By DAVE AREHART
I am a life-long Alaskan, working and living in Anchorage for the past 35 years, and retired last year. Now that I have more discretionary time, beginning in January I decided to attend several Municipality of Anchorage Assembly regular meeting. Rather than read articles about Assembly Member personalities and meeting activities, I wanted to see for myself.
Most of the meetings activities in January and first week of February were perfunctory and dutiful. Exceptions were a marijuana licensing dispute, extended Assembly discussion about a new trailhead parking area, and public comment about a proposed sales tax.
At the beginning of Assembly regular meetings a Land Acknowledgement proclamation is read after the Pledge of Allegiance. The proclamation’s content seemed a bit off to me but, I just passed it off as political dogma. A copy of the Land Acknowledgement proclamation from the Feb. 25, 2025 Assembly Meeting Agenda is at the end of this letter.
After the second meeting I thought more about the land acknowledgment proclamation. Because of its reference to land use and the term decolonization, it is more appropriately a manifesto. A manifesto challenges the prevailing authority. The prevailing authority over the Municipality of Anchorage is the State of Alaska.
When Assembly Members and Mayor were sworn in to their offices, they took an oath to uphold State of Alaska’s authority. It follows that the Assembly’s Land Acknowledgement proclamation is challenging State of Alaska’s authority to govern and, they therefore contradict their oath of office.
The proclamation uses the term decolonization. The last time in American history there was decolonization, we fought a long and difficult war with Great Britain. Has the Assembly prepared a Declaration of Independence that we are not aware of (sarc)?
With regard to land, I own my property as underwritten by the State of Alaska, and do not occupy tribal land. The 1970s Alaska Native Claims Act put to rest native land claims. The Assembly’s land acknowledgement casts doubt on private land ownership within the municipality because it states that we are occupiers of the Indigenous people’s land.
The proclamation furthermore states, “Denai’ana have been and continue to be stewards of this land.” Steward is understood as a manager or caretaker of land resources. The use of the word “continue” is present tense. When I develop my land it is land use rules of MOA Title 21 that govern, and not the Denai’ana tribe.
When attending the Feb. 11 meeting, during the audience participation segment I provided comments to the Assembly about the Land Acknowledgement proclamation. My comments were specifically about decolonization and I was given three minutes to complete comments. The following are my comments to the Assembly.
“Colonization refers to establishment of something to benefit that something. Decolonization is an aggressive term, referring to removal of that something.
“During the last ice age, 18,000 years ago, an ice sheet covered south central Alaska, south of the Alaska Range out to the Gulf of Alaska, west to the Alaska Peninsula and south to British Columbia. At that time MOA lands were covered with hundreds and thousands of feet of ice. 10,000 years ago, when the ice sheet melted colonization began with plants, animals, and fish… followed by people groups. The last non-European group was the Denai’ana.
“The business of the Assembly includes bonding for roads, drainage, water-sewer systems, schools, and trailhead parking areas… and generally promoting development. Assembly business is the business of colonization. MOA is an agent of colonization.
“My following questions are rhetorical:
- “Where do the Assembly and Mayor find the authority to decolonize?
- “Who and what are to be decolonized? I don’t think you are referring to dandelions.
- “Did you check with the State Attorney General, ACLU, or constitutional lawyers such as Alan Dershowitz to determine whether your decolonization proclamation violates the United States Constitution?
“In conclusion the proclamation is nonsensical… it is a like a dog chasing its tail.”
From the Feb. 25, 2025 Anchorage Assembly General Meeting Assembly Agenda: “MOA Agenda Item 3. Land Acknowledgement. A land acknowledgement is a formal statement recognizing the Indigenous people of a place. It is a public gesture of appreciation for the past and present Indigenous people of a place. It is a public gesture of appreciation for the past and present Indigenous stewardship of the lands we now occupy. It is an actionable statement that marks our collective movement towards decolonization and equity. The Anchorage Assembly would like to acknowledge that we gather today on the traditional lands of the Dena’ina Athabascans. For thousands of years the Dena’ina have been and continue to be the stewards of this land. It is with gratefulness and respect that we recognize the contributions, innovations, and contemporary perspectives of the upper Cook Inlet Dena’ina.”
Dave Arehart is a retired registered civil engineer and lifelong resident of Alaska. His engineering work and projects are scattered across Alaska, from Ketchikan to Utqiagvik, and Diomede to Atka. His 10 years out of Alaska included university studies and, design and construction engineer for USAID-funded water projects in Malawi, Africa.
Land acknowledgement statements have nothing to do with honoring indigenous people in any way.
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They exist to undercut and destroy any sense of pride in Western culture. They exist to destroy, not unite. Under the guise of benevolence, leftists implant the seeds of hatred of one’s culture and background. The politically correct nature of a land acknowledgement is nothing more than a statement that Europeans do not belong, and are not welcome.
People like the Assembly try to impose these woke racist rituals in an effort to virtue signal. The reason they do it is because their lives have amounted to nothing and they desperately seek meaning.
Well, people have moved around since there have been people on Earth. The strong or more numerous destroyed, or absorbed the weak, or less numerous. Most of the time, it wasn’t pretty, sometimes truly horrifying, but it’s been happening since the beginning of time. Not to say it’s been a good thing, but the time for crying is over.
Land acknowledgements come from the “welcome to country” ceremonies started in Australia. The welcome to country movement was started by communists in the 1970s.
The communist virtue signal always has a bunch of static on the frequency. This issue here has nearly overcome itself. Thanks you for taking the time to point it out, Mr. Arehart. Looking forward to the collapse of this foolishness, which has been foisted upon us by these fools.