Sealaska Land Entitlement Finalization

In December 1971, Congress enacted the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, to finalize Alaska Native land claims that were holding up development of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. Rather than establish Indian reservations, ANCSA created a system of village and regional corporations owned by Native shareholders and granted them rights to nearly 44 million acres of federal lands and a billion dollars. Lands around Native villages were withdrawn so that Native Corporations could select lands traditionally used by Alaska Natives. The Bureau of Land Management has conveyed approximately 293,000 acres of land to Sealaska Corporation, leaving a remaining entitlement of up to 70,075 acres.

 

In December 2014, Congress passed legislation that finalized the remaining Sealaska allotment under ANCSA, enabling the conveyance of 18 parcels in Southeast Alaska.