U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, delivered the following remarks at the 2024 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention in Anchorage, Alaska:
“Thank you all for the opportunity to be with you all, yet again. And for the warm welcome.
“You have heard me introduced as Lisa Murkowski – your Senator. But even more distinguished than a title like that, is the name I was gifted some years ago: Aan shaawátk’I, Lady of the Land. It is an honor, indeed, to be on the traditional homelands of the Eklutna Dena’ina with you.
“I’m hoping that I look okay. I’ve got blue on, which is my color. And I only say that because I woke up yesterday in Reykjavik, Iceland. I had a full day of conferences, speeches, and meetings, and they were great. And then I got on the airplane and arrived here last night. I didn’t know if it was breakfast time or dinner time, but I did know that the 3,370 miles that I flew were worth every minute in that airplane because it is my opportunity to come back home to be with so many of you to receive and to give hugs. Since I came in I’ve been doing nothing but hugging, and there have been a few little tears that we have shared. The appreciation – the thanks – that I have been able to receive but also to give in return to say thank you for opening your hearts; thank you for opening your communities to me, so that I can be a better representative for you.
“So these Alaska Airlines miles that we log – me, Mary, and Dan – we’re not just trying to outrank you when it comes to mileage status. It really is to reinforce that it is so important to show up. It is so important to have the presence. To reconnect, to receive, and to hear directly from you. Because it’s these opportunities for engagement that really leave the impression on my heart. And when you carry responsibility and you see something that needs to be addressed, fixed, or celebrated – you carry that in your heart and it’s not so heavy on your shoulders. And you can carry that going forward. So thank you for opening up my heart to a point that I didn’t even know was possible.
“I had an extraordinary few days on the middle Kuskokwim this summer, going up river. It was stunningly beautiful. It was expansive. It was quiet. But the quiet was what was wrong. It wax fishing season and there were no boats on the river. The fish camps were quiet. And that impression, when there is no fish, and no fuel in the communities – that stays in my heart. You can’t separate from that. You can’t separate when you go to a community such as Ketchikan that had been impacted by the deadly landslide, and sit with those who have lost their homes – everything in their homes – and to share the tears. And to talk to the people in Juneau, the day after that flood that wiped out so much of their treasure. And there was nothing we could do in that very moment. But we could be there to say, ‘I’m not going to forget you. I’m going to do all that I can to help you.’
“And it’s not just the hard times, it’s the opportunity to be there in celebration. I had never been to Kake before I went to Dog Salmon Festival. They are going to change the name of Dog Salmon Festival next year, but I’ve got the t-shirt that says that I was there! But more than the t-shirt, just the enthusiasm of a community coming together in celebration of a resource.
“I was able to go out to visit the folks in Chenega—my first visit to Chenega this summer. Like Kake, it was a beautifully glorious day to go out by boat. It was stunning. But we talk a lot about how we are going to amend ANCSA back in D.C. and the legislation that is going to be required to basically move beyond the 14c provisions that limit our Alaska Village Corporations and our communities. And I saw in clear detail [in Chenega] what that was going to mean for that community when it came to the ability to put more houses in a place like Chenega. To be able to do more.
“I’ve been serving you in the Congress for a long time now. Long time. A lady isn’t supposed to talk about how old she is, but it’s been 22 years, folks. There’s some young people in this room who look at that and say ‘I’ve never known another Senator but Lisa Murkowski.’ Well I felt that way about Ted Stevens, too. And Don Young for that matter. But I share that with you because I had a first. I went out to Minto this summer – well actually it wasn’t this summer, because it was the dog sled races and the spring festival, but it felt like summer because the sun was warm on the snow and people were just in happy, good moods. And I was “tossed up” by over a dozen community members – they came up to be almost like an ambush. You know, I’m working in D.C. where you have people with cameras and protests and sometimes when they come rushing into you, you get a little alarmed. But they rushed around me and surrounded me and tipped me back, picked me up, and threw me, like a blanket toss, only there was no blanket! And they told me that this was honor to be tossed up. That’s an experience you don’t ever forget, let me tell you.
