Update About Ineligible Descendants
Monday, November 7, 2022
Sealaska published a special edition Shareholder Newsletter. The following was included.
Following the June 25 approval of a shareholder resolution to eliminate the one-quarter blood quantum requirement from the eligibility criteria for Sealaska’s Class D (Descendant) shares, Sealaska is now pursuing justice on behalf of another group of disenfranchised descendants — those who were born before Dec. 18, 1971, and whose blood quantum is lower than one-quarter.
Dec. 18, 1971 is the date the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was signed into law. ANCSA defined eligibility to enroll in the newly created Alaska Native corporations as “a citizen of the United States who is a person of one-fourth degree or more Alaska Indian (including Tsimshian Indians not enrolled in the Metlakatla Indian Community), Eskimo, or Aleut blood, or combination thereof.” This definition established the one-quarter threshold as federal law.
At the time of ANCSA’s passage, there was no provision to include future generations — descendants — in the newly formed corporations. A later series of amendments, known as the 1991 Amendments, created the opportunity for Native corporation shareholders to approve inclusion of descendants who were born after the Dec. 18, 1971 cutoff through the creation of Class D stock. The criteria for eligibility for Class D shares was left to each corporation.
In 2007, Sealaska shareholders approved a resolution creating Class D stock and defining eligibility. This summer, shareholders amended the Class D stock rules to remove the one-quarter blood quantum requirement.
Changing the original shareholder eligibility requirements — those that apply to Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian relatives born before Dec. 18, 1971 — can only be done by amending ANCSA.
Amending ANCSA would require the support of other Alaska Native corporations; a sponsor for the legislation from Alaska’s congressional delegation; and the ultimate approval of the change by Congress. Each of these steps could take quite a while. Half of Alaska’s 12 regional corporations haven’t even created descendant stock yet,
and only two others have eliminated blood quantum from their eligibility requirements for descendants.
Sealaska will update shareholders as our work progresses. For more information, please email corpsec@sealaska.com.

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We are excited to announce that the results of the 2025 Sealaska election have been certified and are ready to share with all of you.
Congratulations to our 2025 winners. At Sealaska, we are deeply grateful for your participation in this year’s election. Selecting exceptional leaders to help guide our shared future is one of the most meaningful ways for shareholders to engage with us. These winners were randomly selected from the pool of early birds by the Inspectors of Election. All payments will be processed this week and delivered via the payment method on file for distributions in MySealaska.com.
We are continuing our search for a dynamic and visionary leader to serve as Sealaska’s president. It is important that we find the right candidate to fill this position, which is why the Sealaska board of directors is being as exacting as possible as we search for a candidate capable of amplifying the impact of our mission and providing benefits that empower our shareholders. To this end, the Sealaska board of directors recently revised the job description for the position of president and sought the assistance of a professional recruiting firm. Our hope is to announce a successful candidate as our new president this coming summer.
After considering the recently announced U.S. Postal Service delays to First-Class Mail in conjunction with a paper proxy error leading shareholders who wish to vote by mail to potentially wait for their regularly scheduled second proxy mailing, we have made the decision to extend the early bird deadline to June 6. We are listening to shareholders and want to give everyone the best chance to qualify as an early bird. Thank you for understanding and thank you for voting.
Shareholders, an error occurred when printing proxy cards regarding the number of shares you own and votes you have in the top right corner of your proxy card. This error does not affect the validity of your paper proxy, nor does it affect voting on MySealaska.com through the Election Connection portal
Early birds, it’s your time to fly! Congratulations to our 2024 winners.
Sealaska shareholders are invited to join us at our upcoming in-person and virtual community meetings to learn more about Sealaska business operations, upcoming opportunities and connect with fellow shareholders and descendants.
Sealaska shareholders are now able to view and download their IRS Form 1099-DIV for 2023. Printed 1099 tax forms will be mailed on or before Jan. 26.
Film is a mirror: Sealaska shareholder descendant Miciana Hutcherson reflects on Black History Month
Sealaska shareholders are now able to view and download their IRS Form 1099-DIV for 2022. Printed 1099 tax forms will be mailed on or before Jan. 27.
What Are Shareholders Saying? How does blood quantum impact your life?We asked this simple question and more than 600 shareholders answered, so far. Below are a few of the perspectives we shared via our social channels. Some of these posts you will love. Some you may not. Sealaska has not taking a position, we are …