Cultural Reasons to Oppose Mine
We believe that people from both sides of the issue don’t pay enough attention to the cultural reasons to oppose the mine, the reason that is most dear to us. We, in the Rebels to the Pebble, are mostly Alaska Natives and even those of us who are not Alaska Native share the same belief- that the fight against the Pebble Mine is a fight to save our culture, not just the environment or fish or caribou or moose or a beautiful landscape. We are trying to save our culture. Our culture is suffering because of many factors already from the past and the present. The Pebble Mine could be the last nail in the coffin for our people and it would be a nail that was intentionally put in. It would not be an accident. It is dead wrong for anybody to knowingly risk the death of a culture and we need people to understand that that is what the Pebble Mine will do to us.
Not only is it the right thing to do, but also the law protects our right to exist. The United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by United Nations in 2007 is a legal document full of language that protects Native rights, especially Article 32. We believe that the United States and Alaska must honor the highest law in the world, the United Nations and stop ignoring our legal rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations in 1948. This document also addresses Native Alaskan rights to having a say in the Pebble mine in Article 18, 22, and 27. ANILCA is the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. It is one of the ways that federal law protects Native subsistence rights. One part says: It is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress “…to cause the least adverse impact possible on rural residents who depend upon subsistence uses of the resources of such lands…” “Federal land managing subsistence activities on the public lands and in protecting the continues viability of all wild renewable resources in Alaska, shall cooperate with adjacent landowners land managers, including Native Corporations, appropriate State and Federal agencies and other nations.” “Local residents... Aggrieved a failure of the State or the Federal Government to provide for the priority for subsistence sues set forth may … file a civil action in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska to require such actions to be taken as are necessary to provide for the priority.”
A long time ago, our Native people celebrated our harvests from our land with a dance. Now, we do that dance but we’re trying to keep the meaning of it alive as we strive to preserve and regain our culture that was stripped from us against our will before we were born. The Native people of Alaska are already suffering from the hands of years of oppression, which has taken the lives of our people through alcoholism, drugs, abuse, depression, and suicide. If the Pebble Mine comes, it will be even more devastating than it already is. The groundwork for cultural genocide has already been laid. We’re fighting an uphill battle to restore our culture while still contributing and functioning in the Westernized technological world.
Stopping the Pebble Mine is dead serious to us. We are struggling to prevent the annihilation of our culture. To knowingly eliminate the existence of an ethnic group is called genocide. Killing a culture with guns, gas chambers, starvation, denying basic rights to life and liberty; how it is done doesn’t matter- if we knowingly kill a culture, through the development of a mine- it is genocide.
We want to prevent the Cultural Genocide of our people.
Not only is it the right thing to do, but also the law protects our right to exist. The United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by United Nations in 2007 is a legal document full of language that protects Native rights, especially Article 32. We believe that the United States and Alaska must honor the highest law in the world, the United Nations and stop ignoring our legal rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations in 1948. This document also addresses Native Alaskan rights to having a say in the Pebble mine in Article 18, 22, and 27. ANILCA is the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. It is one of the ways that federal law protects Native subsistence rights. One part says: It is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress “…to cause the least adverse impact possible on rural residents who depend upon subsistence uses of the resources of such lands…” “Federal land managing subsistence activities on the public lands and in protecting the continues viability of all wild renewable resources in Alaska, shall cooperate with adjacent landowners land managers, including Native Corporations, appropriate State and Federal agencies and other nations.” “Local residents... Aggrieved a failure of the State or the Federal Government to provide for the priority for subsistence sues set forth may … file a civil action in the United States District Court for the District of Alaska to require such actions to be taken as are necessary to provide for the priority.”
A long time ago, our Native people celebrated our harvests from our land with a dance. Now, we do that dance but we’re trying to keep the meaning of it alive as we strive to preserve and regain our culture that was stripped from us against our will before we were born. The Native people of Alaska are already suffering from the hands of years of oppression, which has taken the lives of our people through alcoholism, drugs, abuse, depression, and suicide. If the Pebble Mine comes, it will be even more devastating than it already is. The groundwork for cultural genocide has already been laid. We’re fighting an uphill battle to restore our culture while still contributing and functioning in the Westernized technological world.
