The "1991 amendments" to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act contained special provisions sought by Bristol Bay Native Corp. that were there because corporation officials listened to legal advice ­ and not their own people.   But within a year, BBNC recognized its error and successfully lobbied Congress ­ with the blessing of the Alaska Federation of Natives ­ to allow the corporation to remain a Native-controlled corporation beyond the 1991 cutoff.   The issue is complex and more than a little confusing, but for Trefon Angasan, BBNC vice president of Shareholder Relations, it boils down to a simple case of Native leaders listening to legal advice at the expense of their own people.   "We plowed a lot of resources into trying to preserve the opportunity for stock to become alienable after 1991. And our advice was legal advice, purely legal," Angasan said. "We left out the emotional issues, the ties to the communities."   Many Alaska Native leaders in the early 1980's were trying to address what to do in 1991 when stock would become alienable under ANCSA's provisions as the act was passed in 1971. Under AFN's leadership, they spent several years lobbying Congress to authorize continued restrictions on stock sales after 1991. According to amendments passed in 1988, the only way the restrictions can be lifted is by a shareholder vote initiated by the board or by petition.

That concept did not set well with BBNC, however, and corporation officials were successful in getting provisions, including calling for BBNC stock to become alienable unless shareholders voted otherwise.   "We got the law passed, then we began to think about what we did," Angasan said. "We began to listen to the hue and cry of the Native community and how they were very persistent, very determined to continue stock restrictions. And when we listened to that, we began to wonder about the land that the settlement act provided for us." The thought that non-Natives could eventually gain control of BBNC and its lands sent corporate leadership back to the shareholders for meetings to discuss the issue.   "It was a mistake, and we acknowledged it," he said. Angasan said BBNC's turnaround is probably unprecedented in the Native community, including their success in getting their provisions passed and then repealed. "We've gone the extra mile at both ends of the spectrum. Now we are the strongest advocates for stock restrictions."   As a result of the stormy discussions, Angasan said BBNC did a lot of soul-searching and eventually reorganized its operations, revamping the land department and becoming more service-oriented.   "I think we've learned from that," he said. "We've become better leaders. We've become more sensitive to the culture of our people. We've become more sensitive to their needs."

Blueberry Productions of Anchorage announced the completion of "Stories Given, Stories Shared," the short film on Native cultures now playing at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.   The $294,000 project involved several hundred artists, including storytellers, dancers, actors and other performers - and a creative team made up of producers of PBS films. Blueberry Productions' Jeff Silverman produced and Sharon McConnell directed the production.   More than a year in the making, the film required extensive travel for research and production, 30 shooting days in many locations around the state, and the creation of

an original soundtrack which was mixed into 5.1 Surround Sound. The film focuses on five Native elders/storytellers representing the five major cultural groups featured at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The diversity and vibrancy of today's Alaska Native cultures is related by the elders as well as shown through the dance groups and festivals.   The 16-minute film was made specifically to play in the Alaska Native Heritage Center's Welcome House theater. Blueberry Productions worked closely with the Center's cultural and planning committees and operations staff. To help orient visitors, Alaska maps and cultural symbols appear in the corners of the large screen throughout the film. German and Japanese translations are also

available. The Alaska Native Heritage Center hired Blueberry Productions in April of 1998 to make the film.   "We wanted to make a film Alaska Native people would be proud of," said McConnell. "At the same time, the film needed to be accessible and informative to non-Natives from Alaska, the Lower 48 as well as to international visitors. We purposefully kept out any narration in order to let the images and Native voices speak for themselves."