History of the North Slope
Honoring Our Past, Shaping Our Future.
North Slope Iñupiat History
VOICE serves as a conduit for information to increase communication and information sharing both in-region and among those seeking information about the North Slope. These resources highlight the efforts by our region’s leaders to advance Iñupiat self-determination.
Videos
Project Chariot:
In 1959, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, led by Edward Teller, proposed Project Chariot. It was a plan to create a harbor 30 miles south of Point Hope using multiple nuclear explosions and reassured the local people that it would be completely safe. Local opposition, led by Point Hope leaders like Howard Rock and supported by scientific critiques like the “Lichens Report” and the Tundra Times, led to its cancellation in August 1962, marking another early triumph of Iñupiat self-determination.
Video Produced by Uncivilized Films
The Duck-In:
In spring 1961, the Iñupiat people of Utqiaġvik staged the “Duck In,” a collective act of civil disobedience against federal migratory bird hunting regulations, asserting traditional hunting rights. Their unified resistance compelled federal authorities to drop charges by late 1961, affirming Iñupiat self-determination. The video highlights the history of the event with interviews from people who participated in the unified protest.
Video Produced by Uncivilized Films
Joseph Upicksoun at AFN, 1971:
Joseph Upicksoun was an instrumental Iñupiat leader during the fight for Alaska Native Land Claims in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. The North Slope caucus was the only region to vote no to ANCSA as the leaders were unhappy with the unjust settlement. This video clip is Joe’s farewell speech to the Alaska Federation of Natives.
Video Courtesy of North Slope Borough Iñupiat History Language and Culture
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC):
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation was incorporated on June 22, 1972 after the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. ASRC came from humble beginnings, beginning with three small companies in Utqiaġvik, AK and 3,700 Iñupiat Shareholders. It is now the largest company in Alaska, a title that ASRC has held for over 30 years, and now has over 14,000 Iñupiat shareholders.
Video Courtesy of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
North Slope Borough:
The North Slope Borough was formed on July 2, 1972 as a way to take control of our lands and ensure the people of the North Slope benefitted from the development that was going to take place on lands taken from us by the state government. Our early leaders were sued by the State of Alaska when they filed the petition for the Borough’s creation and our leaders emerged victorious. This victory and the creation of the North Slope Borough has been described as the largest peaceful transfer of wealth in the history of the world.
Video Courtesy of North Slope Borough
Kaktovik - The Coastal People of ANWR:
Kaktovik is the only village inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) — but in 2024, the Biden administration proposed giving sacred land status to a group that lives over 100 miles away. The proposal disappeared, but the message didn’t: the people who live on this land are being erased by the very policies meant to protect it. This short film exposes how modern environmentalism can ignore Indigenous sovereignty when it’s inconvenient — and how narratives of ‘protection’ are often written without those who actually live there. Fast, clear-eyed, and driven by the voices of Kaktovik residents, it challenges who gets to speak for the Arctic — and who’s forced to stay silent.
North Slope History Timeline
Our Iñupiat Inhabitation
For approximately 10,000 years, the North Slope Iñupiat, have lived on and cared for the lands of Alaska's North Slope. Cultural and subsistence ties to these lands remain an important part of their identity and efforts to self-determination.
Treaty of Cession
On October 18, 1867, the United States signed the Treaty of Cession with Russia, buying Alaska for $7.2 million without acknowledging land rights of the North Slope Iñupiat. This transfer set the stage for a long struggle to reclaim control over lands that were once Indigenous homelands.
Organic Act
On May 17, 1884, Congress passed the Organic Act, creating a civil government for Alaska as a district. The act failed to recognize North Slope Iñupiat land rights again, reinforcing a pattern of outside control over Indigenous lands.
Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 (NPR-A) Created
On February 25, 1923, President Harding set aside 23 million acres of our North Slope lands as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 for the U.S. Navy’s emergency oil needs—continuing to take lands without consulting the communities who lived within these land selections.
Alaska Statehood Act
On January 3, 1959, Alaska became the 49th state, creating a state government, defining representation in Washington, D.C., and giving the state the right to select over 103 million acres of land—land that included North Slope Iñupiat homelands. The act said any land that might belong to them would stay under federal control.
