Alaska

A rising awareness about sustainability • Alaska Beacon

Published

2 years ago

April 25, 2024

A rising awareness about sustainability • Alaska Beacon

As Indigenous youth, we work continuously to strengthen our roots in the values that have shaped our ancestral heritage and continue to guide our collective journey.

Over the past decade, with the rising awareness of global humanitarian crises and environmental disasters, investors and companies have become more sensitive to the impacts of their decisions on society and the environment. This perception has led to a growing demand for incorporating Indigenous values into sustainable investment practices. Tlingit and Anishinaabe cultures, rich with traditions and wisdom passed down through generations since time immemorial, hold valuable insights into what we believe to be sustainable living and harmonious coexistence with the environment.

It is important to recognize that each Indigenous community is unique, with distinct values, traditions, and priorities.

As members of Tlingit and Anishinaabe communities, we can only speak to our own perspectives and experiences. We believe that the Tlingit concepts of haa aaní, haa shuká, haa latseen, and wooch.yax and the Anishinaabeg Seventh Generation and Seven Grandfather teachings, as well as the concept of mino bimaadiziwin, hold universal significance and can serve as guiding principles for sustainable investment practices across diverse global communities. As representatives of a generation whose experiences have been strongly affected by accelerating developments in technology and climate change, we believe the time is now to center Indigenous values in investment strategies.

The Tlingit concept, Haa aaní, “our world,” encapsulates our collective identity and culture. It emphasizes the interdependence between human beings and the natural world, urging us to care for the land, waters, and the air we breathe so we can pass on this wealth to future generations.

This concept is also reflected in the Anishinaabeg teaching mino bimaadiziwin, “living a good life,” where we share a love with all other living things and live in deep relationships. These principles directly align with the core tenet of sustainable investment: long-term stewardship of resources. Embracing haa aaní and mino bimaadiziwin fosters a deeper respect for the environment within investment practices, promoting initiatives that prioritize environmental protections and sustainable development.

Haa shuká, “our story,” underscores our collective identity, transcending generations, and affirming the sanctity of ancestral, cultural, and sacred sites. This value emphasizes the importance of preserving our cultural heritage and passing it down to future generations. In the context of sustainable investment, honoring Indigenous heritage involves respecting cultural sites and ensuring that investment decisions contribute to the well-being of current and future generations. For the Anishinaabe, this manifests through the Seventh Generation Principle where one must consider the impacts that one’s words, work, and actions may have on the next seven generations. By incorporating this value into investment practices, we can create opportunities that generate social and financial benefits for all communities.

The Tlingit principle of Haa latseen, “inner strength,” speaks to the resilience and adaptability inherent in our collective identity. This value underscores the importance of education, leadership development, and healthy communities in nurturing sustainable growth. Integrating haa latseen means prioritizing and supporting education and training initiatives to develop the leaders of tomorrow, who will foster strong families and communities that are capable of facing economic and environmental challenges. Haa latseen means building inclusive and resilient economies through investment initiatives that hold Indigenous power and safeguard Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination.

Finally, the Anishinaabeg Seven Grandfather teachings of Aakde’ewin“courage.” Debwewin “truth.” Mnaadendiwin “respect,” Zaagidewin“love,”Dbadendiziwin “humility,” Nbwaakawin “knowledge,” and Kaazhaadiziwin“kindness” are practices that guide our relations with all other living beings.

Similarly, the Tlingit principle, wooch.yax, affirms the “spiritual and social balance” that forms the foundation of our collective identity. These values underscore the importance of collaboration and partnership in achieving shared goals. In the context of sustainable investment, building partnerships with Indigenous communities directly impacted by investment strategies is essential to ensure investment decisions respect their values, priorities, and aspirations.

These principles align with Indigenous Peoples’ Free, Prior and informed Consent which safeguards all the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Free Prior and Informed Consent is an expression of self-determination, it guarantees participation and decisioning-making in projects where there are impacts, allows for equitable benefits-sharing, and ensures community values and priorities are wholly integrated in project design. Investment strategies that integrate the protocols defined by Indigenous Peoples pave the way for more rights-centered, early and ongoing engagement.

Through collaboration, which is a cornerstone of Free Prior and Informed Consent, we can create balance between the investors, companies, and communities. This is not about meeting quotas or ticking boxes; it is about fundamentally reshaping our relationship with the land and with each other. This requires honoring the interconnectedness of all life, recognizing the inherent value of diverse cultures, and embracing a future where prosperity is measured not just in financial terms, but in the well-being of our communities and the health of our ecosystems.

By embracing the Tlingit principles of haa aaní, haa shuká, haa latseen, and wooch.yax and the Anishinaabeg Seventh Generation and Seven Grandfather teachings, as well as mino bimaadiziwin, we can create a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable world — one where Indigenous voices are not just heard, but respected; where Indigenous knowledge and perspectives are not just acknowledged, but integrated into the very fabric of society.

