UNIT FOUR: Impacts of ANCSA
The Village Journey
by Justice Thomas R. Berger

The following questions relate to the article by Justice Thomas Berger. These questions should be reviewed prior to reading the article. Please take time to think about your answers. These questions and your written responses will form the basis of class discussion on this article.

1. Justice Thomas Berger has strong feelings regarding ANCSA and the problems, he believes, it has caused Alaskan Natives. In what ways does he suggest that Natives can lose control of their land?

2. Do you agree with Justice Berger that the only way to protect the land is to transfer it to tribal government? Why or why not?

3. Refer back to the Act and identify what Section 14 (c) (1) and (2) requires.

4. Justice Berger recommends that Alaskan Natives assume a greater role in local governments through the use of tribal governments. This, he says, would allow for increased Native self-determination, or control of the future. Do you agree?

5. What three themes does Berger say his report reflects?