“Another experience that was unforgettable was in January to be able to fly out the Arctic Village – not the time of year that most people go to Arctic Village. But I went out there carrying a secret. The community knew that I was going to be visiting with them and one of their most esteemed elders, Chief Reverend Dr. Trimble Gilbert, so they all came to the community hall. And I wanted to see the people of the community, but even more important I wanted to be able to share with the people of the community and tell Chief Reverend Dr. Trimble Gilbert that he was going to be recognized with our nation’s very highest honor in folk and traditional arts. And so to be able to go out there, share the news directly with him and the community, and that sense of pride… and then when he flew all the way back to Washington D.C., just a couple months ago, to receive that honor from the National Endowment of Arts and Humanities – and to be able to place that ribbon and that medal around his neck. And to hug him and smell the smell of the moose hide vest that he was wearing – it was just extraordinary. Again, those are the things that rest in your heart and give you a sense of pride, hope, commitment, and purpose to your work. So know that in your communities, wherever you may be – whether you are the gentleman I just visited with from Holy Cross or from Hydaberg – wherever it is that you are, you make think that you are remote but you are close to me in my heart and I take that with me.
“So, thank you for welcoming me like you always do. As a friend.
“This year I’m also here to say thank you to a friend. A friend and a leader who has been serving all of us, all of you, for thirty-three years. And Julie has had her fair share of tributes, and recognition on this stage during this convention, as is only appropriate. But I do think that it is absolutely imperative that we not only recognize Julie and thank her here today, but what she has put in place for the generations going forward. That is the lasting gift that Julie Kitka has endowed with us.
“Julie has led with grace and distinction from her first day to the end. And you all know it’s not always easy to balance the priorities of Alaska’s tribes, village and regional corporations, and tribal consortiums. It’s even harder to do that while advocating for Alaska Native peoples at the local, state, and federal levels. But Julie has done all this and more and with an incredible list of accomplishment from her time here. And so many of them have been cited about her ability to promote unity and build alliances. And one example that I think is particularly relevant and current is what Julie has done over the years to promote renewed tied with our military. Purposeful engagement that most recently led the U.S. Navy to issue a formal apology to the people of Kake for bombarding their village in 1869. There were many, many people involved in that effort. Rosita Worl was the one that educated us, educated us, educated us, which was so important. That many people who were persistent in urging that this wrong needed to be addressed, but it was really the groundwork that Julie had led, the door she opened to invite the military in to work to rebuild a relationship that quite honestly had kind of frayed over the years. And so, I want to acknowledge particularly that.
“Julie, you have achieved on behalf of Alaska Native peoples. And I thought as I was preparing for this day, this opportunity to see you again and to share with your many friends, what it is that I wanted to gift to you. And I don’t think that I can give you any more salmon or the baskets or the flowers. But I thought, how do I think of Julie? And then I thought, she’s kind of like our North Star. So, Julie, I decided to register a star in your name. I hope is one of the very brightest in the north sky. I don’t have it yet, but they are framing it and it is a star named Julie Kitka, and it shows where it is in the constellation and it is officially named to you, so that when you look up in the evening with her grandkids, and as we all look out from all over Alaska, all over the country, and all over the world – we can look up and say, ‘hmmmm, which one is Julie Kitka smiling down on me, making sure I’m doing a good job.’
“And I want you to know that another part of that gift, is that when the spring comes you will receive a peony from me, because I know that you love your garden and I know that you love your peonies as I love peonies. But it’s kind of a reflection, if you will, the star is that past and now the bloom that will come with every spring represents the future – the past and the future that you have given so many of us. So, again: to Julie.
“I also want to recognize and thank another star, Ben Mallott, as AFN’s new President. Ben, sometimes it’s hard for me. Because I feel a little bit like the mom with Ben, because I feel like I’ve known Ben practically his whole life. But I have seen him grow and learn and seen the leadership steps he has taken, including as a member of my team back in Washington, D.C. And so, this extraordinary Alaskan leader who has such a keen understanding of the issues – and an even deeper desire to address them. It’s one thing to know the issues – it’s another to say I’m willing to own this, I’m willing to work on it, I’m willing to make it better. And that’s what Ben is bringing to AFN and I’m so thankful for that Ben. I’m so proud of you. We’ve got a lot of work to do together, but I know that you have what it takes. So, Gunalcheesh.
