Hannah Bissett

There’s passionate debate among tribal leaders, artists, and others, pitting federally recognized tribes against state-recognized tribes as U.S. lawmakers consider new updates to a decades-old law.This prohibits misrepresentation in marketing American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts in the U.S.

Out of the five subspecies of Beluga Whales, Cook Inlet is one of the smallest. Local to the Anchorage area, these whales have seen a significant decline in the past four decades.

The Born This Way foundation, founded by famous singer Lady Gaga and her mother, has introduced a new advisory board for youth from all backgrounds to develop mental health resources.

Students build confidence as they test their skills and strength.

Pageants like Miss Alaska give the contestants a chance to talk about their favorite causes. Each will talk about their work in the community at the competition in Anchorage this weekend. KNBA’s Hannah talked with one of the contestants about how she hopes to inspire young Alaska Natives to embrace their culture.

Recently there has been a strong movement in the United States to look into our past and try to remedy old wounds. Some of these old wounds are our place names. From the smallest of creeks to the monstrous cliffs have names and histories that can be seen as hurtful and distasteful. Some of these names include racist, sexist, and overall dehumanizing language.This month a new committee has begun to tackle this issue on a governmental level.

The first day of the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention kicked off Thursday in Anchorage. Thousands of people from across the state are gathering together for three days for the first in-person AFN convention since 2019. Virtual events were held over the last three years due to COVID-19. An issue of focus this year is the Native vote, especially as top offices for state and national seats are being voted on in the November general election. Candidates are making their appearances at AFN.

Alaska experiences some of the highest rates of suicide in the nation. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the rates are 47.6 percent higher for Indigenous people compared with non-Indigenous people in 2019. And while many unknowns and factors complicate suicide prevention and awareness, support and new educational materials are increasingly available.

In Anchorage, a movement called the place-making movement is making a big splash by bringing representation for the Dena’ina with signs, statues and…

According to incarceration data from the 2010 Census, Native American people accounted for more than one-third of adults incarcerated in Alaska. Legal…