The San Francisco Tlingit & Haida Community Council is committed to providing resources, assistance, and a sense of community to tribal members living in California. We currently have over 1,200 enrolled members.
Please Contact Us for more information, or join us at one of our upcoming events.
History
The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is the
federally recognized, regional Tribe for all of southeast Alaska (the
state of Alaska east of the 141 st parallel, which is 37,255 acres), is the
child of the Alaska Native Brotherhood / Alaska Native Sisterhood
(founded 1912), and grandchild of the indigenous Tlingit and Haida
clans and kwaans within our aboriginal territories since time
immemorial.
The ANB / ANS Grand Camp determined to assert its
land claims with the Federal government, which resulted in the Act of
June 19, 1935 (49 Stat. 388), as amended June 5, 1942 (56 Stat.
323), and June 4, 1945 (59 Stat. 231), authorized the Court of Claims
to hear and determine claims of the Tlingit and Haida Indians of
Alaska for the loss of property rights as a result of actions by the
United States.
On January 19, 1968, the Court of Claims awarded
$7,546,053.80 to the Tlingit and Haida Indians as payment for
17,235,730 acres of land in southeast Alaska taken from 1891 to 1935
and for damages incurred prior to the taking of the land. The 1935 Act
was further amended by the Act of August 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 543), to
provide for the use of judgment funds by Central Council organize
elections for representation of the Tlingit and Haida Indians tribal
citizens.
The Central Council is composed of delegates from 18
communities with representative populations of Tlingit and Haida
Indians, including the San Francisco (previously known as Oakland,
California) Community.
The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
Executive Council (John Borbridge Sr, President; James W. Thomas,
Secretary) by Resolution No. 68-69 G.C.-2 dated April 26, 1969,
resolved for the organization of the Communities as constituent
elements of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of
Alaska under constitutions which invest the governing bodies of such
Communities with powers and responsibilities needed in developing
the Communities.
The Central Council Executive Council organized
the Communities, including the “Oakland (California) Community”, by
reorganizing the informal governance of the Communities by the
revisions of existing constitutions or the adoption of new, model Community Constitution approved by the Resolution. The Executive
Council further adopted the rules for the conduct of Community
Council elections within the powers of the Central Council.
The Executive Council provided funds to the Communities under the
condition that such funds are expended for such purposes, and
provided that any person having custody or possession of any funds
heretofore or thereafter advanced to any Community for such
purposes shall deliver the same to the treasurer of the Community or
to the Treasurer of the Central Council. [#382, p. 42]
The San Francisco Tlingit and Haida Community Constitution provides
for election of delegates to the Central Council Tribal Assembly as the
governing body of Central Council, which currently number four
delegates, and seven Council members, who serve as either delegate
and Council member up to the number of delegates allocated to the
Community, and the remainder Council members only. The elected
Council members elect their officers from among their number
following each election, which are: President; Vice President;
Treasurer; and Secretary.