“So we have a lot of things to do together, and you have heard from Dan and Mary – your federal delegation is in there working with you every day. But, we’ve got a lot on our plate when it comes to making sure our federal initiatives continue to benefit Alaska Native communities—and we’re starting to see that translate into the real deal. Finally, Angoon’s Thayer Creek hydro project is moving forward; for home stabilization in Chefornak and Quinhagak; and for Point Lay, Kongiganak, and Unalakleet – support to determine how to protect threatened infrastructure and homes in their villages. We’ve got to do more when it comes to ANCSA-contaminated lands. You want to talk about an environmental injustice – when the federal government in ensuring the lands that you were due under the settlement are conveyed to you, and they conveyed to you fowled, soiled and contaminated lands – that’s an environmental injustice.
“Knowing that we got not only basically money in the bank when it comes to addressing these ANCSA-contaminated lands – more than $150 million that I was able to secure for the clean-up of these lands – but we have to get moving to make sure that we’re taking advantage of the federal dollars that are out there. When it comes to water and sanitation, we were able to get $3.5 billion for rural water and sanitation through the infrastructure law. We are pushing hard to get Alaska’s share of that into our underserved communities across the state. But it takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of work and a lot of coordination and we need to do just that.
“We need to do more to keep the commitment to our Alaska Native Vietnam veterans and their families in making sure that the promise that was made is a promise that has been kept. We are moving forward, Dan and I, again, with legislation to further address that. But it’s been painful and it’s been painfully wrong that it’s taken this long to address that.
“We know that, again, this take a joint effort – it takes your three, but mighty delegation members working hand-in-glove when it comes to addressing the crisis we are seeing within our fisheries, our oceans, and how we ensure that we see salmon return to the rivers. We know that we need the research, date, and traditional knowledge – we need everybody partnering and working together to make sure that this does not become the next generational trauma. When families recall that time and period – when there was not connection to your resource because the fish were gone. So we have a lot of work to do there and we are leaning into it in every way.
“We need to make sure that our federal agencies, particularly the Department of the Interior, consult with Alaska Native peoples and reflect your voices in their decisions. We need to address ANCSA-specific land issues – I mentioned the 14c3 issues. But we have to pass our legislation for Chugach, Cape Fox, and the Landless down in Southeastern. So we’re continuing to work on that.
“Missing and murdered Indigenous women – the crisis that we face when it comes to our rural public safety. So we are continuing that work to increase appropriations and pass historic new laws, like our Alaska public safety pilot, which supports tribes as partners.
“We need to do more and we need to lean into the recommendations of the Not Invisible Commission, and to help with that, I’ve funded a special initiative at the Department of Justice to provide an important resource for MMIP victims and family members to know where they can turn for help and healing after tragedy. Because you can’t move forward and take on the day-to-day when you’re still struggling with the wounds of the past. It just drags you down. And so all we can do to promote healing for communities that have faced generational trauma—not only when the military bombarded villages of Angoon, Kake, and Wrangell, but when Native votes were suppressed, when Native children were forcibly taken to boarding schools, and when heritage and culture were erased instead of celebrated.
“I had an incredible opportunity in Kake to witness the formal apology from the Navy for the bombardment over 150 years ago. It was amazing recognition. It was not a celebration, it was a recognition of a wrong that had happened and had never been addressed, thus not allowing the people to move beyond that horrible, awful time in their lives and their history. I was honored – Rosita Worl, once again knows how to ensure you are standing tall. She asked me to wear the Peace Blanket. And I felt that responsibility as an elected representative but also as one who has connections and roots from my family in the Southeastern Region. And to hear the apology offered by the Navy, to hear President Joel Jackson stand and address the more thantwo-hundred people in the room and say, ‘you heard the apology, what do you think?’ And one-by-one, those clan leaders stood and spoke, and they accepted the apology. Some very tearfully. Some acknowledging what I had shared, which is that it’s never too late to say you are sorry. But how important it was that until this acknowledgement came, the healing couldn’t go forward. It could not happen. And we were reminded that it has been seven generations of people form Kake who have held that trauma in them. My hope and prayer is that they are now able to move forward, and that next week when the people of Angoon are able to receive an apology from the U.S. Navy, that they too will be able to move forward. And that the people of Wrangell who also faced a similar atrocity at the hands of the U.S. Army, that they too will receive that apology so that the healing can begin.
