CIRI receives many inquiries for shareholder genealogical information, which it does not have. The Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted enrollment for the regional corporations formed as a result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The regional corporations, including CIRI, did not receive copies of the ANCSA enrollment applications nor did they receive family tree information, and instead received only statistical information from the BIA on those individuals determined eligible and enrolled to their respective regions.
Still, knowing who our families are and where we come from is an important value in our Alaska Native cultures. In recognition of this, CIRI is exploring ways to potentially assist shareholders who are interested in genealogy. This may include membership discounts to online family history sites like www.ancestry.com, or other avenues. If made available, such services will not be free to shareholders.
As the first step, the company needs to gauge the number of shareholders who would be interested in taking advantage of such support. Shareholders can indicate their interest in the genealogy effort to CIRI in the following ways:
- Fill out the “Contact Us Form” at ciri.com and make sure to select “Genealogy” as the “Message Subject”
- Call (907) 263-5146 and leave a voicemail message that includes your full name, as it appears on your CIRI records, your telephone number and a brief statement of your support for a genealogy project.
Please note that in the interest of privacy, CIRI will not release any shareholder information in connection with the proposed genealogy project. Shareholders wanting to learn more about genealogical research can visit www.ancestry.com
Deadline: 5 p.m. Alaska Standard Time, Friday, March 4.
