“Purvis paints a rousing and Native-focused picture of Alaska’s past that emphasizes how the battle over land use and environmental health is a central force in U.S. history. Purvis’s unique perspective is worth checking out for environmentalist activists, legal minds, and American history buffs alike.”—Publishers Weekly
"An excellent addition for collections on environmental and Native American history."—B. E. Johansen, Choice
“A testament to the resilience of Alaska Native individuals and their communities in the face of governmental, commercial, and private intrusions into their homelands. Diane Purvis illustrates how Indigenous peoples have defended their rights and lands, as powerful myths and assumptions about the frontier, progress, and the infallibility of Western science have devalued their traditional lifeways and threatened their very survival. When outright victory has not been possible, the persistence and ingenuity of Indigenous peoples have led to collaborative and creative solutions.”—Mary Ehrlander, author of Walter Harper, Alaska Native Son
“A badly needed perspective on the intersection of Native rights and environmental regulations. Alaska Natives’ status and pressures for Alaskan resource development and resource management come together here to provide an on-the-ground perspective from Alaska Native villages.”—Steven M. Fountain, coauthor of History of American Indians: Exploring Diverse Roots
List of Illustrations
Introduction
1. Fish Camp to Picnic Bench in Áak’w Land
2. Aleutian Shores to Scorched Earth
3. Sealers to Slaves on the Pribilof Islands
4. Hunters to Reindeer Herders
5. Baleen to Bombs, Project Chariot
6. Boreal Forest to Floodplain, Rampart Dam
7. Etok versus Big Oil
8. A Whaling Captain and the World
9. When the Raven Flies with the Dove
10. The Day the Waters Died
11. Grandmother to Water Guardian
12. Fishing for Fines on the Kuskokwim River
Epilogue: The Aftermath
Notes
Bibliography
Index
