'The original environmentalists and resource developers'.

• Author: Harrington, Susan
• Position: FROM THE EDITOR

Every year in September Alaska Business Monthly reviews Alaska Native Corporations. We've been doing this for about 20 years, which might seem like a long time to some--it really isn't. This year, we're doing it again, and one of the stories in our special section is about the 100 year anniversary of the Alaska Native Brotherhood. One hundred years might seem like a long time to many--it does to me, but it really isn't. The many thousands of years Alaska Native peoples have been here is a long time--a really long time. In my research for this month's special section I was most impressed by a speech NANA Regional Corporation Inc. President and CEO Marie Greene gave two years ago via video conference to the Inuit Circumpolar Council's 11th General Assembly in Greenland. I'm sharing the last few paragraphs with our readers--it's a powerful message for all

--Susan Harrington, Managing Editor

In our region, we are being pulled--on all sides--by the politics of global warming, development, and conservation. NGOs and people from all sides of the political spectrum are coming to our region. Their message is the same:

"We know what is best for this place; we know what is best for your people." We must tread carefully in our engagement with these groups. Our ICC Chair, Jimmy Stotts, has also counseled us in this regard. He points out: "the Inuit are being told to scale back our industrial development when we did not contribute to global warming" He has warned us against forming partnerships with environmental activists because they are also opposed to subsistence activities, like whaling, seal and caribou hunting, and fishing, which form the cornerstone of our cultural identity.

We must heed his words and proceed with caution. Any mistake we make in this engagement can be costly and may--in the long run--limit our ability to make decisions about our lands--to determine our destiny. I am concerned that these groups are working to create a political and economic environment where...