“This is a convention that is rightfully focused on our children. Our future ancestors, right? I was proud to help advance the legislation creating the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Native Children’s Commission. I thank Commission Chair Gloria O’Neill and Commissioner Don Gray. They wrote a great report, ‘The Way Forward,’ which recommends hundreds of ways to better serve Native children, and for holding a panel on that yesterday here at AFN.
“But, it shouldn’t make a difference whether you’re in a village off the road system or here in Anchorage or out in the Mat-Su, every child deserves the same opportunities to live and thrive. And we are still far from that; we know that. We know that the disparities facing Native youth on child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and so many other issues. But now we have a bit of a roadmap to begin to address them. And we do that rooted in the strength of communities and cultures. It’s going to be our community and cultures that will allow that movement forward.
“As Dr. Soboleff observed, “It’s more than one measure. It’s the people working together to make a better world.” And there’s so many people. We can go down this rabbit trail and name all those who are making such a difference. We started with Julie Kitka and moved forward to Ben Mallott, that next generation moving forward.
“But I think about people who are doing extraordinary things when it comes to areas that we are still struggling and that’s mental health – particularly youth mental health. Stacy Rasmus from the Center for Alaska Native Health Research has led extraordinary work to advance suicide prevention models rooted in Native culture and values. The wisdom in it is that instead of just treating an individual, she recognized that is not enough; suicide also needs a community-level response. This approach is so promising that the military has adopted this model and is now partnering with the Center to develop tools to improve the quality of life and mental health of soldiers.
“I mentioned at the start of my comments my river trip. I was able to go up-river up the Middle Kuskokwim with Andrea Gusty of the Kuskokwim Corporation. It was so great to see what they were doing out there, combining Indigenous knowledge with the best of modern science to help meet the need for housing in her region. We saw the innovative Harvest to Home project that is going to not only support a workforce, but sustainable development while providing housing. So addressing a multitude of different issues, all at the same time.
“When I have the opportunity to travel across our state, I see the best of Native leadership, and it is marked by care and connection across generations. I know this year’s AFN theme—“our children, our future ancestors”—is a celebration of that, but it’s also a timely reminder for all of us. We always say today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. We get that. But know that the impressions we make now will shape what they do and how they act in their lifetimes.
“As we gather, our kids are watching. You may think they are just watching their phones, but they are watching you, too. And they are watching you watch your phones, so be careful about that. But, they are watching how we treat each other. How we navigate conflict. How we live by example. So, are we pushing to make connections and strengthen partnerships to solve problems? Or are we just throwing rocks? Are we just trying to create divide and separation?
“And I think this is where we’ve got such good models. I’m so proud to work with you to try to set an example we can be proud of— a relationship marked by trust, partnership, and results, for each other and future generations.
“I’ve come across, just in the time this morning, several of the interns that I’ve had a chance to help mentor over the years. And I’m proud to be able to mentor these young people. Two of your rising stars are actually over in Reykjavik representing Alaska Native people as Arctic Youth Ambassadors. Tatiana Korthuis is an Arctic Youth Ambassador and just yesterday I’m on the stairway there in the big conference hall and Charitie Ropati says, ‘Hey, Lisa! We need a selfie on the stairway.’ And I just can’t tell you how proud I am of them and how many more.
“I was able to have an intern in my Indian Affairs Committee this year. Nyché Andrews, a Yupik and Inupiaq student at Yale – YEAHHH. And I don’t mean that as dismissive, I mean that as big stuff! I mean, she’s at Yale! And here she is. She is taking her research on Indian boarding schools and she is working with us as we help advance my legislation to promote healing from those harmful policies. She is taking who she is and where she is from and creating change in an extraordinary and beautiful way.
