At its quarterly meeting on October 15, the AFN Board of Directors decided to hold an all-virtual annual convention on December 13 and 14, 2021. After consultation with state, federal and tribal health officials, and reviewing current data trends, AFN made its decision out of concern for the safety and health of the thousands of attendees who come from every part of Alaska, including AFN delegates, presenters, other participants, artists and exhibitors, and the public.

AFN delegates and members should watch their email next week (October 25-29) for the updated 2021 Convention Delegate Packet. The packet will include resolution, sponsorship, and registration information. A print version will be mailed as well. An updated registration form will be sent to delegates who have not yet registered. Click 

Last August the AFN Board postponed the Convention from October to December to give time for the city to get the COVID-19 numbers turned around. The current information shows continuing high rates of COVID-19 cases, transmission, hospitalization and deaths, particularly in Anchorage, the Convention host city, which is on an upward trajectory according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

“Safety is paramount to our decision,” said Sheri Buretta, chair of AFN's Convention Committee. “Our convention is a large indoor gathering where CDC guidelines of social distancing are not practical. The situation in Anchorage has not improved nearly enough to risk the health of Convention participants, particularly our Elders and other vulnerable attendees, when hospitals across the state are under extreme pressure right now.”

As was done for the all-virtual 2020 AFN Convention, a robust virtual meeting platform will be combined with live statewide TV and radio broadcast coverage, and live streaming on multiple video channels. A full agenda will be released to the public in early December.

AFN will also develop an online Native arts marketplace featuring many of the same Native artists that have had booths in the exhibit hall during in-person AFN Conventions.

This year’s Convention theme is “ANCSA at 50: Empowering Our Future.” The passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act fifty years ago was a groundbreaking, remarkable achievement for Alaska. A model around the world of Indigenous self-determination, ANCSA has led to tremendous economic benefits and opportunities for Native people and for all Alaskans.

AFN will proudly celebrate that accomplishment while acknowledging there is plenty more work to be done. This year’s theme emphasizes the importance of addressing the collective work ahead of the Native community to empower our people and face the challenges of the future together. Since its passage, ANCSA has been amended in significant ways and with technical fixes. AFN recognizes that there is unfinished business and unmet promises, particularly in the area of subsistence rights and food security, public safety and law enforcement, and economic development.



AFN’s annual convention serves as the principal forum and voice for the Alaska Native community in addressing critical issues of public policy and government. The Convention convenes thousands of official delegates and participants from membership organizations across the state. AFN Delegates discuss strategic opportunities and challenges, listen to memorable keynote and theme speeches, and hear reports from political leaders and presentations from expert panels. The resolutions passed by the voting delegates set the priorities for the year and guide AFN’s efforts. The Convention is the largest representative annual gathering of Native peoples in the United States, and the largest convention in Alaska.

For specific questions about the convention, enter here: 

https://www.nativefederation.org/convention/

AFN 2021 Annual Convention

This year, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which administers the Lifeline program on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission, will host Lifeline quarterly interactive webinars for Tribal stakeholders (e.g., Tribal governments and government agencies and nonprofits serving Tribal communities). During these webinar sessions, our subject-matter experts will discuss relevant program changes and provide updates to ensure Tribal partners remain informed and have the tools and information they need to more effectively help eligible Tribal consumers apply for the Lifeline program. Attendees can participate in a live Q&A session built into each webinar.

Below, you can find the dates for each virtual, free event and a link to register. Please feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues and Tribal networks. Although the host’s email address is listed on the registration page, please contact Kraynal Alfred, USAC’s Tribal Liaison, at 

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET

Wednesday, June 2, 2021 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET

Wednesday, September 1, 2021 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET

We hope that you are able to attend. We look forward to our continued partnership with Tribal communities in 2021 and beyond.

Lifeline offers a monthly benefit of up to $9.25 toward phone or Internet services for eligible consumers and up to $34.25 for those living on 

. Additionally, certain residents of Tribal lands can receive reimbursement for the full cost of starting service with certain phone or Internet companies at their primary residence, up to $100, through Lifeline’s Tribal Link Up program.

Review Lifeline’s Tribal Toolkit, Tribal Flyer, and a copy of the most recent Tribal Advocate Training on the 

Lifeline Quarterly Webinars for Tribal Partners in 2021

There is no registration fee for the NNALS. Please register:

For more information, please contact ron.lessard@ed.gov

2021 National Native American Languages Summit

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

 for a webinar highlighting American Indians’ contributions, successes, and experiences in the technology industry. 

 to hear more about our panelists’ career journeys, how Salesforce empowers them to bring their whole, authentic selves to work, their involvement with WINDforce, an Salesforce Equality Group that represents a Worldwide Indigenous Network of Diversity, and more.

American Indians in Tech: Contributions, Successes, and Experiences

Join NAFOA and the Treasury Department on 

November 16 and 17 at 3:00pm ET for a two-part information session on career opportunities for Native youth and young professionals

. Register to learn about the federal jobs application process and network with staff at the Treasury Department. Can't attend live? Registration is still encouraged! Recordings will be sent out to all registrants after the event. 

https://nafoa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uCyTvsIaSd6OcSUCB5_4tg

For further information, please contact: Bettina Gonzalez <

Building Career Pathways: Working for Treasury

Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium Advisory Committee Meetings

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian brings its annual Native Cinema Showcase to online audiences Nov. 12-18, 2021. This year's showcase focuses on Native people boldly asserting themselves through language, healing, building community, and a continued relationship with the land. Activism lies at the heart of all these stories. The showcase provides a unique forum for engagement with Native filmmakers from Indigenous communities throughout the Western Hemisphere and Arctic.

