On March 1, the Native Village of Kaktovik, the only federally recognized tribe in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, issued a press release in protest of the Biden-Trudeau announcement to “safeguard the Porcupine caribou herd calving grounds” in ANWR.
“Alaska Native tribes are sovereign governments recognized under the Constitution of the United States of America,” Kaktovik’s release said.
“The Native Village of Kaktovik will always support the protection of our subsistence resources but making decisions without tribal consultation often results in unintended consequences for indigenous people.”
“People live in ANWR too,” the release pointed out. “The Ińupiat of Kaktovik have been here for as long as the caribou, but nobody is issuing statements promising to protect our sovereign rights. The government isn’t fighting to give us a voice about what can and cannot happen on our lands,” said Eddie Rexford Sr., president of the Native Village of Kaktovik. “Instead we read about the Biden-Trudeau agreement in the news at the same time as the rest of America. There was absolutely no attempt to communicate or work with the tribe,” he said.
In Biden’s Jan. 26 Memorandum on Tribal Consultation, he said it’s a priority of his administration to make respect for tribal sovereignty and self-governance, and robust consultation with tribal nations, a cornerstone of federal Indian policy.
The Native Village of Kaktovik is “extremely disappointed that the president has not lived up to those commitments.”
“Tribal consultation isn’t a favor to indigenous people; it’s required by law. What we’ve seen from the president’s administration so far is the issuance of dozens of executive actions, many of which directly affect our people. I would remind the president that Executive Order 13175 charges all executive departments and agencies with engaging in regular, meaningful, and robust consultation with tribal officials in the development of federal policies that have tribal implications. His actions directly contradict the law as well as his own promises made to indigenous people,” added Rexford.
“This announcement by the United States and Canadian governments makes absolutely no mention of the Ińupiat people who reside at the heart of their decision, but at the same time vows to work with tribes living hundreds of miles away to ensure their interests are protected,” said Ida Angasan, secretary-treasurer, Tribal Council of the Native Village of Kaktovik.
- Petroleum News
