In 1936, Congress extended certain provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (IRA) to the Territory of Alaska. The amendment, known as the Alaska IRA, included the following language:
[G]roups of Indians in Alaska not heretofore recognized as bands or tribes, but having a common bond of occupation, or association, or residence within a well-defined neighborhood, community, or rural district may organize to adopt constitutions and bylaws and to receive charters of incorporation and Federal loans under section 16, 17, and 10 of the Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984).
In recent years, the Department of the Interior ("Department") has received a number of requests from groups in the State of Alaska seeking to organize under the Alaska IRA. This process is separate and distinct from the Department's administrative process for Federal acknowledgment described in 25 CFR Part 83, Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes.
Comment Period
Consultation and Public Meetings
| Date | Event | Time | Location |
Tuesday, January 28, 2020 | Tribal Consultation | 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Local Time) | Centennial Hall Convention Center 101 Egan Drive Juneau, AK 99801 |
Public Meeting | 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Local Time) | ||
Thursday, January 30, 2020 | Tribal Consultation | 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Local Time) | Raven Landing Center 1222 Cowles Street Mailing: 949 McGown Street Fairbanks, AK 99701 |
Public Meeting (see Transcript above) | 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Local Time) | ||
| Thursday, February 6, 2020 | Tribal Consultation | 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) | Teleconference Phone: (888) 456-0351 Passcode: 5309360 |
| Thursday, February 6, 2020 | Public Meeting | 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) | Teleconference Phone: (888) 857-9837 Passcode: 6239571 |
| Wednesday, February 26, 2020 | Public Meeting | 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) | Teleconference Phone: 800-857-9752 Passcode: 8078300 |
Previous (2018-2019) Consultation and Public Meeting Information
| Date | Event | Time (All times are AKDT) | Location |
| Thursday, July 26, 2018 | Listening Session | 10:00 a.m. - Noon | Morris Thompson Center 101 Dunkel Street Fairbanks, AK 99701 |
| Wednesday, August 1, 2018 | Public Meeting | 10:00 a.m. - Noon | Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall 320 W. Willoughby Avenue Juneau, AK 99801 |
| Friday, August 3, 2018 | Tribal Consultation | 10:00 a.m. - Noon | Ketchikan Public Library 1110 Copper Ridge Lane Ketchikan, AK 99901 |
| Wednesday, October 17, 2018 | ANC Consultation | 10:00 a.m. - Noon | Egan Convention Center Summit Hall 4 (Located on the lower level) 555 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 |
| Sunday, October 21, 2018 | Tribal Consultation | 10:00 a.m. - Noon | Egan Convention Center Summit Hall 4 (Located on the lower level) 555 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, AK 99501 |
| Wednesday, December 12, 2018 | Tribal Consultation | 10:00 a.m. - Noon | Teleconference Phone: (877) 716-4291 Passcode: 6919058 |
| Tuesday, March 5, 2019 | Tribal Consultation | 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center 420 Chief Eddie Highway Bethel, AK 99559 |
| Thursday, March 7, 2019 | Tribal Consultation | 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Northwest Arctic Heritage Center 171 Third Avenue Kotzebue, AK 99752 |
Previous Comments Received
