Tribal citizens in and outside Alaska recently voted to elect new delegates and community council members to represent them in the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
Following the online election that ended March 19, Juneau welcomed nine new delegates and 11 returning delegates, who will each serve a two-year term. Nearly 50 people ran for the 20 delegate spots. Delegates will be sworn in later this spring.
Juneau has 20 delegates, the largest number of seats compared to any other community in the tribe in this election. But that wasn’t always the case.
At last year’s tribal assembly, delegates narrowly approved an amendment to reduce the maximum number of delegates from urban communities like Anchorage, Seattle and San Francisco to four delegates each. Proponents for the change said it was to give rural tribal citizens more of a voice, but some argued it would limit representation for large groups of Lingít and Haida people.
The change meant that Seattle, which was formerly tied with Juneau with 25 delegates, was reduced to just four delegates this election, despite having the most enrolled tribal citizens of any community. Anchorage was reduced from 15 to 4 delegates.
The regional tribal government has a total of 76 delegates. They are responsible for representing tribal citizens in their communities and determining the tribe’s positions on issues impacting citizens. Any delegate may submit a resolution for the annual tribal assembly’s consideration.
Community councils are political subdivisions of the tribe and represent the different recognized communities. Community councils support programs, cultural activities and events that strengthen community ties. Community council members do not vote during tribal assembly, unless they are also a delegate.
The Tribal Assembly consists of elected delegates from 22 recognized communities. Delegates will convene in Juneau in late September for the 91st Annual Tribal Assembly.
Find the full list of Juneau’s delegates here.
