My Side of the River: An Alaska Native Story

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 extinguished Alaska Native aboriginal rights to hunting and fishing, leading to colonial management doctrines and current salmon conditions. Elias Kelly's memoir, My Side of the River, explores the impact of government regulations on traditional life and resource conservation, including landownership, incorporation, legal erasure of Native identity, and poverty rates among Native Alaskans.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 346 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2023
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971 was a significant event in the history of Alaska Native peoples. It extinguished their aboriginal rights to hunting and fishing, forever changing the way they could be responsible for their way of life. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service claimed all wildlife management responsibility and have since told Natives when, where, and how to fish, hunt, and harvest according to colonial management doctrines. This has had a significant impact on Alaska salmon conditions, as Kelly relates in his memoir, My Side of the River.

Kelly alternates between personal stories of friends, family, and community and legal attempts to assimilate Native Alaskans into white U.S. fishing and hunting culture. He also covers landownership, incorporation of Alaska residents, legal erasure of Native identity, and poverty rates among Native Alaskans. In this memoir of personal and public history, Kelly illuminates the impact of government regulations on traditional life and resource conservation.

One of the key issues that Kelly addresses is the unrecognized traditional Native subsistence hunting. Government regulations often criminalize those who practice it, making it difficult for them to sustain their way of life. Kelly provides personal stories of friends and family who have been affected by these regulations, and he argues that they need to be more inclusive of traditional Native practices.

Another issue that Kelly covers is landownership. Alaska residents have been granted land ownership rights under ANCSA, but many of them have not been able to fully utilize their land due to economic and social barriers. Kelly argues that these barriers need to be addressed in order to promote sustainable resource management and economic development in Alaska.

In addition to landownership, Kelly also covers incorporation of Alaska residents. Many Alaska residents are not fully integrated into the U.S. economy, and this can lead to poverty and social exclusion. Kelly argues that the government needs to provide more support to Alaska residents in order to promote economic development and reduce poverty.

Legal erasure of Native identity is another issue that Kelly addresses. Many Alaska Natives have been forced to give up their Native identity in order to assimilate into white U.S. culture. Kelly argues that this is a violation of their human rights and that the government needs to take steps to protect Native identity.

Poverty rates among Native Alaskans are also a significant issue. Many Alaska Natives live in poverty, and this can have a negative impact on their health and well-being. Kelly argues that the government needs to provide more support to Native Alaskans in order to reduce poverty and improve their quality of life.

In conclusion, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 was a significant event in the history of Alaska Native peoples. It extinguished their aboriginal rights to hunting and fishing, forever changing the way they could be responsible for their way of life. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service claimed all wildlife management responsibility and have since told Natives when, where, and how to fish, hunt, and harvest according to colonial management doctrines. This has had a significant impact on Alaska salmon conditions, as Kelly relates in his memoir, My Side of the River. Kelly addresses a range of issues, including unrecognized traditional Native subsistence hunting, landownership, incorporation of Alaska residents, legal erasure of Native identity, and poverty rates among Native Alaskans. He argues that government regulations need to be more inclusive of traditional Native practices, landownership needs to be addressed, incorporation of Alaska residents needs to be promoted, legal erasure of Native identity needs to be protected, and poverty rates among Native Alaskans need to be reduced. By doing so, we can help to ensure that Alaska Native peoples can continue to live their way of life and that their resources are protected for future generations.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496235091