Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood
The Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS) are pivotal organizations founded to advocate for the rights and well-being of Alaska Natives. Established in 1912 in Sitka, the ANB was created by a group of twelve men and one woman, primarily from the Tlingit and Tsimshian tribes, to combat social and political discrimination and to fight for Alaska Native citizenship. The ANS, its companion organization, emerged in the early 20th century, with varying reports on its specific founding date around 1915 or 1923.
Both organizations have played significant roles in advancing civil rights, including successful lobbying for voting rights for Alaska Natives prior to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Over the decades, they have shifted their focus from promoting the abandonment of traditional languages and customs to fostering a revival of Indigenous cultural practices. The ANB and ANS continue to support Alaska Native communities today through scholarships and resources via their numerous chapters, or "camps," in Alaska and Washington State. The largest camp, known as Grand Camp, is based in Anchorage and hosts events such as the annual Grand Camp Convention, reflecting their ongoing commitment to Indigenous advocacy and community support.
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Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood
- DATE: Established 1912
- TRIBES AFFECTED: Southeast Alaska Native Communities
SIGNIFICANCE: Founded to fight social and political discrimination against Alaska Natives, the Alaska Native Brotherhood is the oldest modern Alaska Native or American Indian organization in the United States
With the stated goal of winning citizenship for Alaska Natives, twelve men and one woman formed the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) in Sitka in 1912. One member, Native rights activist Peter Simpson, was Tsimshian; the rest were Tlingit. ANB's companion organization, the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS), is variously reported to have been established in 1915 or 1923. Within a decade, there were chapters, called camps, throughout southeastern Alaska.
The founders of the ANB and ANS, including Louis Paul, William Paul, and Elizabeth Peratrovich, were heavily influenced by Presbyterian missionaries, and in addition to promoting Native civil rights, the organization urged the abandonment of traditional Native languages and customs. In the 1960s, it reversed itself on this latter issue and was instrumental in the revival of many Haida and Tlingit traditions.
In the area of civil rights, the ANB was active in the pursuit of voting rights and citizenship for Alaska Natives. In 1922, ANB leader and attorney William Paul successfully defended his great-uncle Chief Shakes against the felony charge of voting illegally. Thus, Alaska Natives won the right to vote two years before Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. The site of the original chapter's meeting hall and headquarters building in Sitka, Alaska was designated as a historic landmark in 1978.
The brotherhood led a series of boycotts against businesses that discriminated against Indigenous peoples of Alaska and in 1945, lobbied successfully for the passage of the Antidiscrimination Act by the territorial legislature. It also successfully lobbied Congress to extend the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act to include Alaska. This contributed significantly to economic development in southeastern Alaska by enabling several Alaska Native villages to apply for federal loans to purchase fishing boats and canneries.
The brotherhood mounted the first organized efforts to secure land rights for Alaska Natives. Its efforts were a precursor to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. In the twenty-first century, the ANB and ANS support Indigenous communities in Alaska through scholarships and other resources from over twenty camps across Alaska and Washington State. The largest camp, called Grand Camp, is located in Anchorage, Alaska. In 2022, the ANB and ANS gathered at Grand Camp for the one hundred and tenth Grand Camp Convention.
Bibliography
"About Us." Alaska Native Brotherhood Alaska Native Sisterhood, www.anbansgc.org/about-us/history. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
"Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall National Historic Landmark." National Park Service, 20 Mar. 2024, www.nps.gov/places/alaska-native-brotherhood-hall.htm. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
"Alaska Native Brotherhood/Sisterhood Gather at 110th Grand Camp Convention." ICT News, 15 Nov. 2022, ictnews.org/the-press-pool/alaska-native-brotherhood-sisterhood-gather-at-110th-grand-camp-convention. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
"Conventions." Alaska Native Brotherhood Alaska Native Sisterhood, www.anbansgc.org/conventions. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.