The book combines historical, sociological, and community planning methods and theoretical frameworks as a foundation for the analysis of this evolving Alaska Native tribe. In the initial chapters of the book found in Section I, I introduce the people, the region, and the ways in which individuals often played significant roles as agents of change. In this regard, I highlight the role of the two most significant bodies, the church and the school, for it is through these seemingly benevolent social institutions that efforts to colonize the community were, in particular, initiated. And yet, it is in Section II of the book that I reveal that the pivotal turning point in this village’s downward development came well-after the colonial period, in the latter part of the 20th century. The chapters of this section confirm that it is since that time (1970) that such Native communities throughout Alaska and globally have truly struggled. Thus the development and introduction of new technologies in an ever-encroaching global economy, combined with climactic changes, raise significant questions here especially for the Native youth and their prospects in the future, especially in an age of rapid socioeconomic shifts and changing cultural values. I conclude by questioning how and if indigeneity can persist in the future global economy and if so, how might it be manifest?
