Alaska Native Regional Corporations

The Alaska Native regional corporations are thirteen for-profit corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), signed on December 18, 1971. Twelve are based on traditional regions of Alaska and received land and cash, while the thirteenth was formed for Alaska Natives who no longer lived in the state and received compensation but no land. Together with more than 200 village corporations, they were given about 44 million acres of land and roughly $962.5 million [1][2].

Origins

ANCSA settled land claims by Alaska Natives in a way that differed from the reservation system used elsewhere in the United States. Rather than creating tribal reservations, Congress transferred land and funds to Native-owned business corporations organized by region and by village. The act was signed into law on December 18, 1971 [1][2].

The Twelve Regional Corporations

The twelve regional corporations that received land are Ahtna, Incorporated; The Aleut Corporation; Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; Bering Straits Native Corporation; Bristol Bay Native Corporation; Calista Corporation; Chugach Alaska Corporation; Cook Inlet Region, Inc.; Doyon, Limited; Koniag, Incorporated; NANA Regional Corporation; and Sealaska Corporation [2]. Each represents a region defined by the traditional territories of its Native peoples, such as the Iñupiat of the north, the Yup’ik of the southwest and the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian of the southeast [1][2].

The thirteenth regional corporation was created for Alaska Natives who had left Alaska. It receives compensation but holds no land, and it is headquartered in Seattle [1][2].

Village Corporations

Each Alaska Native village could form its own corporation, and the number now exceeds 200. Calista, for instance, has 45 village corporations in its region and Sealaska has 12 [1]. Surface rights to land generally went to village and regional corporations, while subsurface rights went to the regional corporations, creating what the law calls a split estate [2]. Enrollment in a regional corporation does not guarantee enrollment in a village corporation [1].

Shareholders and Shares

About 80,000 Alaska Natives were enrolled at the time of the settlement. Each Alaska Native born before December 18, 1971 received 100 shares in a regional corporation, and roughly two-thirds of enrollees, who lived in villages, also received 100 shares in a village corporation. The remaining third are known as at-large shareholders [1][2].

Unlike most companies, the shares cannot be sold. They can be given away or inherited, and shareholders receive dividends when corporations make profits [1].

Land and Money

The settlement allowed Alaska Natives to retain up to 44 million acres of land. About $962.5 million was distributed, of which $462.5 million came from the federal treasury and the rest from revenue sharing of mineral income [1][2]. Later amendments extended the deadline for the state’s own land selections to 1994 [2].

Business and Community Role

Although they are for-profit businesses, regional corporations are meant to serve Alaska Native people, and many support cultural, educational and community programs alongside their business operations [1]. Their holdings have included natural resources, construction, government contracting and tourism, and several rank among the largest Alaska-owned companies [3].

Significance

ANCSA is regarded as one of the largest land claims settlements in United States history, and the corporations it created remain central to the economy and politics of Alaska. For many Alaska Natives, the shares represent a connection to ancestral land as well as a source of dividends and jobs [1][3].

Governance

Like other corporations, each regional corporation is governed by a board of directors elected by its shareholders, and shareholders also receive dividends when the corporation distributes profits. Because shares are held only by Alaska Natives and their descendants, the corporations operate under a hybrid model that blends commercial goals with cultural and community responsibilities [1].

Regions at a Glance

The regional boundaries follow the homelands of different Native peoples. Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and NANA Regional Corporation represent northern Iñupiat communities, Calista and Bering Straits cover much of western Alaska, Doyon and Ahtna serve the Interior and Copper River areas, and Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Koniag, The Aleut Corporation, Chugach Alaska and Cook Inlet Region cover the southwest and south-central coast. Sealaska represents the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples of Southeast Alaska [2].

Relationship to the Land

Because ANCSA converted aboriginal land claims into corporate land ownership rather than reservations, the act shaped how Alaska’s land is held to this day. Surface and subsurface rights are divided between village and regional corporations, so that resource development on corporation lands generally involves both levels, and lands remain tied to the shareholders’ communities [2]. Combined with the state’s own land selections and federal conservation lands, the settlement is one of the main reasons Alaska’s land ownership pattern is so distinctive.

Why the Corporations Matter Today

More than fifty years after 1971, the corporations are significant employers and landowners in Alaska, and they continue to pay dividends and fund scholarships and cultural programs for shareholders [1][3]. Questions about shareholder enrollment for descendants born after 1971 are handled through the corporations’ own policies and through acts of Congress [1][2].

Related Concepts

The regional corporations are closely tied to the broader history of the Alaska Native peoples and to the land claims that preceded ANCSA, including the question of aboriginal title that arose after the Alaska Purchase of 1867. They are distinct from federally recognized tribes and tribal governments, which are separate political entities with their own roles, although many individuals belong to both a tribe and a corporation [1][2].

FAQs

How many Alaska Native regional corporations are there? There are thirteen: twelve regional corporations with land and one for Alaska Natives living outside the state.

What law created the regional corporations? The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, signed on December 18, 1971.

Can Alaska Native corporation shares be sold? No. Shares can be inherited or given away, but not sold.

How much land did ANCSA give to Alaska Natives? Up to about 44 million acres, together with about $962.5 million.

Where is the thirteenth regional corporation based? It is headquartered in Seattle and has no land.

Sources

1. Alaska Public Media: Cheat sheet: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 101
2. Wikipedia: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
3. Indianz.Com: Indian Country Today: Alaska Native corporations mean business

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 11, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue