March 22, 2010
Monday PM

Our Lands, Our Seas, So fight for it!

I was thinking a lot about my Brothers and Sisters living in Southeast Alaska. I love and miss the fishing. I really need to teach a few of you how to subsists off the land and sea, I noticed that you lucky dogs catch a King Crab every now and then, but you throw them back because the State of Alaska State laws say so. I say hell with the State of Alaska... the State and Federal Governments are protecting the King Crab and Halibut for the commercial fisheries only. Watch the Deadliest Catch... you don't see any Subsistence Users! Money and greed is all I see by a very few people dictating what we Indigenous People can eat or can't eat and when to eat it! Time to say No!

We (Tribes) have been for Ten Thousand years in Southeast Alaska... the Tribes have been brainwashed to think in the last 143 years that we gave up our Rights to the Land and Sea. Assimilation of our Tribes into the non-native world made it worse. The Tribes are going to have to De-Brainwash ourselves quickly. I have! This land is our Lands. This sea surrounding our Lands is our sea. Imagine, they say we lost everything in 1867. This short period in our tribal history. the non-natives took or stole everything, all our natural resources, land, sea and minerals. Why, I don't really know. What I do know is the Land and Sea still belongs to the Tribes and we should act like we do and don't coward to anyone that says we don't!

Fishing and hunting for your family, Clan and Tribe is your Inherit Right, Subsistence Right, your God-given Rights and any other Rights to hunt and fish as the Tribes have done for Ten Thousand years before the non-natives arrived -- who are the savages now? So, my brothers and sisters if you catch one King Crab, Halibut, and Salmon and wish you could eat it, take it home and eat it. That King Crab, Halibut or Salmon belongs to you and your family and you happen to catch more than you can eat... you will share your catch with your neighbor.

"Remember this, the State of Alaska doesn't recognize Tribes or Indian Country. So why are our Tribes recognizing State Laws and Regulations," I said and I got out of jury duty. Needless to say, the judge dismissed me. There was a point in that little statement. A little act of defiance and say no to status quo.

Enjoy that King Crab, Salmon or Halibut. King Crab and Halibut are twenty dollars a pound down in the lower 48 - Chattanooga. Somebody is getting rich and it isn't you!

Aan Kadax Tseen aka Don Hoff Jr.
Raven4eagle[at]aol.com
Gaanax adi Clan
Raven House/Drifted to Shore House
Taan ta Kwaan
Hixson, TN

About: "Past: Vice-Mayor of City of Ketchikan and City Council member. K.P.U. Boardmember, O.S.H.A. Review Board Chairman and Boardmember-State of Alaska, Ketchikan Indian Corporation Tribal Council and Gaanax adi Clan Elder of the Tongass Tribe."

Received March 21, 2009 - Published March 22, 2010

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