By Tasha McAbee, Public Health Post, January 4, 2021
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia without consent from the Native populations who thrived there long before European invasion. The treaty stated “the uncivilized tribes” would be subject to US laws and regulations. Over the next 150 years, the US displaced and oppressed indigenous Alaskans belonging to 229 unique tribes in order to gain access to natural resources such as oil, whaling, seal fur, salmon, and gold. In exchange, they offered violence, disease, sexual abuse, family separation, and ethnic cleansing.
The severe cultural, social, and economic disruption spurred a suicide epidemic. Today, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for Alaska Natives. Indigenous Alaskans are 17 times more likely to die by suicide than non-native US citizens, a rate 3.5 times higher than any other ethnic group and 2.5 times higher than non-native Alaskans. For Native Alaskan youth between the ages of 15 and 24, suicide is the leading cause of death.
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