Now in its third edition, Alaska Natives and American Laws is still the only work of its kind, canvassing federal law and its history as applied to the indigenous peoples of Alaska. Covering 1867 through 2011, the authors offer lucid explanations of the often-tangled history of policy and law as applied to Alaska’s first peoples. Divided conceptually into four broad themes of indigenous rights to land, subsistence, services, and sovereignty, the book offers a thorough and balanced analysis of the evolution of these rights in the forty-ninth state. This third edition brings the volume fully up to date, with consideration of the broader evolution of indigenous rights in international law and recent developments on the ground in Alaska.

This book explores the application of federal Indian policy to Alaska Natives in the 20th century, a process driven by the federal government's desire to acquire Indian land. Twentieth century Indian policy, as applied in Alaska, has oscillated between encouraging the privatization of land and assimilation of Native Alaskans into the dominant society, and allowing for Native autonomy and self-government. The Alaska Reorganization Act of 1936, better known as the Alaska Native New Deal, promoted Native self-government through constitutions and native self-sufficiency through corporations within geographic limits of designated reservations. In Alaska, the federal government's termination policy extended state jurisdiction over Native peoples after World War Two. A new policy of self-determination was initiated by the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. With this act, 40 million acres were conveyed to newly created Native corporations. Alaska Natives would achieve self-determination by participation in corporate decisions. This history of the legislation and implementation of federal Indian policy in Alaska explores the tensions and reversals expressed through successive legislative acts, and focuses upon the implications of this policy for Native Alaskans.