In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia. Aleuts, Eskimos, and Indians had been living here for thousands of years, and it was agreed that Alaska Natives had rights to the lands they used. For over 100 years, however, it was not clear which lands Alaska Natives owned and which were owned by the U.S. government.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was passed into law on December 18, 1971, to settle these claims. It created thirteen regional corporations representing over 80,000 Alaska Natives, paid $962.5 million to Alaska Natives through their corporations from the Alaska Native Fund, and set aside 43 million acres of land. Doyon, Limited is the regional corporation for our area.
Village corporations like NNI also selected land. NNI's entitlement is approximately 115,200 acres, which many shareholders consider the corporation's most precious asset.