Project Chariot
In 1959, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission proposed Project Chariot, planning to blast a harbor near Point Hope with nuclear bombs on our land, showing no regard for us or our communities. We rose up in strong opposition—our Point Hope leaders, backed by science like the “Lichens Report” and our voice in the Tundra Times—until the plan was canceled in 1962. This was one of our early victories in defending our homeland.
Arctic National Wildlife Range (ANWR) Created
On December 6, 1960, the Secretary of the Interior created the 8.9-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Range, surrounding and including the community of Kaktovik. The selection of these lands cut off year-round access for the Kaktovik residents to their traditional hunting grounds and Native allotments, all without local input.
Iñupiat Paitot (Duck-In)
The Migratory Waterfowl Act of 1918 outlawed duck hunting in between the months of May and September, the only time the birds are on the North Slope. Spring 1961, Utqiaġvik residents, stood together in the “Duck In,” openly hunting migratory birds in defiance of federal regulations that threatened Iñupiat subsistence practices. This unified action ultimately forced the federal government to drop all charges against the hunters, demonstrating the power of a collective voice.
Tundra Times Founded
Tundra Times on October 1, 1962, with Howard Rock as editor—our first statewide Alaska Native newspaper. Born partly from our fight against Project Chariot, it became our powerful tool to speak up for our land claims and self-governance.
Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA) Formed
In 1965, led by Charles “Etok” Edwardsen Jr., we formed the Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA) to protect our lands. We filed a massive land claim (58 million acres), starting the movement that would lead to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.
Federal Land Freeze
In December 1966, our ASNA lawsuit forced Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall to freeze all federal land transfers to the State of Alaska until our claims were addressed. This land freeze was a direct result of our legal fight and became a key step toward the passage of ANCSA.
Prudhoe Bay Oil Discovery
Commercial oil was discovered on our North Slope at Prudhoe Bay in early 1968. We used this moment to press even harder for settlement of our land claims, insisting that any development respect our rights and control over our homeland.
Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS) Incorporated
We established the
Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope (ICAS) in 1971 as our federally recognized tribal government under the Indian Reorganization Act, representing our eight North Slope villages and strengthening our self-governance and cultural preservation.
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)
President Nixon signed ANCSA on December 18, 1971, extinguishing our Native land title and creating 12 regional corporations and over 200 village corporations across Alaska, granting 44 million acres and nearly $1 billion. We, through ASNA, were the only region to vote “NO” at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference and lobbied Nixon to veto the bill, believing it was not a fair or just settlement. Despite our opposition, the act passed.
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) Incorporated
On June 22, 1972, under ANCSA's mandate, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) was incorporated to represent North Slope Iñupiat shareholders and manage regional lands and resources for economic self-determination.
North Slope Borough (NSB) Established
On July 2, 1972, North Slope residents voted to create the North Slope Borough, led by Eben Hopson—the first Iñupiat-led municipal government in Alaska. As a first-class borough, the North Slope Borough gained broad municipal powers, providing local control over taxation of infrastructure, planning, and services across the region despite lawsuits filed by the state of Alaska and industry. One author calls the founding of the Borough “the largest peaceful redistribution of wealth in the history of mankind.”
North Slope Borough School District Created
We formed the North Slope Borough School District in 1972 to deliver education that honors our Iñupiat language, history, and values, empowering our young people and keeping our culture strong.
North Slope Village Corporations Incorporated
Under ANCSA, we incorporated our eight village corporations in 1973: Anaktuvuk Pass (Nunamiut Corporation), Atqasuk (Atqasuk Corporation), Barrow/Utqiaġvik (Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation), Kaktovik (Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation), Nuiqsut (Kuukpik Corporation), Point Hope (Tikigaq Corporation), Point Lay (Cully Corporation), and Wainwright (Olgoonik Corporation). These corporations advance our local economic self-determination.
Inupiat University of the Arctic Founded
The North Slope Borough, the North Slope Borough School District and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation convened a meeting in 1974 with representatives from several institutions of Higher Education to discuss the possibility of initiating a nontraditional external degree program premised on the language and culture of the North Slope Iñupiat. The university was incorporated in early 1975.
