An Alaska Native Regional Corporation

Worker in hard hat piles up logs in the forest.Wooden trim

Customary & Traditional

The Ahtna people’s customary and traditional (C&T) way of life remains the cornerstone of everything that our Corporation does. For us, C&T doesn’t just refer to cultural activities like hunting, fishing, trapping and the like; it’s actually the successful continuation of a lifestyle that has existed for thousands of years – a lifestyle that is the foundation of our Corporation’s culture, values and vision.

Although the Ahtna Region is highway-accessible and fairly modernized, our people still practice a C&T lifestyle whenever possible. Our region’s fish and game resources and its proximity to major urban centers make it a popular location for hunting, fishing and other recreational activities, so maintaining our lifestyle can be challenging. As a result of this constant influx of outside parties, our people now have to compete more and more for the resources (game, fish and plant life) located on traditional Ahtna lands.

These resources and the cultural practices surrounding them play a significant role in maintaining our C&T way of life and, because of this, we are constantly seeking ways to continue or further that way of life through cultural education programs aimed at future generations of Ahtna; partnerships with local, state and federal agencies; consultation with our region’s tribes, villages and local organizations; and continuous dialogue with our most important constituents – our Elders and shareholders.

C&T News Bulletin

AITRC Cooperative Management Agreement

The Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission (AITRC), which was established by Ahtna, Inc., Chitina Native Corporation and the eight federally recognized tribes of the Ahtna region, signed an agreement in 2016 with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Deputy to create a cooperative management demonstration project. The agreement helps to maintain the Ahtna people’s customary and traditional hunting practices on Ahtna lands. AITRC is successfully building wildlife management capacity through collaboration and cooperative management programs with state and federal agencies.

The videos below detail the struggles of the Ahtna people to maintain their customary and traditional rights under the current system while also presenting a solution that will benefit all Alaskans.

Ahtna Voice of the Elders: A Perspective on the History of the Ahtna People’s Customary & Traditional Practices and the Need for Wildlife Co-Management

Alaska Tribal Wildlife Co-Management

Details of Ahtna’s Tribal Wildlife Co-Management Legislative Proposal