Stopping the Pebble Mine is dead serious to us. We are struggling to prevent the annihilation of our culture. To knowingly eliminate the existence of an ethnic group is called genocide. Killing a culture with guns, gas chambers, starvation, denying basic rights to life and liberty; how it is done doesn’t matter- if we knowingly kill a culture, through the development of a mine- it is genocide.
We want to prevent the Cultural Genocide of our people.
International Law protects Native Rights; It's time for the law be enforced.
All human beings are born with equal and inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms.
The United Nations is committed to upholding, promoting and protecting the human rights of every individual. This commitments stems from the United Nations Charter, which reaffirms the faith of the peoples of the world in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person.
United Nations Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has stated in clear and simple terms the rights which belong equally to every person.
These rights belong to you.
They are your rights. Familiarize yourself you them. Help to promote and defend you yourself as well as for your fellow human beings.
Article 18
Everyone had the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, thought national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 27
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the culture life of the community, to enjoy the arts and the share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
The United Nations is committed to upholding, promoting and protecting the human rights of every individual. This commitments stems from the United Nations Charter, which reaffirms the faith of the peoples of the world in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person.
United Nations Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has stated in clear and simple terms the rights which belong equally to every person.
These rights belong to you.
They are your rights. Familiarize yourself you them. Help to promote and defend you yourself as well as for your fellow human beings.
Article 18
Everyone had the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, thought national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 27
Everyone has the right freely to participate in the culture life of the community, to enjoy the arts and the share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
The Colonization of Alaska Natives
Written by Evon Peter
At least seven Nations of people, each possessing a distinct language, culture, history, spirituality, and
land base inhabit the lands known as “Alaska”. They are called the Athabascan, Iñupiat, Yup’ik, Tlingit,
Haida, Aleut, and Tsimpshian Nations. They are the original peoples of the land -- the Indigenous
Peoples1 of Alaska.
These Indigenous Nations, like many others in the past several hundred years, fell prey to the European
Nations as they embarked on their process of colonization. This process, based on human greed for wealth
and power, resulted in the break down of relations between many Nations of human beings all around the
world. This is the story of how colonization came to the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska.
Around the mid 1700’s, Alaska was being approached from both the east and west. The British, French,
and Spanish were on their way towards Alaska from the east, already having encountered the Indigenous
Nations of the Mayans, Incas, Iroqouis, Cherokee, and Navajo among many others. From the west, a
Russian man named Vitus Bering was sailing towards Alaska from Russia.
The French came to Alaska from the northeast, bringing fiddle music, tea, crackers, tools, and booze.
They came to trade for furs from the Na-Dine (Athabascan) peoples of the area. The village of Fort
Yukon2 now sits where the Gwich’in have gathered for thousands of years to celebrate and trade. The
European fur traders set up a trading post in Fort Yukon. The fur traders used alcohol to exploit the
people for the furs they sought.
On his second voyage, Russian Vitus Bering landed on one of the Aleutian Islands3. The Russians were
also interested in furs, particularly the sea otter pelt. Sea otter pelts were worth the value of gold in China
at that time. The Russians had a hard time catching the sea otters on the rough waters and therefore
resorted to enslaving the Aleut people to hunt for them.
The Aleut women and children were held hostage by the Russian fur traders. The Aleut men had to bring
them many sea otter pelts every day in order to see their family. During that period the Aleuts organized
two unsuccessful uprisings against the Russians.
The goal of the colonizer was to claim ownership of the land and exploit the resources and Indigenous
peoples wherever they went. In Alaska, the resource the colonizers were initially after was fur, later it
would become wood, salmon, gold, and oil. The goal would not change but the method to exploit would
adapt to be appropriate with the times.
Russia was first, among a small group of European Nations, to claim that Alaska was their territory. None
of the Indigenous Nations of Alaska participated in that claim. At that time in history Indigenous Peoples
were looked at as being less than human, so we were not included in discussions about our own lands.
Later, the Russians were defeated in battles by both the Tlingit and Ahtna Nations.
The Russian claim to Alaska would be equivalent to the Indigenous Nations of Alaska laying claim to a
European nation-- such as England or France-- without that nations consent or awareness. It is an
outrageous thought, yet that is what happened with the Indigenous Nations in Alaska.
