August 2000 - Page 6

Upcoming CIRI Potlatches for Shareholders and Family

CIRI shareholders and family members are invited to participate in CIRI's fall potlatches. The potlatches are an opportunity to join together and share in traditional food, cultural entertainment and friendship.

For the 16th year, CIRI is hosting a Friendship Potlatch in Anchorage to bring shareholders and family members together for a Millennium Gathering: Friends & Family. Festivities include exhibits by CIRI non-profit affiliates, a variety of activities, Alaska Native artisans sharing their arts and crafts and performances and door prize drawings during lunch and the featured program. Doors open at 11 a.m. with food service for elders starting at 11:30 a.m. Food will be served for all others from noon until 2 p.m. The featured program will include a traditional Athabascan cloth ceremony, invocation, Alaska Native dance performances and an annoucement of the 2000 CIRI Shareholder of the Year. Those dressed in traditional wear are eligible to win a variety of cash prizes during the special garment and regalia judging contest.

Anchorage Friendship Potlatch Northwest Potlatch

Saturday, October 7, 2000 Saturday, September 16, 2000

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Romig Middle School Food service from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Anchorage, Alaska Program from 2 to 5 p.m.

Chief Leschi School

5625 52nd Street East Puyallup, Washington

CIRI continues to host a Northwest Potlatch for shareholders living in the Pacific Northwest and other parts of the Lower 48. This is the fifth annual Northwest Potlatch bringing together friends and family members to share food and entertainment, culture and heritage. Alaska Native artisans will display and sell their arts and crafts. The cultural program will begin with an Athabascan cloth ceremony and invocation followed by performances from Chuna McIntyre and the Tsimshian Haayuuk Dancers. There will also be door prize drawings and day care provided.

Any Alaska Native artisan interested in displaying their arts and crafts at one of the potlatches is encouraged to contact Sharon Boling at (907) 263-5101.

35th Annual AFN Convention Set for October

The Alaska Federation of Natives 35th Annual Convention will be held in Anchorage, Monday, Oct. 16 through Saturday, Oct. 21. The pre-convention Youth and Elders Conference begins on the 16th, and the main convention kicks-off Thursday, Oct. 19. This year's convention theme is Indigenous Peoples Our Place in the 21st Century and will take place in Anchorage at the Egan Convention Center.

The convention's theme presents an opportunity for Alaska Natives to reach out to other Indigenous peoples from around the world and come together. AFN has invited Indigenous representatives from around the world to attend and participate in the convention to discuss common issues and gather strength and support from each other. Among those invited are the Pacific Island peoples, Australian Natives, Ainu of Japan, Mayans of Guatemala, Canadian First Nations and Native Americans from across the United States.

Quyana Alaska continues this year with various Alaska Native dance groups performing for two nights at the Egan Center. The Native Voices Concert is scheduled with a location not yet determined and the AFN banquet will conclude the week-long convention.

Contact the Alaska Federation of Natives for additional information at

(907) 274-3611.

Alaska Native Veterans Eligible for

Native Allotments

The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was amended in 1988 to allow certain Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans to apply for Native allotments. Beginning July 31, 2000, and continuing through Jan. 31, 2002, those veterans (and, in some cases, the representatives of deceased veterans) may file allotment applications with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Both the BLM and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are available to provide assistance with the applications.

Veterans who served in the military during the period Jan. 1, 1969, through Dec. 31, 1971, are eligible to apply for an allotment provided they meet certain qualifications, including:

* The applicant must be an Alaska resident.

* The applicant must be able to demonstrate occupancy and customary and traditional use of the land stipulated in the allotment application.

* The land must be federally owned at this time.

Pearl Chanar, BIA's Alaska Region Rights Protection Specialist, encourages applicants to telephone her at (907) 271-4097 to be directed to the appropriate BIA office. The BIA is available to offer assistance with the application forms, including: providing maps, writing legal descriptions and posting corners for the land. To expedite the process, Chanar suggests applicants complete preliminary research regarding the basic location information for their requested allotments. This research can be conducted in the BLM public room, where applicants will also find allotment applications, copies of the pertinent regulations and a checklist of information to be included on the applications. The BLM public room is located in the Federal Building in Anchorage at 222 W.

7th Avenue, Room 148, (907) 271-5960.