native corporations actually do a lot to get money out to the villages and have programs that get healthcare professionals out there. They do a lot, but severe poverty is pretty endemic in the remote areas. Cordova is doing ok since it has the fishing industry and timber to sustain it, but the town used to be a lot richer back when it had an army base and the rails from the copper river mine. The state of the villages is pretty depressing and the suicide rate up there is pretty drat high. Food prices are so high that subsistence hunting/fishing is pretty drat necessary out there which is why climate change is a huge concern. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the remote communities disappear by being absorbed by other communities or just having so many people move to the cities. I don't know how the Russian villages are handling it either. Oops, left out the native corps by accident; some can afford to put a lot of money/resources towards their villages but a lot can't. I've been to communities where the village corp has an active presence and others where it's a one man office and PO box somewhere in Anchorage. I met a lot of people who grew up in a village and were helped out financially from their village/regional corp for their schooling but never went back to the village; a few dedicated and educated people can make a big difference in small community. Places like Cordova and Unalaska will be okay in the long run, I think, as they have an economy. Places like Platinum or Kasigluk aren't looking so hot. The high cost of food will definitely play a part; subsistence, however one wants to define it, is pretty goddamn expensive when a honda costs 7-8k and a skiff plus gear costs the same. But if the villages depopulate and move towards the Nomes and Bethels of the state, then the pressure on the environment to sustain the subsistence demands becomes that much greater on a smaller area. I have no idea on how it works in Russia, but the people that I have spoken with who have been to the far eastern part don't give it glowing reviews. Do you think that Walker and Mallot will make a positive difference for the bush and the native population, or are the challenges facing the bush beyond the state government's control? What's your opinion on Chugachmiut?
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Nov 20, 2014 07:06
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aequorea posted:I would love to read more stories about life in rural Alaska! There really isn't much steady 9-5/40 hours a week work in most of the smaller villages, so taking time off to hunt or fish isn't much of an issue. The guy who maintains the power plant isn't working 8-5 at that job, so he can do his 2-3 hours in the morning and then go off and hunt or fish for the rest of the day or stay out longer if he can find someone to cover for him. Same with the lady who runs the post office or plows the runway. This is even more evident once freeze up hits and any construction projects like work on a new water plant or housing comes to an end and the seasonal workers aren't working in the cash economy and move to the subsistence economy. Aethersphere posted:I am just wondering if Alaskan Natives suffered from a residential school system like the First Nations here did up until the 60s? What are historical relations like between Native and non-Native populations? Yeah, as mentioned it was pretty much a disaster all around, including the natives who were sent to live with season 'foster' families in bigger cities during the school year. I worked with a guy who was in his mid-60's and sent away and then drafted into the army during Vietnam. He came out pretty messed up and struggled for a long time from both experiences, but eventually pieced life back together and is now respected elder in his community. Still, when certain topics would come up there was definitely an undercurrent of.... bitterness? in his voice.
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Dec 30, 2014 05:09
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bonestructure posted:drat it, I missed seeing this thread and posted a separate one with this question. Maybe the Alaska-knowledge-havers in here will be kind enough to answer. Whittier isn't really out in the hinterlands, it's about 90 minutes or so from Anchorage on a good day, minus any time spent waiting at the tunnel. The waits can be pretty long in the summer and whenever a ferry arrives and dumps off all the people there's a long wait to go outbound. The Seward Highway isn't the safest road and wrecks can shut it down even on a good weather day, but you can't really plan for that. The tunnel shuts down at night, so there's always that to keep in mind, and heavy snows will close the access road for avalanche control. You're right that almost everyone lives in the same building, so it's got that going for it, for better or worse. There's always lots of units for sale and rent in the building; finding a place to stay shouldn't be hard. You might call a relator to see if someone looking to sell will rent out their place . There ain't much to do in Whittier besides drink and fish and other outdoors stuff. Cell Phones work there, but I only had a GCI phone whenever I was there, so other providers might not work, but I think ATT will work fine there. I'm not sure about internet there since GCI internet doesn't serve there, apparently Yukontel is the local ISP. Going to Costco or Fred Meyer in Anchorage is your best bet food wise, except for whatever you can get from the ocean. Find someone with a boat and tossing them gas money would be a good way to get out and see the area, but make sure you have your fishing license. What, generally, would your job be?
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Feb 15, 2015 23:59
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