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Article: Implications of Indian Country in Alaska: opinion by House Speaker Gail Phillips and Senate Pres Mike Miller.
- Article from:
- Alaska Business Monthly
- Article date:
- June 1, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Alaska Business Publishing Company, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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We strongly believe the Court of Appeals misinterpreted federal law in the Venetie decision, and that ANCSA is clear evidence of Congressional intent that there will be no Indian country in Alaska. The State argued that the land was granted, not to tribal organizations, but to state chartered corporations which were subject to state law. Congress did not intend the ANCSA land grant to be Indian country in Venetie. The State pointed out that ANCSA was not a grant of Indian country lands, but that the very terms of ANCSA show an intent by Congress that it not be considered Indian country. It quoted this language from ANCSA:
"...the [land] settlement should be ...