Isabelle Gibson, Ojibway, is Positive Energy Intern at First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC). Kevin O’Neal-Smith, Tlingit, is an Impact Strategist at Adasina Social Capital. They planned to participate in Our Collective Advantage: Indigenous Consent, a major North American leadership conference presented by FNMPC on April 22-23 in Toronto.

This article was originally published by ICT, an independent, nonprofit, multimedia news enterprise. ICT covers Indigenous peoples.

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Alaska

Alaska accepts ballots that arrive after Election Day. This case could end that.

Published

2 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Press Room

Alaska accepts ballots that arrive after Election Day. This case could end that.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to rule in favor of the Republican National Committee that all ballots must be received on Election Day to be counted.

In a case argued Monday, the RNC challenges a Mississipi law that allows ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to arrive up to five days later.

Alaska accepts postmarked ballots that arrive up to 10 days after Election Day – 15 days if mailed from overseas. And, for Alaska, the implications of the Supreme Court ruling could extend beyond mailed ballots.

The RNC case could be consequential for the midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake. While people of both parties vote by mail, more permissive rules for it are perceived to help Democrats, especially since President Trump rails against the practice.

U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer argued that counting ballots that arrive late violates the federal law that sets the Tuesday following the first Monday of November as Election Day for the whole country.

“All ballots have to be received and the ballot box has to close on Election Day,” he said.

In Alaska’s last general election, more than 50,000 ballots arrived by mail. The Division of Elections couldn’t immediately say how many of those arrived in the 10 days after Election Day but it appears to be many thousand.

Sometimes, even Alaska ballots cast in person on Election Day aren’t received the same day. The village of Atqasuk , on the North Slope, tried to phone in its 2024 election results but couldn’t get through to the Division of Elections. The mailed ballots arrived nine days later.

Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox cited the Atqasuk episode in a friend-of-court brief he filed in the Mississippi case.

“Alaska asks this Court to consider how its rule here will apply in all States—including Alaska, where ‘receiving’ a ballot isn’t always as simple as walking to a precinct or driving a few hours to pick up a ballot box,” he wrote.

Pat Redmond, co-president of the Alaska League of Women Voters, said Alaska has a secure process for mailed ballots. She believes the current deadline is fair and allows remote places necessary time to deliver their ballots.

“Not every place has electronic transmission,” said Redmond, who has also served as an election worker. If all ballots have to be in on Election Day “then those people, their ballots don’t count, and that’s disenfranchising people.”

Attorney Scott Stewart, defending Mississippi’s ballot deadline, told the justices that it’s wrong for the Trump administration to suggest that late-arriving ballots are subject to fraud.

“Obviously, they’ve sounded the anti-fraud theme,” Stewart said. “They haven’t cited a single example of fraud from post-Election Day ballot receipts.”

Late-counted ballots have swung several statewide contests in Alaska.

•The 2020 ballot measure creating Alaska’s ranked choice voting system and open primaries was losing on election night but ultimately won.

•Post-Election Day counts gave Sen. Lisa Murkowski the lead over challenger Kelly Tshibaka in 2022, and Murkowski’s lead grew further after second- and third-choice votes were tallied.

•In 2024, a measure to repeal ranked choice voting was ahead on election night but narrowly lost in later counts.

Late-counted ballots typically include an unknown number of ballots that arrived before Election Day, too. Still, despite no evidence of wrongdoing, supporters of the losing campaign have sometimes alleged fraud.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the Mississippi case this summer. An attorney for the Republican National Committee told the justices a June ruling would allow states to change their ballot rules in time for the November election.

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Alaska

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

Published

15 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Polar bear undergoes root canal at Alaska Zoo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (InvestigateTV) — Staff at the Alaska Zoo performed a root canal on one of its polar bears after the bear broke a canine tooth.

Kova, 4, shares an enclosure with another polar bear named Cranbeary. The two have toys, treats and a large pool where Kova likes to take her morning swim.

Curator Sam Lavin noticed something was wrong when Kova’s behavior changed.

“Kova is a very interactive and busy bear and she just seemed kind of off. She was pawing at her mouth a little bit,” Lavin said.

Lavin suspected a tooth issue and asked Kova to open her mouth for a closer look.

“We could see that she had broken one of her canines and there’s any number of ways she could have done that,” Lavin said.

An X-ray confirmed the diagnosis. Zoo staff consulted with a veterinary specialist outside Alaska, sent the X-rays and received advice on how to proceed.

“We went with a local doctor to do the work,” Lavin said.

An endodontist who normally operates on humans was part of the large team that performed the root canal on the fully sedated 450-pound bear.

“Everybody knew ahead of time what their role was and what to do and where to be and it was so well planned out and everybody worked so well together,” Lavin said.

The procedure went smoothly.

“She feels so much better,” Lavin said.

The zoo said Kova quickly recovered and is back with her playmate Cranbeary.