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The constitution and by-laws of the Chilkoot Indian Association Tribal government was ratified on December 5th, 1941 by a vote of 22 yes and 0 no.  A seven member IRA Tribal Council represents Chilkoot Indian Association and a current membership of 485 Alaska Native and American Indians.  The Tribal Council is recognized by the federal government as the official tribal governing body for the predominately Tlingit Natives of Haines (membership is provided to all Alaskan Natives and American Indians who are permanent residents of Haines).

In the late 80’s and early 90’s the Tribe began to be revitalized by the Tribal leadership of that period and we grew in both size and influence.  We recovered approximately 80 acres of Tribal land in the city limits of Haines from the Presbyterian Church in 1993.  The Tribe wrote and administered a grant from ANA (Administration for Native Americans) for capacity building in 1997 which led to the Tribe receiving its first IGAP (Indian General Assistance Program) from the EPA in 1998 and administering our own NAHASDA (Native American Housing and Self Determination Act) grant in 1999.  By the year 2000 we stopped compacting with the regional Tribe, Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA), and contracted directly with the BIA for our Self-Determination programs and had nearly a million dollar annual budget. Today in 2008 the Tribe has a two million dollar annual budget and employs 12 full-time office staff.

The Tribe has developed all the departments required for its government which includes: Housing and Transportation, Culture and History, Economic Development, Human Resources and Organizational Development, Accounting and Finance, and Administration.  The Tribe has also shifted from an internal construction force to a wholly-owned subsidiary, Chilkoot Construction Inc., to develop a revenue source outside of grant income.

The focus for the Tribe over the next several years will be less about growth and more about stabilizing our operations and becoming the most efficient and effective with our resources that we can be.