Organization
NANA Regional Corporation
Not yet reviewed by this nation. What follows comes from public records and research. It does not speak for the nation.
NANA Regional Corporation is a for-profit Alaska Native Corporation, created under the 1971 settlement act, managing lands in Northwest Alaska.
- Kind
- Tribal government
- Native-led
- tribal-government
- Works with
- Inupiat (Northwest Alaska); shareholder-owned ANCSA regional corporation
- Region
- Northwest Alaska
- Focus
- Nearly 28,000 acres transferred under ANCSA (HCN)
What happened
NANA Regional Corporation is not a tribal government or a charity. Its own website says it is a for-profit Alaska Native Corporation, formed as a result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), which Congress passed in 1971. Alaska is a distinct legal case: ANCSA settled aboriginal land claims by giving land and money to Native-owned corporations rather than creating reservations.
The Act itself states Congress's aim. Its first finding says "an immediate need for a fair and just settlement of all claims by Natives and Native groups of Alaska." The Act's land provisions direct that land be selected and conveyed to Village Corporations and Regional Corporations.
NANA says it is owned by more than 15,500 Iñupiaq shareholders who live in or have roots in Northwest Alaska. Its region covers 38,000 square miles, largely above the Arctic Circle, and includes 11 communities, among them Kotzebue and Kivalina. It says that in 1976, 10 of the 11 village corporations merged with NANA; Kotzebue kept its own corporation.
On land, NANA says it manages its lands to protect subsistence activities, including land use permitting, ANCSA land conveyances and access issues. It runs a trespass program to protect its lands. Its board chair is listed as Lee "Big Boy" Staheli of Kiana.
Good to know. A for-profit Alaska Native Corporation owned by individual shareholders, not a tribal government or a place to donate. The 1971 settlement gave land to corporations like NANA rather than returning it to tribes.
Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error
What the sources say, and how this was checked
Supported by the sources below; some details rest on one source.
NANA is a for-profit Alaska Native Corporation, formed as a result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)
NANA Regional Corporation - About UsNANA manages its lands to protect subsistence activities that are critical to the lives of residents.
NANA Regional Corporation - LandsChair, Kiana
NANA Regional Corporation - Leadershipan immediate need for a fair and just settlement of all claims by Natives and Native groups of Alaska
43 U.S.C. 1601 (Cornell LII) - Congressional findings and declaration of policy
Research notes. Not a donation channel and not a land-return story: ANCSA gave land to for-profit corporations, whose shares belong to individual shareholders. Acreage conveyed to NANA was not read. The shareholder count differs slightly on NANA's pages (15,500 vs 15,000). Do not describe NANA as a tribal government.
We have not verified this organization well enough to link to it. See our donation integrity policy.
Connections
Links marked “suggested” were matched automatically by name or date and have not yet been reviewed by a person.
Supports the return of 2
Works in 1
- Alaskasuggested
Works with 1
- Inupiatsuggested
Sources
No source is linked to this record yet. That is a gap we are working to close.
The record’s fields
- Registry
- Sovereign government (no EIN needed); status per Federal Register list not checked this session
- Vetting notes
- ALASKA IS A DISTINCT LEGAL CONTEXT: ANCSA (Pub. L. 92-203, Dec 18, 1971) conveyed up to 44 million acres to for-profit regional and village corporations, not tribal governments. Not a donation channel.
- Kind
- Organization
- Confidence
- Medium
- Nation review
- Not yet reviewed by this nation