Viewing page 33 of 88

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

However, the fight was not yet over. There was some indication that the reservations were established in the hope that the Indians could be talked into rejecting them. A campaign of propaganda was conducted to convince the Indians that the acceptance of this would result in their being put into a certain type of concentration camp. This propaganda worked in two remote Eskimo villages, partly because the Indian Service sat by and refused to advise the Indians properly and partly because the land offered was inadequate and the order took too much of their land from them.

There was great pressure for the elections to be held immediately. It was only through the efforts of the NCAI, the ANB, the Indian Rights Association and a few others that sufficient time was granted for the Indians to discuss and understand the problem. Again some of the pro-Indion organizations declined to take a firm stand alongside the NCAI in opposition to this "rush act". But finally, the elections were postponed and your attorney made two trips to Alaska to explain the situation to the natives. The expenses of these trips were paid by the Alaska Native Brotherhood.

The result of the work of the NCAI and the ANB was that the natives of Hydaburg accepted the reservation by a vote of three to one. Thus the policy of protecting Indian title to land established by a strong precedent. A great battle was won, but the war went on. Two things occurred: (a) a threat by the great canning companies to disregard the reservation order and the law and to occupy Indian land without Indian consent and (b) a threat by the Indians' enemies in Congress to destroy the whole program by a clause in the Alaska statehood bill forbidding creation of more reservations.

The NCAI and the ANB are now fighting shoulder to shoulder to meet these new threats. the NCAI is firmly opposing any statehood bill that contains the anti-Indian rider. It is insisting that reservations be established immediately for all the other villages that want them similar to the one that was established for Hydaburg. It is insisting that the Commissioner of Indian Affairs protect the natives of Hydaburg from the invasion of their territories by the great fishing companies. The new Commissioner has promised to take all steps necessary to protect these Indians from trespass. But up to this time no action has been taken.

A few weeks after the creation of the reservation at Hydaburg the time fixed for filing "possessory rights petitions" expired. Through the efforts of the NCAI this time was extended for another year. Most of the Indian and Eskimo villages are so far removed from "civilization" that they have no way of knowing that the correct method of protecting their rights was to file such petitions. The Indian Office had not advised them to file such petitions. But the ANB sent telegrams to all the native villag [[villages]] as a result of which most of them have filed their petitions. It is to be hoped that action will be taken on them in the near future. If the proposed Alaska Statehood Bill is defeated, we will have firm grounds to hope for prompt action, establishing reservations for all these villages.

[[footnote]]
-31-