Sealaska Corporation facts for kids
Sealaska Corporation is a company based in Juneau, Alaska. It was created in 1971 as part of a special law called the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). This law helped settle land claims for Alaska Native people.
Sealaska is a company that aims to make a profit. It has over 23,000 shareholders, who are mostly Alaska Natives from the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures.
The company was officially started in Alaska on June 16, 1972. In 1981, Sealaska helped create the Sealaska Heritage Institute. This non-profit group now runs cultural and educational programs for the community.
Sealaska makes money through natural resources, managing land, environmental services, and seafood.
Contents
When Sealaska first started, about 15,782 Alaska Natives became shareholders. Each person received 100 shares of Sealaska stock. Shares are like small pieces of ownership in the company.
Since then, about 1,800 more Alaska Native people have received shares. They got these shares through family inheritance or as gifts. Because Sealaska is an ANCSA company, its shares cannot be sold publicly.
In 2007, Sealaska shareholders voted to allow descendants (children and grandchildren) of the original shareholders to receive shares. These new shares are a bit different. They last for the descendant's lifetime and cannot be passed on to others. To get these shares, descendants must be children or grandchildren of original shareholders. They also need to be at least one-quarter Alaska Native. Sealaska is one of the few regional corporations to offer shares to descendants.
Sealaska has a special fund called the Permanent Fund. This fund invests in things like stocks, bonds, and real estate. It helps provide money for shareholder dividends, which are payments to shareholders.
Sealaska also uses some of its earnings to help its communities. It offers many programs for young shareholders. These programs include scholarships for students and summer internships. They also have wellness and culture camps.
Sealaska's Lands
Sealaska owns about 290,000 acres of surface land in Southeast Alaska. It also owns about 560,000 acres of subsurface land. This land was given to Sealaska through the ANCSA law.
Even though Sealaska has the most shareholders, it received the smallest amount of land from the ANCSA settlement. Later, Sealaska received an additional 65,000 acres of land. This happened because people worked hard to advocate for it in Congress.
Sealaska's current land in Southeast Alaska is only a small part of the traditional homelands. The Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people lived on these lands for over 10,000 years. Five traditional communities were not included in the original land agreement. Sealaska is working to help these communities get the land they are owed.
How Sealaska Makes Money
Sealaska's main ways of making money are:
- Natural Resources: Using resources from the land.
- Land Management: Taking care of its lands.
- Environmental Services: Helping with environmental projects.
- Seafood: Working in the fishing industry.
Sealaska Heritage Institute
The Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is a nonprofit organization. Sealaska created it in 1980. Clan leaders, scholars, and elders first thought of the idea. SHI works to keep the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures strong. It offers many programs and services, such as:
- Language Learning: Helping people learn and use their native languages again.
- Archiving Materials: Collecting and saving old cultural items and stories.
- Early Reading: Programs to help young children learn to read.
- Art Classes: Teaching traditional art forms.
- Subsistence Living: Classes on traditional ways of getting food and resources.
- Research: Studying Alaska Native history and culture.
In June 2022, during the Celebration festival in Juneau, SHI showed off something special. They unveiled the first 360-degree totem pole in Alaska. This Sealaska Cultural Values Totem Pole is 22 feet tall. It was carved from a 600-year-old cedar tree. The totem pole represents all three main cultures of Southeast Alaska: Lingít (Tlingit), Haida, and Tsimshian.
Baby Raven Reads Program
The Baby Raven Reads program started in 2017 as a small test project. It later received more money to continue for many years. The program now reaches nine communities across Southeast Alaska. It helps young children improve their reading skills. It does this by using cultural strengths to encourage reading at home.
In 2017, the Library of Congress recognized the Baby Raven Reads program. It received the 2017 Best Practice Honoree award.
Notable Baby Raven Reads Books
- Salmon Boy: Shanyáak'utlaax (2017). This book was edited by Johnny Marks, Hans Chester, David Katzeek, and Nora and Richard Dauenhauer. It was illustrated by Michaela Goade.
- Raven and the Hidden Halibut (2020). This story was written by fourth and fifth-grade students from Harborview Elementary. It was illustrated by Nick Alan Foote.
- The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales (2021). This book was translated into X̱aad Kíl (Haida language) by Skíl Jáadei Linda Schrack and Ilskyalas Delores Churchill. It was illustrated by Janine Gibbons.
- Celebration! (2022). This book was written by Lily Hope and illustrated by Kelsey Mata.
