Declaring the crisis with fentanyl and other deadly drugs its highest priority and accepting Portland as a new tribal community were among the highlights at the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s 89th annual tribal assembly in Juneau.
Resolutions approved at the assembly that concluded on April 19 also included calls for a permanent increase in the state’s base funding formula for public schools and supporting non-discrimination in student sports.
Among the resolutions singled out for discussion was one referring to deadly drugs as the tribes’ highest priority, which came in the wake of a federal report earlier this month stating that 2023 was Alaska’s deadliest year for opioid overdoses and that the state saw the highest increase in deaths nationwide.
A state bulletin published April 18 indicates the 342 overdose deaths in 2023 were a 38% increase from 2022, according to preliminary data.
“The work in the field, it’s scary,” said Helene Simpson, a Ketchikan delegate who was among those bringing the resolution to a floor discussion. “Every day is frightening for our young people.”
Several other delegates discussed how drug abuse has affected them and/or people close to them before the resolution was adopted.
Another resolution singled out for discussion was expanding the tribe’s foster care licensing program, with a plea in favor of the proposal made by Tasha Hotch, an Anchorage delegate, who expressed concerns about how tribal residents are faring under state and federal programs. The Tlingit and Haida program allows parents to be licensed through the tribes, the state, or both.
“I just feel like there’s a lot of interest from our community members to be engaged with helping keep our children that are in the state foster care system engaged with our culture and that we should do everything in our power to make that a possibility,” she said.
That resolution passed by an overwhelming voice vote.
The motion making Portland a designated Tlingit and Haida community was historically significant because it is “the first new community to be authorized to form since Tlingit and Haida was founded in 1935,” according to a press release by the tribes. The resolution was sponsored by the Seattle Tlingit and Haida Community Council.
Tlingit and Haida can designate a new community if there are at least 200 tribal citizens who are eligible voters and reside in the community, and at least 25 tribal citizens sign a resolution. The tribes’ Program Compliance Department reported 214 tribal citizens reside within a 100-mile radius of Portland and 30 tribal citizens of voting age signed a resolution requesting the formation of a Portland Tlingit and Haida community.
“I was actually born and raised in Portland and when I saw this come up, it was something that really spoke to me,” said Mike Hoyt, a Wrangell delegate.
“I was in contact with a lot of my family still down there because this is an important issue. To me, when I think about growing up in Portland, it was kind of hard. I went to school with 800 kids and I knew only four Alaska Native kids in that entire school,” Hoyt said. “This (the designation for Portland) is going to be a great way for our people to start getting together, recognizing each other, and making those connections.”
A total of 83 of the 120 delegates voted in favor of the resolution, surpassing the two-thirds majority necessary for passage, according to the news release. Tribal citizens in the Portland area will be able to organize and establish a constitution to set the groundwork for electing delegates and community council members for Tlingit and Haida’s next general election in 2026.
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