Georgetown Tribal Council (GTC) is the governing body for the federally recognized tribe of the Native Village of Georgetown, Alaska. Under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971, 38 individuals enrolled, securing GTC’s status as a federally recognized tribe. GTC has since enrolled children of original descendants, which brings current tribal membership to 113.
Though the enrollees are scattered for economic reasons, they retain a strong connection to their land and desire repopulate Georgetown. As mining declined, members were forced to leave Georgetown due to lack of employment opportunities. Nearly 80% of members still live in the area, with 42 members living in Bethel and another 36 in other nearby Kuskokwim River villages. It wasn't until the passage of ANCSA (click here for Alaska Native Claims Settlement info) and the opportunity to take ownership of ancestral lands, that former Georgetown residents and their descendants had an opportunity to plan to move back home.
Georgetown was originally located on the north bank of the Kuskokwim River east of its convergence with the George River in the Kilbuck-Kuskokwim Mountains. Today Georgetown has a handful residences west of the Kuskokwim’s convergence with the George River and members are in the process of resettlement with new home sites being made available on the Southern bank of the Kuskokwim across from its convergence with the George River. It is located between the Native villages of Crooked Creek and Red Devil, and 260 miles west of the nearest highway system. It is accessible by small aircraft and seasonally by either boat or snow machine.
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