The program includes a total of 47 films (seven features and 40 shorts) representing 39 Native nations in 13 countries: United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Peru, Brazil, Sweden, Greenland and Solomon Islands. In addition to the films, the showcase includes a series of pre-recorded panel discussions with Native filmmakers and writers about all aspects of Indigenous storytelling from their own experiences. 


All films and filmmaker panels are available on demand; please check individual listings for dates and times of availability. Short-format films are grouped into programs. Closed captioning is available for some films; please check individual listings for availability.


All films are available on demand; please check individual listings for geo-blocking restrictions.

Special support for Native Cinema Showcase provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Additional funding provided by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the New York State Legislature, the Walt Disney Company, the Consulate General of Canada in New York, the Council for Canadian American Relations and Canada Now.

2021 Native Cinema Showcase

Available on demand, this program of family-friendly short films is fun for kids of all ages.

(USA, 2020, 7 min.) ‘?lelo Hawai‘i with English subtitles


Heli, set ?te s?ál ?te (Bringing Our Language Back to Life)

 (Canada, 2020, 5 min.) SEN?O?EN with English subtitles


Let´s Look at the Rainbow Again (Cuteem psawi wkaa sewja)

 (Mexico, 2020, 1 min.) Ko´lew with English subtitles


(USA, 2020, 11 min.) Cherokee with English subtitles


 (Mexico, 2019, 7 min.) Spanish with English subtitles


(Canada, 2020, 9 min.) Inuktitut and English with English subtitles


2021 Native Cinema Showcase: Future Focused Shorts Program

! This event will feature a panel discussion and offer attendees a chance to listen and interact with the Federal Highway Administration.

 Full-time | Part-time | Internships | Recent Graduates Mid-career | Senior Executive Service (SES) Go to 

 for currently-advertised FHWA positions on USA Jobs.

Virtual Indigenous Employment Workshop - Federal Highway Administration



The Tribal/Interior Budget Council will be meeting virtually November 4-5, 2021. You can register for the full meeting by clicking the registration link below:





This registration link will register you for both days of TIBC. A reminder email with a join link will be sent to each registrant one hour before each TIBC meeting.

Virtual Tribal/Interior Budget Council Meeting

17th Annual Fatherhood is Leadership Conference

AITC, scheduled for October 25-28 at the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, is organized by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association and hosted by Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.

Registration is now open for the 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference (AITC), which will be hosted by Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, October 25-28, 2021 at the 

 in Fort McDowell (Scottsdale), Arizona. The conference, organized by the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) is the only national conference in the U.S. dedicated to travel and tourism in and for Indian Country.

18200 E. WeKoPa Way Fort McDowell, AZ 85264

This year’s AITC will take place at the all-new We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, which recently unveiled a dazzling renovation. Guests of the hotel, which has received AAA Four Diamond status every year since its opening, can enjoy excellent dining options from an all-star lineup of chefs that have served guests at some of the leading luxury resorts around the world.

 that highlight the culture of local area tribes and foster networking opportunities for attendees to share, teach and learn from one another. This year’s mobile workshop will provide a deeper dive into cultural activities showcasing Arizona tribes.

 (formerly the Enough Good People Industry Awards), will honor the best and brightest in Indian Country tourism including Tribal Destination of the Year, Best Cultural Heritage Experience, Excellence in Customer Service and Industry Professional Award. This event is accompanied by dinner and a 

. The auction serves to raise funds for AIANTA’s tourism and hospitality scholarship program.

Conference registrations begin at $525 for AIANTA members who register by the early bird deadline (September 14, 2021). A select number of exhibitor spaces are available at $800 per booth for members and $1,000 for non-members. As with previous years, the conference will also feature a local artisan fair, and artisans are encouraged to secure a table for $300.

Every year, AITC brings together tribes, tribal enterprises and other travel industry experts for networking, business development and informative, breakout sessions that cover topics of interest with respect to tourism development and marketing.

Now in its 23rd year, AITC is held regionally throughout the United States every fall.

For nearly two decades, the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA) has served as the national voice for American Indian nations engaged in cultural tourism. In addition to serving as the voice for Indian Country tourism, AIANTA provides technical assistance and training to Tribal nations and Native-owned enterprises engaged in tourism,

The Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation is an 889-member Native American tribe that calls Central Arizona’s upper Sonoran Desert home. Located to the northeast of Phoenix within Maricopa County, Arizona, the 40-square mile reservation is a small part of the ancestral territory of the once nomadic Yavapai people, who hunted and gathered food in a vast area of Arizona’s desert lowlands and mountainous Mogollon Rim country.

AIANTA - 23rd Annual American Indian Tourism Conference

Organization: Alaska Federation of Natives [AFN]

2021 Convention - "ANCSA at 50: Empowering Our Future"

 the Economic Development Administration (EDA), in partnership with the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA), will host a virtual webinar to explain a 

 extending Tribal eligibility to include for-profit Tribal corporations that are wholly owned by, and established for the benefit of, a Tribe, and will provide an overview of the $100 million in grant funding available under EDA’s 

. EDA is also pleased to use this opportunity to introduce Carolee Wenderoth, who will be serving as the new Tribal Engagement Coordinator at EDA.

Tribal Leaders and their designated representatives, as well as members of Native American Communities and stakeholder organizations, are cordially invited to attend and may register using this link: 

https://nafoa.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7iz-he66QNyuVmAD9E52Mw

Please see the attached Dear Tribal Leader Letter for additional details.

Indigenous Communities Information Session with EDA

Native American tribes will gather with civic officials and the public to celebrate New Mexico’s statewide Indigenous Peoples Day. This event is open to all and will include dignitaries, a flute performance, Native dances, a historical presentation and artist demonstrations. Free for members and Native Americans, or with museum admission. Traditional festive attire is encouraged for tribal members.

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