Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Subsistence



Seal Hunt (54K)


"Subsistence is a way that Native Peoples of Alaska have preserved their cultures. This way of life is not confined to the land. It stretches out to the sky and . . . the waters and rivers. The creatures of the earth give themselves to the People, who in turn share with family and friends, shaping relationships that celebrate life."

Helga Eakon
Inupiaq Eskimo, and Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Coordinator

Many Alaskans live off the land, relying on fish, wildlife and other wild resources. Alaska Natives have used these resources for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, handicrafts and trade for thousands of years. Other residents living in rural Alaska depend on local harvests as reliable and economic food sources.

As Alaska's population grew after Statehood, new and conflicting demands were made on natural resources. Most dramatically, the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay provided momentum for an effort to resolve the aboriginal land claims of Alaska Native people. A central focus of this movement was the protection of the Native hunting and fishing lifestyle, which came to be known as subsistence.

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act

In deliberations leading to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, the U. S. Congress acknowledged the importance of subsistence hunting and fishing to Alaska Natives, but provided no specific protection. By the late 1970's, more direct action was needed to protect subsistence activities in Alaska.

In 1980, Congress established a framework for protecting subsistence uses by both Natives and non-Natives in Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Title VIII authorizes the State of Alaska to regulate subsistence uses on Federal public lands if several requirements are met.

For more information about the Fedral Subsistence Management Program:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Office of Subsistence Management
1011 East Tudor Road
Anchorage, AK 99503
1-800-478-1456
Tel: (907) 271-2326 or (907) 786-3467
Fax: (907) 271-2335
Where is the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve?
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URL: http://www.nps.gov/bela/html/subsist.htm
Last Updated: 22 December, 1995