The Court of Claims case Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska v. United States (1959) was an important decision that affected both the Tlingit and Haida citizens and the trajectory of the final settlement of all Alaska Native land claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971. The Tlingit and Haida judgment marked a pivot point between the concept of a cash-only settlement of Native land claims and a settlement that included returning aboriginal lands to Native people.

In part 1 of this two-part book, former Sealaska Corporation President Chris McNeil describes and analyzes the results of the case and then places it within the historical context of US aboriginal land claims settlements generally and, more specifically, as it relates to ANCSA, twelve years later. He also highlights other historical threads that run through the Tlingit and Haida case, including tribal self-determination, the impact of the disciplines in social science that can help shape public policy, and the definition of Alaska Native tribes.

Part 2 presents the full text of the opinion of the court and findings of fact for Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska v. United States (1959). Published through Sealaska Heritage’s Box of Knowledge Series.