From the office of
The Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand President, Heather J. Gurko,
and the Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand President, Paulette M. Moreno

Request for Immediate Action: Addition of Two Seats to the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping
Work Group
February 17, 2019
Dear Governor Dunleavy,
The Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS) Grand Camp is the
oldest known Indigenous Persons' civil rights organization in the world.
We, the Grand Presidents of the ANB and the ANS, are tasked with addressing and being a part of the
solution for issues facing our Indigenous People, and we see the failure of the Alaska Marine Highway
System (AMHS) as a humanitarian crisis, which also has deep Cultural implications.
Since Time Immemorial the Indigenous People of Alaska, have had and continue to have, a deep
connection to the waters of our Ancestral Highways. We have always used the waters of our People to
connect us with each other, share Culture with each other, protect each other, trade with each other, and
provide sustenance for our People.
Our Indigenous People are in crisis in Alaska because of the failure of AMHS. It is a fact that our
Indigenous People are going without basic life sustaining necessities, such as food and medical supplies,
which puts them at imminent risk of bodily and mental harm. Our Indigenous People are being
disconnected from each other, so many of our Elders, children, women, and men are suffering in
conditions brought upon by the failure of the AMHS and these conditions are unacceptable.
We, the Grand Presidents of the ANB and ANS, request the immediate addition of two seats to the Alaska
Marine Highway Reshaping Work Group, which will be assigned to one member of the ANB and one
member of the ANS who either live or work in the communities affected by this crisis, and through the
recommendations of the Grand Presidents of the ANB and ANS.
It is imperative that the Alaska Marine Highway Reshaping Work Group include the voices of those who
have deep Cultural and physical connections to our Ancestral Highways, and we feel the voices of our
ANB and ANS members will be invaluable to the formation of recommendations on future finances and
service levels of the Alaska Marine Highway System.
The Office of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and the Alaska Native Sisterhood see this crisis as a State of
Emergency for our Indigenous People in Alaska, and urgently request a response within thirty days from
the date of this letter.
Respectfully,

Heather J. Gurko
ANB Grand President

Paulette M. Moreno
ANS Grand President