National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) Renamed
In 1976, the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act transferred the reserve to the Bureau of Land Management and renamed it the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Covering ~23 million acres and including four of our communities, it remains central to our ongoing advocacy for control over our lands.
Subsistence Whaling Moratorium
The International Whaling Commission imposed a moratorium on bowhead whale hunting in 1977, threatening our food security and cultural practices with inaccurate science. We fought back strongly to protect our way of life.
Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) Created
We created the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) in 1977 to defend our subsistence whaling rights, unite our whaling captains, work with scientists, and secure sustainable quotas.
Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Founded
Led by Eben Hopson, we founded the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) in June 1977 in Barrow, bringing together Inuit from Alaska, Canada, and Greenland to protect our subsistence rights and assert our sovereignty on the world stage.
North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Created
We established the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management in 1979—the only local government in Alaska with authority to manage wildlife—combining our traditional knowledge with science to ensure sustainable subsistence harvests for our people.
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)
Signed on December 2, 1980, in the final days of the Carter Administration, ANILCA turned our Arctic National Wildlife Range into a Refuge, expanded it to ~18 million acres, and set aside the 1.5-million-acre Coastal Plain (1002 area) for possible oil and gas work. It also created Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (7.5 million acres) and Noatak National Preserve (6.5 million acres), landlocking our villages of Kaktovik and Anaktuvuk Pass and restricting our access to traditional areas.
ANWR Expansion
During the 1980s, ANWR grew by another 1.5 million acres, reaching ~19.5 million acres total. This further limited our access to traditional lands and strengthened our ongoing advocacy for subsistence rights.
North Slope Higher Education Center Founded
We created the North Slope Higher Education Center in 1986 in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, laying the groundwork for Iḷisaġvik College and advancing education that honors our Iñupiat ways.
Arctic Slope Native Association (ASNA) Reactivated
We reactivated ASNA in 1991, with support from ASRC and the North Slope Borough, to take control of our health and social services and strengthen our self-determination in caring for our people.
Arctic Sivunmun Iḷisaġvik College Renamed
We renamed the North Slope Higher Education Center to Arctic Sivunmun Iḷisaġvik College in 1991, transforming it into a community college rooted in our Iñupiat culture and values.
Iḷisaġvik College Corporation Established
We established the Iḷisaġvik College Corporation in 1995 as an independent, nonprofit entity governed by our own Board of Trustees, solidifying Iñupiat-led higher education for our future generations.
NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan
In 2013, under the Obama Administration, the BLM finalized an Integrated Activity Plan for NPR-A that placed special protections on over 13 million of our 23 million acres, closing them to oil and gas leasing and affecting our economic opportunity.
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed in 2017, required the BLM to hold two lease sales in our ANWR Coastal Plain (1002 area), opening part of our land to oil and gas development with support from the community of Kaktovik and the VOICE Board of Directors.
NPR-A IAP Update
In 2020, under the Trump Administration, the BLM updated the NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan to better consider our North Slope communities’ interests and future infrastructure needs, seeking a balance that respects our priorities.
ANWR Lease Sale and Moratorium
On January 6, 2021, the first lease sale in the ANWR 1002 area resulted in nine leases, seven bought by AIDEA. On January 21, President Biden paused all federal oil and gas leasing. In June, the Biden Administration suspended operations on ANWR leases and in November, AIDEA, the State of Alaska, and three of our North Slope entities sued the Department of the Interior over the suspension.
NPR-A IAP Reversion
In 2022, under the Biden Administration, the BLM announced plans to return to the 2013 Obama-era NPR-A plan, prioritizing environmental protections over the North Slope Iñupiat and our self-determination.
NPR-A Withdrawal and ANWR Lease Cancellation
In August 2023, a U.S. District Court upheld the Biden Administration’s moratorium on our ANWR leases, dismissing the lawsuit brought by AIDEA, the State of Alaska, and our North Slope entities. In September, the Department of the Interior withdrew 13 million acres of NPR-A for special protections and canceled all ANWR Coastal Plain leases, limiting our economic opportunity while we continue to fight for balance and self-determination.