Uncertainty over federal resources under the Trump administration contributed to a decision by two large tribal entities to rejoin the Alaska Federation of Natives.
The federation, the state’s largest Native organization, said Tuesday that it welcomed back the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, based in Juneau and representing more than 35,000 tribal citizens, and the Tanana Chiefs Conference, based in Fairbanks and representing 42 villages.
The regional tribal organizations stepped away from the Native federation two years ago.
They were two of six major Alaska Native entities to leave the group in recent years amid political differences, though the Alaska Federation of Natives still continued to represent well over 300 tribal, corporate and nonprofit entities.
“We’re thrilled to have them back,” said Ben Mallott, AFN president, in an interview Wednesday. “In uncertain times, unity is important.”
The return of the members brings important voices back to the table and strengthens the federation’s efforts to advocate for Alaska Native communities, he said.
The Tlingit and Haida tribal council said in a statement that it left the statewide group over concerns that tribal voices were not being fairly represented.
“However, the current political climate demands greater unity among Alaska Native peoples,” the statement said. “Tlingit & Haida is committed to standing together with AFN and our fellow Alaska Native organizations to protect our rights, lands, and future generations.”
President Donald Trump’s aggressive effort to shrink the federal government and end Biden-era programs has frozen large swaths of funding for Alaska Native and American Indian communities, affecting projects and services in a state with more 200 Native villages.
Trump’s 2026 fiscal year budget request to Congress on Friday calls for a nearly 25% budget cut in non-defense discretionary spending, or a $163 billion reduction.
Mallott had made rebuilding the group’s membership a key goal when he became its president last year. He said opportunities remain with federal funding, but there are many questions about how federal spending reductions could affect Alaska Native organizations and villages.
In a statement Wednesday, the president of Tanana Chiefs Conference, Chief Brian Ridley, cited “increasing challenges and complexities facing our people” as a reason for rejoining AFN.
The move “supports our mission of protecting our sovereignty and way of life. We look forward to working in unity with our sister organizations to advocate with one voice and strengthen efforts that safeguard and advance our Tribal communities,” Ridley said.
The regional group left the Native federation over concerns that its biggest priority, the protection of salmon that feed communities in the Interior region, was not being met. Salmon stocks have crashed on the Yukon River and in other areas of the state, raising tensions about over protections for the fish.
The Tanana Chiefs Conference approved the resolution to rejoin the Native federation in March.
“With impending budget cuts and federal uncertainty, the full board determined that now is the time for unified advocacy across Alaska to ensure a stronger voice for tribal interests,” the Tanana Chiefs said in a statement at the time.
The resolution was submitted by Denakkanaaga, a nonprofit group representing Native elders from Alaska’s Interior region.
Sharon McConnell, executive director of Denakkanaaga, said Wednesday that the group sees subsistence rights as a key issue to fight for, as well as improved salmon returns that villages have traditionally relied on for much of their diet.
The rising cost of living and already high store prices in rural Alaska due to federal policies is another concern, along with proper game management, education and health, she said.
“We believe that it’s really important to have a collective, strong, unified voice as we address all these different issues that are coming before, not only Native people, but Americans in general,” she said.
“In our Native way, when the elders speak, they’re listened to,” she said. “And they’re concerned about what’s happening in the state of Alaska and also the nation.”
The Alaska Federation of Natives has long prioritized subsistence issues. But in the past two years, it has taken especially strong positions to protect salmon subsistence harvests, including joining the federal government in a lawsuit against the state of Alaska over subsistence rights.
Mallott said he believes those steps were a factor in the Tanana Chiefs Conference decision to rejoin, along with other organizational efforts that included addressing the group’s policies and bylaws and how the Native federation handles conflict between different organizations.
The Arctic Slope Regional Corp., representing Alaska Native shareholders from the oil-rich North Slope, decided to withdraw from the Alaska Federation of Natives in 2019, citing long-standing tension with the group.
“Any future discussions or decisions about ASRC membership in AFN would be made by the board of directors,” ASRC, the state’s largest Alaskan-owned and operated company, said in a statement Wednesday.
Doyon, the regional Alaska Native corporation for the Interior, had also left the statewide group. It said in a statement that it continues to meet with the Native federation.
“Even though Doyon is not a current member of AFN, representatives from Doyon and AFN continue to meet discussing issues that impact Alaska Native people and discussing Doyon’s membership in AFN. The Doyon board continues to evaluate Doyon’s membership in AFN on a regular basis.”
Skoey Vergen, chief executive of the Aleut Corp., representing Alaska Native shareholders from the Aleutian Islands region, said he could not comment.
Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a tribal nonprofit providing services in the Cook Inlet region, had also left the Native federation. The organization not return a request for comment
Mallott said he’s hopeful the four organizations will rejoin in the future.
This story was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News.