1 Throughout this essay the word “Indigenous” and “Indigenous Peoples” will be used intermittently with “Native”
and “Alaska Native”.
2 Fort Yukon is located, along the Yukon River, in the northeastern interior of Alaska, and is home to the Gwichyaa
Gwich’in.
3 The Aleutian Islands are located in southwest Alaska.
By the mid 1800’s, Russia worried that the newly created colonial government called, the United States of
America, would try to forcefully take Alaska in their westward expansion. Russia met with the United
States and in 1867 signed an agreement called the Treaty of Cession, wherein the United States paid
Russia a few cents per acre for the land in Alaska.
The Russian claim to ownership of all the land in Alaska and their right to sell the land through the Treaty
of Cession was illegitimate for at least two reasons. First, the Indigenous Nations of Alaska, who are the
true land holders, did not participate in the discussions or negotiations. Second, the Russians had been
defeated in battle and confined to a few trading posts. At the very most, the Russia had claim to those
trading posts and the few acres of land they were allowed to settle upon.
The United States was aware that the Indigenous Peoples in Alaska might not accept their illegitimate
deal with Russia. In the Treaty, the Indigenous Nations of Alaska were referred to as the “uncivilized
native tribes”. One of the first actions the United States initiated was to send military convoys through
Alaska to assess the threat Indigenous Peoples might pose to them. They counted the Native population,
how many guns, and evaluated how resistant Alaska Natives might be to U.S. colonial activities.
Alaska Native people treated these military convoys with the hospitality that our cultures are known for
presenting to guests. In one instance, Chief Setsui1 and his people saved a whole convoy by finding,
feeding, clothing, and guiding them to the Yukon. Chief Sesui was later highly recognized by the United
States military for his leadership. After concluding that the Indigenous Peoples were not a hostile threat,
the United States proceeded with the colonial process.
The United States government worked to assimilate our peoples through the eradication of our Native
knowledge, philosophy, languages, spiritual practices and beliefs. In some places teachers had to ban
both the Native and Russian languages. In some cases poison was applied to the tongues of children if
they spoke any language other than English.
The Indigenous Peoples were not allowed or were highly discouraged from participating in any of the
colonial “freedoms”. These prohibitions included land ownership, business development, and even
shopping in stores. There were signs that read “No dogs, No natives” on some buildings.
The United States was after control of our land and resources. They had to deal with what they termed the
“Indian problem”. The U.S. had tried massacres, treaties, and reservations in the continental United States
and those methods either didn’t work well or were politically unacceptable. So in Alaska, the U.S. worked
hard to assimilate Alaska Natives; attempting to both legislatively and educationally convince us that we
do not have the rights of sovereign peoples and nations.
In 1959 the United States established the State of Alaska and granted Alaska land which the United States
never legitimately owned. Similarly, in an attempt to legitimize United States ownership of land in
Alaska, Congress unilaterally enacted the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971.
During the discussion and formation of this legislation the Alaska Indigenous nations were not involved.
Furthermore, this legislation was never legitimately agreed upon between the Alaska Indigenous Nations
and the United States.
ANCSA was a deal wherein the United States paid nearly 1 billion dollars for taking Alaska Native lands,
leaving 44 million acres to native corporations. ANCSA established these Indigenous run for-profit
corporations to receive and manage the land and money. 2 The Act was created to eventually lead to the
loss of the remaining 44 million acres of land from Indigenous control. Although it was a struggle, the
Indigenous Peoples succeeded in getting amendments to ANCSA in 1987 to protect the land.
1 Chief Setsui was of an Athabascan leader from central-southeastern Alaska.
2 The Neetsaii Gwich’in from Venetie and Arctic Village refused to participate in ANCSA, they did not accept
money or the corporations.
To this day the control over our people, land, and resources by the State of Alaska and United States is
based on illegitimate negotiations and unilateral decisions. Within international law, one Nation of people
does not have the right to illegitimately control another Nation of people. Indigenous Peoples were not
initially considered Nations by the Europeans and Russians, because they were not sure Alaska Natives
were even human beings.
