The beginning of the Athabascan Fight and Rampart Dam in historical context: ATHABASCAN LEADERSHIP AND THE RAMPART DAM CRISIS Since the first Europeans anchored on Alaska Native land back in the 1700s, there have been territorial issues and disputes over the best way to use Alaska’s abundant resources. The first people of Alaska: the Unanagan, Iñupiat, Yup’ik, Tlingit, and Athabascan endured and collided with the intruders and newcomers who came to seek their riches whether that be gold, timber, or fish. After territorial status in the 1900s, Alaska politicians were on a mission to prove Alaska’s worth to the rest of the world and this factor often led to the commercialization and unregulated harvest of resources. Within this lawless state of affairs, Alaska’s bounty, especially the fisheries, forests, and wildlife started to show a decline almost immediately with several species wiped out completely. The Alaska Natives, most living in isolated villages along the coast and in the interior, went undisturbed for awhile because of their remoteness and also the lack of perceived riches in their area, but it would not be long before Alaska would be thoroughly exploited in the name of progress. To protect their homeland, Alaska Natives found they must exert and at times modify their traditional leadership to deal with the onslaught of the pro-development realm. To this cause and effort, the Athabascans formed several grass roots organizations to protect what they perceived as their territory from a time immemorial.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:06:08 +0000
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