Self-Governance
Self-governance serves as a foundational principle for CATG (Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments). Within our natural resources department, we employ this concept to empower Yukon Flats residents with capabilities to manage resources supporting Traditional and Customary Use practices.
Historical Foundation
The concept originates from the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. Congress defined the objective as facilitating “an orderly transition from Federal domination of programs and services to provide Indian tribes with meaningful authority, control, funding, and discretion.”
The practice involves two components:
- Transferring federal programs and funding to tribes
- Granting tribal governments broad authority to restructure these programs for community effectiveness
US Fish and Wildlife Service Partnership
CATG achieved a historic milestone in 2004 as the first tribal entity nationwide to establish a self-governance agreement with a conservation unit—specifically the Yukon Flats Wildlife Refuge. As of 2013, only two such agreements existed between USFWS and tribal entities.
Bureau of Land Management – Alaska Fire Service
In 2011, CATG became the first tribal entity to enter a self-governance agreement with BLM, establishing a model framework for non-BIA agreements nationally.
A 2020 achievement included securing one of three Type 2 wildland firefighting crew contracts for Interior Alaska operations.
What Self-Governance Means
Through self-governance, CATG has:
- Gained meaningful control over programs affecting our communities
- Restructured federal programs to better serve local needs
- Created employment opportunities for tribal members
- Integrated traditional knowledge into resource management
- Built local capacity for long-term sustainability
Contact
CATG Natural Resources Department
- P.O. Box 33, Fort Yukon, Alaska 99740
- naturalresources@catg.org
- (907) 662-7588