Today our traditional Indigenous governments have national and international recognition. Yet, the
Indigenous Peoples of Alaska, like many other Indigenous Peoples throughout the world, continue
struggling for the recognized rights to our traditional lands and way of life. We are striving to make things
better for our people while attempting to address the historical injustices that are at the foundation of
many of these struggles.
The relationship between the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska and the United Stated needs to be addressed.
This relationship is out of balance. Indigenous Peoples are struggling for basic human rights, quality
education, and jobs. Yet, the colonial governments1 and European based corporations are making billions
of dollars in profit from Indigenous land and resources in Alaska every year.
Our place as human beings in the world is out of balance. Through greed, fear, and over-consumption, we
have hurt many relationships between one another and our relationship with the earth. Our path as
humankind needs to be altered to incorporate values of respect, unity, and balance.
1
Written by Evon Peter
At least seven Nations of people, each possessing a distinct language, culture, history, spirituality, and
land base inhabit the lands known as “Alaska”. They are called the Athabascan, Iñupiat, Yup’ik, Tlingit,
Haida, Aleut, and Tsimpshian Nations. They are the original peoples of the land -- the Indigenous
Peoples1 of Alaska.
These Indigenous Nations, like many others in the past several hundred years, fell prey to the European
Nations as they embarked on their process of colonization. This process, based on human greed for wealth
and power, resulted in the break down of relations between many Nations of human beings all around the
world. This is the story of how colonization came to the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska.
Around the mid 1700’s, Alaska was being approached from both the east and west. The British, French,
and Spanish were on their way towards Alaska from the east, already having encountered the Indigenous
Nations of the Mayans, Incas, Iroqouis, Cherokee, and Navajo among many others. From the west, a
Russian man named Vitus Bering was sailing towards Alaska from Russia.
The French came to Alaska from the northeast, bringing fiddle music, tea, crackers, tools, and booze.
They came to trade for furs from the Na-Dine (Athabascan) peoples of the area. The village of Fort
Yukon2 now sits where the Gwich’in have gathered for thousands of years to celebrate and trade. The
European fur traders set up a trading post in Fort Yukon. The fur traders used alcohol to exploit the
people for the furs they sought.
On his second voyage, Russian Vitus Bering landed on one of the Aleutian Islands3. The Russians were
also interested in furs, particularly the sea otter pelt. Sea otter pelts were worth the value of gold in China
at that time. The Russians had a hard time catching the sea otters on the rough waters and therefore
resorted to enslaving the Aleut people to hunt for them.
The Aleut women and children were held hostage by the Russian fur traders. The Aleut men had to bring
them many sea otter pelts every day in order to see their family. During that period the Aleuts organized
two unsuccessful uprisings against the Russians.
The goal of the colonizer was to claim ownership of the land and exploit the resources and Indigenous
peoples wherever they went. In Alaska, the resource the colonizers were initially after was fur, later it
would become wood, salmon, gold, and oil. The goal would not change but the method to exploit would
adapt to be appropriate with the times.
Russia was first, among a small group of European Nations, to claim that Alaska was their territory. None
of the Indigenous Nations of Alaska participated in that claim. At that time in history Indigenous Peoples
were looked at as being less than human, so we were not included in discussions about our own lands.
Later, the Russians were defeated in battles by both the Tlingit and Ahtna Nations.
The Russian claim to Alaska would be equivalent to the Indigenous Nations of Alaska laying claim to a
European nation-- such as England or France-- without that nations consent or awareness. It is an
outrageous thought, yet that is what happened with the Indigenous Nations in Alaska.
1 Throughout this essay the word “Indigenous” and “Indigenous Peoples” will be used intermittently with “Native”
and “Alaska Native”.
2 Fort Yukon is located, along the Yukon River, in the northeastern interior of Alaska, and is home to the Gwichyaa
Gwich’in.
3 The Aleutian Islands are located in southwest Alaska.
By the mid 1800’s, Russia worried that the newly created colonial government called, the United States of
America, would try to forcefully take Alaska in their westward expansion. Russia met with the United
States and in 1867 signed an agreement called the Treaty of Cession, wherein the United States paid
Russia a few cents per acre for the land in Alaska.
