Jerry Isaac: Native Leader Experiences in Alaska

Year

Jerry Isaac has been on the forefront of shaping indigenous governance in Alaska as former President of Tanana Chiefs Conference, former Chief for the Native Village of Tanacross, and a Board Member of Doyon Limited.  He offers his perspectives about being a good leader and the various ways to bring forth traditional governance into modern governance structures.  As well as, the context of Native Alaskan villages being impacted by colonization and Christianity.  His experiences offer insight about being brought up with traditional ways of making Native leaders mixed with working in current Native Nation building methods.

Native Nations
Resource Type
Citation

Native Nations Institute. "Jerry Isaac: Native Leader Experiences in Alaska."  Leading Native Nations, Native Nations Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, November 15, 2016

For a complete transcript, please email us: nni@email.arizona.edu

Related Resources

Thumbnail

Mike Williams is a well known indigenous leaders from being a Chairman and Vice-Chair of the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council as well as Chief of the Yupiit Nation.  Mike offers his impressions about a variety of topics related indigenous governance including leadership, traditional governance,…

Thumbnail

Theresa Arevgaq John is a well known Y’upik cultural advocate and Associate Professor in Indigenous Studies and the Department of Cross-Cultural Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has intimate knowledge about cultural practices within Indigenous governance.  She advocates for balance…

Thumbnail

This discussion emphasizes the  connections between Indigenous self-government and wellness.  Western methodologies are eager to emphasize the gaps in wellness (social, economic, and medical and mental health outcomes) between natives and non-natives.  These gaps have been a strong justification…

Thumbnail

An overview about Native nation building and the ability for Native communities in Alaska to rebuild their Native nations. 

Image
How Athabascan leaders crafted the Tanana Chiefs Conference

It was a concern for their people and for future generations that united Interior tribal leaders 100 years ago this week to hold the first official meeting between Interior Alaska Natives and the U.S. government. The 14 Athabascan men, 10 of whom were chiefs, made the trek from their villages to…