The ANCSA

When the United States purchased the Alaskan Territory from Russia in 1867, the only land ownership recognized by American law was that obtained by Russian title. Like the Native Americans of the 48 contiguous states, Alaska Natives were granted claims to ancestral lands, but had no citizenship rights. When Alaskan statehood was granted in 1959, the federal government claimed most of the land. In response, Native Alaskans began to dispute government claims, making "who owns Alaska" a national issue -- particularly after oil was discovered on the North Slope of the Brooks Range. Without settling land claims, the Alyeska Trans-Alaska Pipeline could not be built.

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law on December 18, 1971. ANCSA's intent was to settle all aboriginal land claims by Alaska's indigenous peoples. Under ANCSA, Alaska's aboriginal land was divided into 12 land-based regional corporations and one for other Alaska Natives residing in the lower 48 (13th region).

Within the regional corporations, individual villages were given the right to establish "village corporations." Village corporations are quite small and concentrate on land holdings and land oversight. In the Arctic Slope region, eight village corporations were established. The ANCSA changed the relationship between Natives and the land from communal tenure to corporate ownership.

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation

As a result of the ANCSA, the Inupiat people of Barrow, Alaska, established the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation (UIC). Barrow, the northernmost community in the United States -- located 330 miles north of the Arctic Circle -- is named for Sir John Barrow, who as a member of the British Admiralty for 40 years promoted many Artic explorations to this region. Barrow is called Ukpeaġvik, or "place to hunt snowy owls," by the Inupiat people. The town is the largest community on the North Slope, and more than two-thirds of its 4,600 people are Inupiat. In 2006, UIC was recognized as the nation's ninth largest Alaskan-owned corporation by Alaska Business Monthly.