I am a descendent of Tlingit lineage that can be traced back 10,000 years. Our grandmothers and great grandmothers are the keepers of legends that mark our migration to the icy water's edge. Through my mother Ldaneit, I am recognized as a member of the Shaa Hit (Mountain House for Mt. Fairweather) in Yukutat. We, as well as our progeny, belong to the L'uknaxa'di (Coho) clan and the Yeil (Raven) moiety. I created this work in honor of my ancestors, my mother, my children and grandchildren.

For centuries entrepreneurs have regarded the state of Alaska as a storehouse of consumable resources. Russian fur traders hit the shores of the Aleutian Islands in the late 1600's in search of sea otters. Soon after the Russians came gold miners and fishers from the south, to name just a few. Each encounter from outside groups has had an impact on the environment, the economy, and Native cultures. During the prior century, the extraction of oil from Alaska's North Slope had the most dramatic affect on Native cultures. In 1971 congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act that canceled the land freeze previously established by Native leaders and opened the land for oil development, as many are trying to understand the ramifications of the last oil settlement. A promise of better economic future greatly contrasts with the struggle to maintain traditional life styles and a unique world view.

The Alaska Native Claims Act of 1971

In the late sixties and early seventies, there was a national push for the development of domestic oil and Alaska's oil fields became the primary target for production. Prior to extracting oil, the U.S. Government negotiated a settlement with Alaska's indigenous peoples. Government officials as well as Native Leaders believed giving land and start-up money to Native-run corporations instead of tribes would bring wealth to Alaska's indigenous people. As a result, congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. At this point Alaska embarked on the most extensive social experiment in the state's history. The building of the pipeline transformed Native identity, life styles, tribal, state and government relations forever.

Under the terms of ANCSA aboriginal land claims were dissolved and title to 1/9 of the state's land and $92.6 million was granted to 13 regional and over 200 village corporations. As a member of a regional corporation I have witnessed the escalation of wealth for just a few and continued poverty for shareholders. Today several corporations are struggling to maintain and are on the brink of bankruptcy. With bankruptcy comes a loss of assets including corporate owned land, the one element that will guarantee profit in the capitalist system, and is the most crucial element in perpetuating our sense of identity.

The enactment of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act also altered Tlingit identity by implementing new standards for recognition that were initiated with the Daws Act of 1887. This act, also known as the General Allotment Act, made the allotment of land to individual Indians and the breaking up of tribal landholdings the official policy of the United States. To receive title to land as an indigenous person in 1887 one had to prove they possessed 1/2 aboriginal blood. Through ANCSA one had to prove they possessed 1/4 aboriginal blood.  Although the tribes today have the right to set their own standards of recognition, this practice of recognition through blood quantum restricted many indigenous peoples from being accepted into the corporations. In order to become a shareholder corporations of a corporation, for instance, one had to prove they possessed 1/4 aboriginal blood quantum and had to have been born prior to 1971. As an example, my son, Richard, who is 1/4 blood Tlingit and was born in 1971, was recognized and my daughter Vanessa, born in 1974 was not recognized. She is a member of my corporation however, because I gifted her 25 of my 100 shares. Native Alaskans born after 1971 become members of a corporation through the gifting of shares or through inheritance. I am gravely concerned about the stipulation that forces corporate shareholders to gift for recognition and for those who have not been recognized. Does ANCSA represent termination in disguise? Is it part of the assimilationist cycle? If ANCSA represents the social and legal dilution of a tribe, it does not represent the loss of power to fight for our rights.

Despite the unanswered questions and concerns about ANCSA and its impact on our sense of identity, I believe in our ability to fight oppressive acts of distillation. Through my art I am honoring those who work in the best interest of our cultural heritage. My art work reflects our ability as indigenous people to retain our cultural heritage despite corporate and the U.S. Government standards of identification. Glass vials filled with red fluid serve as a metaphor that cancels out the measurements of blood quantum and represents innate knowledge that remembers our past. We know that we are members of specific clans whose legends remind us of our origins from the animals of the land and water who migrated from the south, not the Bering Strait.

The vials represent our strength in terms of numbers and attitude. The Tlingit war helmet on rawhide represents our strength to resist entities that threaten self awareness and cultural identity. In this installation it serves as a protector of our rights and is strategically placed in front of blood vials and the neon Tinna.

The neon shape is modeled after a traditional form called a Tinna, Also known in this area as a copper. The Tinna was and continues to be used as a symbol of wealth. I believe we, as a people, are rich in culture and possesses the ability to survive, to adapt and still maintain our identity. The exhibition represents and honors our past and our future.