Sealaska Corporation is one of thirteen

Alaska Native Regional Corporations Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the norther ...

created under the

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law by U.S. President, President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971, constituting what is still the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to reso ...

of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Headquartered in

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, Sealaska is a for-profit corporation with more than 23,000

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

shareholdersBluemink, Elizabeth. (2007-03-18)
"Sharing Sealaska corporation with eligible descendants: Owners will vote on whether to add thousands to their corporation."
''

Anchorage Daily News The ''Anchorage Daily News'' is a daily newspaper published by the Binkley Co., and based in Anchorage, Alaska. It is the most widely read newspaper and news website (adn.com) in the state of Alaska. The newspaper is headquartered in Anchorage, ...

'', pp. F1, F5. Retrieved on 2007-03-18. primarily of

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

Haida Haida may refer to: Haida people Many uses of the word derive from the name of an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. * Haida people, an Indigenous ethnic group of North America (Canada) ** Council of the Haida Nati ...

, and

Tsimshian The Tsimshian (; ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their communities are mostly in coastal British Columbia in Terrace, British Columbia, Terrace and ...

descent.Sealaska Corporation
(official website). Retrieved on 8/12/2019 Sealaska was incorporated in

on June 16, 1972.Corporations Database
Sealaska Corporation
Division of Corporations, Business & Professional Licensing,

Alaska Department of Commerce The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED) is a department within the government of Alaska. The department contains the Control Office (AMCO). It conducts board certification of physicians and nurses, and iss ...

, Community and Economic Development. Retrieved on 2007-03-18. In 1981, Sealaska Corporation sponsored the creation of the non-profit Sealaska Heritage Foundation, now the Sealaska Heritage Institute, which manages its cultural and educational programs. Sealaska’s primary economic drivers are natural resources, land management, environmental services and seafood.

Shareholders

At incorporation, Sealaska enrolled 15,782

Alaska Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tli ...

, each of whom received 100 shares of Sealaska stock. Approximately 1,800 additional Alaska Natives have since acquired Sealaska stock through inheritance of shares or gifting. As an ANCSA corporation, Sealaska has no publicly traded stock, and its shares cannot legally be sold. Sealaska shareholders voted on June 23, 2007, to enroll qualified descendants of original shareholders by issuing them 100 shares of life estate stock in Sealaska. However, unlike shares of original shareholders, the new shares would expire on the descendant's death and could not be willed or gifted. To be eligible, descendants must be children or grandchildren of original Sealaska shareholders, must be of at least one-quarter

descent, and must not be a member of any other regional corporation unless through inheritance or gift. Sealaska is one of the few ANCSA Regional Corporations to elect to enroll descendants and allot them shares. Sealaska has established a Permanent Fund, comprising investments in stocks, bonds, real estate, and private equity funds, as a source of shareholder dividends. Sealaska reinvests a significant portion of its earnings back into its community-oriented subsidiaries and offers opportunities for young shareholders. Program offerings include full- and part-time student scholarships, wellness and culture camps, summer internships, and the Board Youth Advisor position.

Lands

From ANCSA section 14, Sealaska owns approximately of surface estate and of subsurface estate in Southeast Alaska. Despite having the most shareholders of any regional corporation, it received the least amount of land in the 44 million-acre settlement. Sealaska received a second conveyance of land, approximately 65,000 acres, due to advocacy in Congress. Sealaska's current land holdings in Southeast Alaska are roughly 1.6 percent of the traditional homelands that the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people inhabited for over 10,000 years. Five traditional communities were left out of the original ANCSA conveyance. Sealaska is working to get these communities the land due to them.

Business enterprises

Sealaska’s primary economic drivers are natural resources, land management, environmental services and seafood.

Sealaska Heritage Institute

The Sealaska Heritage Institute is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

established in 1980 by Sealaska, following its conception by clan leaders, traditional scholars, and elders during the inaugural Sealaska Elders Conference. It was founded to preserve and enrich the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska through various programs and services:

language revitalization Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community group ...

, the archival of ethnographic materials, early childhood literacy, art classes, subsistence living classes, and conducted research in the areas of

history and culture. Unique totem pole at the Sealaska Corporation

In June 2022 during the biennial Celebration festival in Juneau, Alaska, the

Sealaska Heritage Institute Sealaska Corporation is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Headquartered in Juneau, Alaska, Sealaska is a for-profit co ...

unveiled the first 360-degree totem pole in Alaska: the ''Sealaska Cultural Values Totem Pole''. The structure, carved out of a 600-year-old cedar tree, "represents all three tribes of Southeast Alaska —

and

Baby Raven Reads

The Baby Raven Reads program was initiated by the Sealaska Heritage Institute in 2017 as a pilot project. Subsequently, it secured funding to extend the program for multiple additional years and broaden its reach to encompass nine communities throughout Southeast Alaska. The program was established to enhance early literacy skills by leveraging cultural strengths to promote home literacy practices. In 2017, the Baby Raven Reads program received recognition from the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, being honored as a recipient of the 2017 Best Practice Honoree award.

Notable Baby Raven Reads Publications

* ''Salmon Boy: Shany''á''ak'utlaax (2017).'' Edited by Johnny Marks, Hans Chester, David Katzeek, and Nora and Richard Dauenhauer. Illustrated by

Michaela Goade Michaela Goade (born 1989 or 1990) is a Native American illustrator. A member of the Tlingit and Haida tribes, she is known for her work on picture books about Indigenous people. She won the 2021 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in '' We Are ...

. * Raven and the Hidden Halibut (2020). Written by the 2014-2015 fourth and fifth-grade Tlingit Culture, Language, and Literacy (TCLL) students at Harborview Elementary and illustrated by

Nick Alan Foote Nick Alan (Nick Alan Foote) is a Native American artist and children’s book illustrator. As a member of the Tlingit tribe, he is recognized for his contributions to children's picture books that aim to revitalize the Tlingit language and strengt ...

. * ''The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales (2021)''. Translated into X̱aad Kíl or

by Skíl Jáadei Linda Schrack and Ilskyalas Delores Churchill and illustrated by

Janine Gibbons Janine may refer to: People and characters * Janine (given name) Music * "Janine" (David Bowie song), a 1969 song by David Bowie * "Janine", a 1979 song by Trooper from the album '' Flying Colors'' * "Janine", a 1994 song by Soul Coughing f ...

. * ''Celebration! (2022)''. Written by

Lily Hope Lily Hope (born 1980, Juneau) is an Alaska Native artist, designer, teacher, weaver, Financial Freedom planner, and community facilitator. She is primarily known for her skills at weaving customary Northwest Coast ceremonial regalia such as Chilkat ...

. Illustrated by

Kelsey Mata Kelsey Foote (sometimes Kelsey Mata Foote) is a Native American illustrator and artist. A member of the Tlingit tribe, she is known for her work in children's picture books and digital art that portray Indigenous characters and ways of life. Her ...

References

{{Authority control 1972 establishments in Alaska Alaska Native culture in Juneau Alaska Native regional corporations Companies based in Juneau, Alaska Tlingit