Below is a short list of books and treatises related to Alaska Native Peoples. You can search for other resources in the ASU Library catalog by using subject headings such as: Alaska Natives – Legal Status; Indians of North America – Alaska; and Indians of North America – Land Tenure – Alaska.
Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law (Felix S. Cohen, 2024)
Chapter 13 of this treatise covers Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. The 2012 version is available in print in the Law Library and on Lexis. The 1941 edition is available on the University of Oklahoma’s website.
Tribal Sovereignty in Alaska: How it Happened, What It Means (Donald Craig Mitchell, 2022)
This book is a history of the Alaska Native tribal sovereignty movement. It is available in print in the Law Library.
Alaska Native Tribes, ANSCA Corporations, and Tribal Organizations (Linda Hays, 2019)
This book gives an overview of Alaska Native history and tribal organizations. It is available in print in the Law Library.
Fletcher’s Principles of Federal Indian Law (Matthew L.M. Fletcher, 2017)
Chapter 13 of this hornbook covers Alaska Natives. It is available in print in the Law Library and on West Academic (available on campus, remotely with ASURITE, or with an ASU West Academic account).
Alaska Natives and American Laws (David S. Case & David A. Voluck, 2012)
This book covers federal law and policy relating to the indigenous peoples of Alaska from 1867-2011. Available in print or online as an e-book.
Chasing the Dark: Perspectives on Place, History and Alaska Native Land Clams (Kenneth L. Pratt, 2009)
Section 14(h)(1) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act provided that Native corporations could gain land title to places that had been important to them but that were not included in land otherwise received by their corporations. In this collection, the Bureau of Indian Affairs give the public some of the information that it learned about these lands when it evaluated corporations' title applications.
Take My Land, Take My Life: The Story of Congress’s Historic Settlement of Alaska Native Land Claims, 1960-1971 (Donald Craig Mitchell, 2001)
This book gives the history of the U.S. government’s relations with Alaska Native peoples, culminating in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. It is available in print in the Law Library.
Village Journey: The Report of the Alaska Native Review Commission (Thomas R. Berger, 1985)
This is a review of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. It is available in print in the Law Library.
University of Alaska, Tribal Governance 112: Intro to Federal Indian Law
The University of Alaska provides open-source access to a unique resource—its Intro to Federal Indian Law course. The course pays particular attention to the relationship between Federal Indian Law and tribal justice systems in Alaska, and it is intended for students, tribal leaders, researchers, and anyone who is interested in learning more about tribal governance in Alaska. Units contain reading material, short videos, and historical photographs and maps. Though not a traditional treatise, this resource provides comprehensive information relevant to understanding Alaska Native communities.
Tribal Law Gateway
The National Indian Law Library provides this site that links to online tribal constitutions, codes, and court opinions, where available.
Constitutions
This Library of Congress site links to the constitutions of Alaska tribes.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) is codified at 43 U.S.C. §§1601 et seq. It is available for free on the websites of the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives and the Legal Information Institute. It is also available on Lexis+ (Lexis+ password required) and Westlaw (Westlaw password required).
The legislative history of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and its amendments are available on HeinOnline (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE).
ANCSA Resource Center
This resource is sponsored by the law firm of Landye Bennett Blumstein LLP, and it has a collection of source documents and commentary relating to ANCSA.
ANCSA Regional Association
The ANCSA Regional Association board of directors is composed of the presidents and chief executive officers of the twelve land-based Alaska Native regional corporations that were created pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. This website contains information about ANCSA and an overview of the various entities operating in the twelve regions that ANCSA created.
Constitution of the State of Alaska
Adopted by the Constitutional Convention on February 5, 1956. Ratified by the People of Alaska on April 24, 1956. Became Operative with the Formal Proclamation of Statehood on January 3, 1959.
Minutes of the Alaska Constitutional Convention 1955-1956
This site has official transcripts of the Alaska Constitutional Convention, organized by day. It includes indexes to the materials.
The Alaska State Constitution: A Reference Guide (Gerald A. McBeath, 1997)
This book has a brief history of the Alaska state constitution and a section-by-section analysis. It is available in print in the Law Library.
State materials can also be found on the Alaska state pages on Westlaw (Westlaw password required) and Lexis+ (Lexis+ password required).
Alaska Law Review
The Alaska Law Review is a scholarly publication that examines legal issues affecting the state of Alaska. It is composed of second and third-year law students from Duke University School of Law and governed by a faculty advisor committee. Alaska does not have a state law school, so the Alaska Bar Association selected Duke to publish the Alaska Law Review.
American Indian Law Review (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE)
The American Indian Law Review serves as a nationwide scholarly forum for analysis of developments in legal issues pertaining to Native Americans and indigenous peoples worldwide. Adhering to the traditional law review format, the Review offers in-depth articles by legal scholars, attorneys and other expert observers. In addition, the Review offers comments and notes written by student members and editors on a wide variety of Indian law-related topics.
Lexis - Alaska Legal News (Lexis password required)
This search leverages Lexis+'s expansive news service to find current awareness related to the state of Alaska. Enter search terms into the provided prompt to make your search effective.
The ASU Library subscribes to multiple databases that address issues related to American Indian Studies. Below are a few that may be relevant to your research. You may scan the A-Z Databases page for more.
America: History and Life with Full Text
This database contains full-text articles on the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistoric to the present time.
Bibliography of Indigenous Peoples in North America
This database covers all aspects of native North American culture, history, and life. It contains more than 141,000 citations of multiple formats covering the U. S. and Canada, and dates of coverage include content from the 16th century to the present.