or 2024, I compiled the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) regional corporation review that we publish nearly every year, as I have many times before. I start the process by sending out a handful of questions about recent financial milestones, community programs and initiatives, shareholder news, et cetera. The first time I was responsible for this roundup years ago, I took those answers and forced them into a consistent format: company name, number of shareholders, top executive, regional description, financial news, shareholder update. It was frustrating, honestly, because I spent a lot of time trying to fill in the gaps that I had created trying to contort all of their responses into a template.

I’ve backed away from that idea over the years, and finally this year I abandoned it completely. I sent out the questions, and when I got the answers back, I took at face value that the corporations sent me the information that they wanted to highlight. As you’ll see in the regional review, some are proud of financial milestones, others were focused on recent efforts to connect with or support their Elders and shareholders, and others had exciting news about subsidiaries.

There are pros and cons to this approach. For those unfamiliar with the ANCSA corporations, it would be helpful for me to take up some of the annual review’s limited word count to explain the geographic area of the region or latest revenue figures. Using a template would also add consistency to the article for those who want to scan it and pick out certain data points. However, this method can give the impression that a particular corporation did not have exciting community programs or financial highlights, because they aren’t mentioned, which is not the case.

In the review this year, the space reflects the corporations as what they are: groups formed by the same circumstances with wonderfully varied results. I think this plays into the exact logic of why ANCSA created more than 200 corporations. It would have been completely inappropriate for all Alaska Natives to be represented by one massive corporation.

Although the ANCSA regional, village, and urban corporations share an origin story, as well as a common responsibility for their shareholders and lands, they are a diverse group that represent independent and unique people. For example, this month our cover story is about Shee Atiká, which as the urban corporation for Sitka had to find solutions to specific challenges in its path. As I was working with Shee Atiká to finalize the profile, the corporation’s Board Chair Steve Karpstein provided me this quote: “It’s our responsibility to represent the diverse interests and needs of our shareholders, so we must do our best to understand their perspectives and values as we make long-term operational and business decisions.”

Karpstein’s insight paints a clear picture of how the corporations are as diverse as the people they represent, yet they are united in their responsibility to them.