Cue) graduate from high school, often don't have the skills necessary Le teac employment even in the village. Men remain in the village because they often don't have the skills to land a job in the more DILA Sommunities,

The other point I'd like to make regarding our young men, is that they

boce important

Men traditionally were subsistence though still

important as it once was. Cash is becoming ever and in the process, because many young men are unable they are losing their role in society.

to find employment,

** 19 this portion of the population around which many of the severe social problems revolve. The violence, suicides, child sexual abuse, alcohol abuse... I don't know what the answer is here other than we need to provide our young men with the skills necessary to enter the Jocal job market. We need to think about long term solutions.

Programs cost money. I would like to offer some suggestions on how funding presently allocated for the benefit of Native Americans can be more efficiently utilized.

Under PL 93-638, even though the tribes and tribal contractors have contracted for a large percentage of direct services and the Bureau budget in Alaska has substantially decreased, the number of Bureau of Indian Affairs staff has not decreased. It's the perception of

Tribes and tribal contractors

that BIA staff have simply been

converted from direct service

contract oversight personnel

payroll

which is not the

thorough review be conducted

or

personnel into program specialists and transferred from agency to area intent of PL 93-638. I recommend that a of BIA to determine where cost savings

can be initiated and where or how funding can and should be reallocated so that local communities benefit more directly.

very small

The BIA budgeting system needs to be modified so that tribes and/or tribal contractors have input into the entire BIA budget, including the agency component, the area and field budgets, banded and unbanded dollars and central office. Right now, tribes and tribal contractors only have input into the agency budgets, which comprises a portion of the overall BIA budget. In order to effect change, Tribes must have input into the budget process at all levels of the BIA. The tribes' inability to provide input into the BIA budget has resulted in a huge federal bureaucracy. It is not a tribal priority to have a huge federal bureaucracy, yet because of our inability to provide meaningful input into the budget process, this situation exists today.

Tribes have not been included in the BIA budget process for non-IPS programs. In many cases, those funds not on the band are treated as

not perceive a need to report

discretionary in that the Bureau does back to the tribes or tribal contractors where the funding was spent, what the outputs were or to even solicit their input on needs and how the money should be spent. Yet every dollar which is allocated to the BIA is for the benefit of tribes. By placing funds in a non-IPS or non agency category the Bureau in effect, removes the control of the funds

Finally, in many cases allotment claims overlap. At the current time, boundary adjustments may only occur by adjudication of the BLM. Often claimants are able to negotiate a settlement to a boundary dispute. In these cases the BLM has expressed the opinion that the negotiated settlements will not be acceptable. We believe that where if a boundary dispute between allotment claimants exists and the claimants can reach agreement as to the boundary lines of the allotments, the BLM ought to be required to accept the negotiated boundary line. We would request that the Committee investigate this matter and to adopt legislation to provide for negotiated boundary adjustments of allotments in Alaska.

CONCLUSION

Again I wish to express my thanks to the Committee for its interest in Alaska Native Affairs and would urge the Committee to take action to address these concerns.

589-181.16

Good morning.

Incorporated.

which provides

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CALEB PUNGOWIYI

My name is Caleb Pungowiyi. I am President of Kawerak
Kawerak is the Native regional non-profit

corporation

social, cultural, educational and employment services

to the villages of the Bering Straits Region. I would like to thank

the members of the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs for this opportunity to testify on the AFN report "A Call for Action".

I agree

with individuals

who previously testified when they stated

that if anything, the AFN report

today in rural Alaska.

understates the problems existing

who grew up in a in your home community

I am speaking to the Alaska Natives in this room
village. Think about
between the
ages of
problem?

it. How many adults 25-50 don't have an

alcohol or substance abuse

Alcohol abuse is the order to address the

major problem facing Alaska Natives today. In problem we need to attack it on two fronts: 1) individuals, families and communities to abuse problems; and 2) we need to prevent future

we need to work with

alleviate substance problems.

there is a need for

Nationally and especially here in Alaska, strengthening alcohol and drug abuse prevention education in schools.

It could be entitled "Just Look Around". All the kids need to do is seriously examine within their own communities the physical, social, mental and economic consequences of substance abuse. I don't think the

extent of the problem

should be whitewashed by looking at situations

outside the local context.

In this

I urge this committee to use its influence to make available direct funding to communities 'to address alcohol and substance abuse. A good program model is the State funded Suicide Prevention Grant Program. program, funding is made available to communities as opposed to human service providers. From what I've seen, Suicide Prevention Grants (including the application process) have served as a catalyst in rural Alaska, a point of reference around which an entire community can coalesce to address some of the very pressing problems facing us. The funding ideally should go to communities. Village residents tend to view alcohol and substance abuse as resulting from social factors as opposed to a clinical problem. The solutions they propose are likely to be social in nature. not outside

service providers, solutions" which can be most problems that exist.

It is the communities themselves and who know best the type of "social effective in combating the serious

Key to

preventing substance abuse is a positive sense of self worth.

This can be provided through an educational curriculum within school systems. Such a "Native Awareness" curriculum should be incorporated into the basic curriculum. Currently it's treated as a special program outside the scope of basic education.

For too many years, Alaska Natives have been treated as though they're "not good enough". Our history, our culture, our language, our