The Russian claim to ownership of all the land in Alaska and their right to sell the land through the Treaty
of Cession was illegitimate for at least two reasons. First, the Indigenous Nations of Alaska, who are the
true land holders, did not participate in the discussions or negotiations. Second, the Russians had been
defeated in battle and confined to a few trading posts. At the very most, the Russia had claim to those
trading posts and the few acres of land they were allowed to settle upon.
The United States was aware that the Indigenous Peoples in Alaska might not accept their illegitimate
deal with Russia. In the Treaty, the Indigenous Nations of Alaska were referred to as the “uncivilized
native tribes”. One of the first actions the United States initiated was to send military convoys through
Alaska to assess the threat Indigenous Peoples might pose to them. They counted the Native population,
how many guns, and evaluated how resistant Alaska Natives might be to U.S. colonial activities.
Alaska Native people treated these military convoys with the hospitality that our cultures are known for
presenting to guests. In one instance, Chief Setsui1 and his people saved a whole convoy by finding,
feeding, clothing, and guiding them to the Yukon. Chief Sesui was later highly recognized by the United
States military for his leadership. After concluding that the Indigenous Peoples were not a hostile threat,
the United States proceeded with the colonial process.
The United States government worked to assimilate our peoples through the eradication of our Native
knowledge, philosophy, languages, spiritual practices and beliefs. In some places teachers had to ban
both the Native and Russian languages. In some cases poison was applied to the tongues of children if
they spoke any language other than English.
The Indigenous Peoples were not allowed or were highly discouraged from participating in any of the
colonial “freedoms”. These prohibitions included land ownership, business development, and even
shopping in stores. There were signs that read “No dogs, No natives” on some buildings.
The United States was after control of our land and resources. They had to deal with what they termed the
“Indian problem”. The U.S. had tried massacres, treaties, and reservations in the continental United States
and those methods either didn’t work well or were politically unacceptable. So in Alaska, the U.S. worked
hard to assimilate Alaska Natives; attempting to both legislatively and educationally convince us that we
do not have the rights of sovereign peoples and nations.
In 1959 the United States established the State of Alaska and granted Alaska land which the United States
never legitimately owned. Similarly, in an attempt to legitimize United States ownership of land in
Alaska, Congress unilaterally enacted the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971.
During the discussion and formation of this legislation the Alaska Indigenous nations were not involved.
Furthermore, this legislation was never legitimately agreed upon between the Alaska Indigenous Nations
and the United States.
ANCSA was a deal wherein the United States paid nearly 1 billion dollars for taking Alaska Native lands,
leaving 44 million acres to native corporations. ANCSA established these Indigenous run for-profit
corporations to receive and manage the land and money. 2 The Act was created to eventually lead to the
loss of the remaining 44 million acres of land from Indigenous control. Although it was a struggle, the
Indigenous Peoples succeeded in getting amendments to ANCSA in 1987 to protect the land.
1 Chief Setsui was of an Athabascan leader from central-southeastern Alaska.
2 The Neetsaii Gwich’in from Venetie and Arctic Village refused to participate in ANCSA, they did not accept
money or the corporations.
To this day the control over our people, land, and resources by the State of Alaska and United States is
based on illegitimate negotiations and unilateral decisions. Within international law, one Nation of people
does not have the right to illegitimately control another Nation of people. Indigenous Peoples were not
initially considered Nations by the Europeans and Russians, because they were not sure Alaska Natives
were even human beings.
Today our traditional Indigenous governments have national and international recognition. Yet, the
Indigenous Peoples of Alaska, like many other Indigenous Peoples throughout the world, continue
struggling for the recognized rights to our traditional lands and way of life. We are striving to make things
better for our people while attempting to address the historical injustices that are at the foundation of
many of these struggles.
The relationship between the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska and the United Stated needs to be addressed.
This relationship is out of balance. Indigenous Peoples are struggling for basic human rights, quality
education, and jobs. Yet, the colonial governments1 and European based corporations are making billions
of dollars in profit from Indigenous land and resources in Alaska every year.
Our place as human beings in the world is out of balance. Through greed, fear, and over-consumption, we
have hurt many relationships between one another and our relationship with the earth. Our path as
humankind needs to be altered to incorporate values of respect, unity, and balance.
1