“We should get inspiration from our kids. I do and I know you do. Any of you that went to attend the Arctic Winter Games out in the Valley – you saw that. These kids were connecting with one another. They didn’t speak the same language and it didn’t make any difference. They were teammates, they were partners, and they were future leaders connecting with one another for the first time.
“But we also know we learn by listening. I try to go into every school that I can and I like to have the big open assemblies and the kids all get to ask questions. And you know one kid will ask about my dog’s name and the next will as what I think about what’s going on in North Korea. These kids are eyes-wide open. They are listening and learning and taking it all in. And they are paying attention.
“This year, that means they see what is happening in our politics. So, in a divisive year – and, frankly, because of it – I want to emphasize how important it is to pull together instead of pulling apart.
“I’m not going to tell you how to vote in a couple weeks. That is your decision, your prerogative. But I am going to ask that you to please vote, because the process needs you. It needs each and every one of you. Whether you are from a small village or an urban area, your voice matters. And sometimes I think people that that because we only have three electoral votes that it doesn’t make a difference. It does make a difference. You are not out of sight, out of mind.
“Know that you do count. Your voice deserves to be heard. And collectively, your voices become stronger.
“And you know, because you have demonstrated and you’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. Your voices lifted me up in 2010 in an election that made history. You helped make that happen with your voices. And so when you think about the strength of collectively coming together – know that transformative change can happen.
“And it’s not just that. I mean, think back. The Alaska Native Brotherhood and the Alaska Native Sisterhood led the passage of our Equal Rights Act in 1945. Native leaders like Michelle Demmert who helped us pass VAWA—the Violence Against Women Act – to reduce violence against women. And there were many other leaders who helped with that. And now we have leaders like Ruth Kendall-Miller, Vera Metcalf, and Marie Greene are leading the way on issues like environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge, and Arctic policy. They are making that happen.
“Historically, we know, Native peoples have faced significant barriers to voting. We need to eliminate those barriers now. For when Native communities come together and exercise their right to vote, you drive meaningful change. You bring unique perspectives, experiences, and solutions. You help us create an environment that better acknowledges and honors the rights of all citizens. So remember that you lift up all voices, not just Native voices. There is extreme and extraordinary power in that.
“I want to conclude my long remarks – I apologize for that, I just always feel that I have so much that I want to share. But it’s back to the experiences that I have had with you. To be able to be part of the Angoon people as they danced in at Celebration; to be on the floor at the school at Kivgiq in Utqiagvik. I wasn’t here for Quyana Night this year but I do always try to spend a few hours. But invariably you see little children, little ones, that are being held in their mom’s or dad’s arms, or walking along beside them, and you see them dancing on the floor. You can see that they feel the beat of the drum, moving with the music. And we know that when they do the cameras trained on the dancers, they always zoom in on the little ones because they are so darn sweet, right? But what you see there is an intuitiveness; a culture being introduced and imbedded, literally at birth. It is a connection to who they are.
“This is not western learning. It’s not from a book or going to a class. Parents are showing their kids the culture and ways of life that will protect them and help them thrive. And they are modeling it with pride. And that’s what we need to bring to our politics.
“Don’t be put off by the nastiness of this election— think about who will best serve you, best represent you, our state, and our country, and who has Alaska and Alaska’s people in their heart. And they carry that with them every day so that they are not motivated by the party leaders; they are not motivated by someone who says they aren’t going to provide a fundraising check. They are motivated because they own the responsibility to you all. You have entrusted them to represent you to the best of their ability and that is a personal commitment to you.
“Take this very, very seriously. Support those who will truly support you. Help set the tone for how we treat one another going forward, because our families, our communities, and our future ancestors are really counting on us.
“Thank you, again, for the opportunity to be home with you, to receive your hug and loves, and your criticisms – I’m good with that too!
“I’m honored to serve you. Gunalchéesh.”
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