The Bill to require Alaska to recognize 229 tribes is largely symbolic and would not change how tribal governments already operate. First Wolf House of Kuiu Island and First House of Double Headed Raven of Dog Salmon Clan of ShaKan has recognition written on stone since time immemorial, not on paper. The Single Raven is the Suckinaw Clan First Peoples in this vast territory. This became the Double Headed Raven looking at two vast territories we own and have title to. The plus like symbol in the lower right corner of the picture is our Title Absolute Allodial Fee and Simple.
According to Senate Congressional Resolution Number 76: (2) “The Congress also hereby reaffirms the constitutionally recognized government-to-government relationship with Indian tribes, including Alaska Natives.”
In or around the mid-1800’s, the Russians warned Alaska Natives to beware of a man by the name of Captain Briggs he has a bolt of clothe that has deadly disease.
The bolts contained smallpox killing 40,000 Kuiu and ShaKan. The death toll and the gunboat diplomacy of the U.S. Saginaw did not stop our clan from being sovereign. We never relinquished our inalienable rights to anyone. In the spring of 1934, heavily armed U.S. Marshals came on our land and warned our parents if they did not have the children in school by fall they would put the parents in jail and children in orphanages. Genocide is not lawful in any period of history. The U.S. government is accountable for repaying our tribe for the theft of our land and for recognizing our tribe.
• George Suckinaw James Jr. is the Kuiu Kwáan Tribal Council Holder of the Second Chair. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.
