ANCSA leader Notti inducted into Native American Hall of Fame

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Before he became the Alaska Federation of Natives first President, Emil Notti was born in Koyukuk and graduated from Mount Edgecumbe High School. Now, the 88-year-old Notti, a Koyukon Athabascan, is one of eight inductees into the Native American Hall of Fame.

Notti was instrumental in advocating for the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971, which established 44 million acres of public lands for Indigenous Alaskans and provided a $962 million settlement.

Notti was the first president of AFN in 1966 and cast the tie-breaking vote to allow Sealaska region into ANCSA, helping to define how the southeast region of Alaska became politically and economically defined.

Notti left Alaska to earn his B.S. in aeronautical and electrical engineering from Northrop University and served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.

Notti was also Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services, Commissioner of the Community Department of Community and Regional Affairs and Commissioner of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Notti was inducted into the Native American Hall of Fame for his continued advocacy for Indigenous Alaskans.

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