State of the Tribe address sees Tlingit and Haida’s two top leaders exchange tributes before election faceoff

Themes of forming alliances and asserting sovereignty mark speech by tribal President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson on opening day of 91st annual Tribal Assembly

Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson and Ku.seen Jacqueline Pata, the president and first vice president of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, embrace after she introduces him for his presentation of the State of the Tribe address during the council’s 91st annual Tribal Assembly at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Before all else, this year’s State of the Tribe was political, with an introduction by a vice president who is seeking this week to replace the president who delivered the address.

The speech came on the opening day of the three-day Tribal Assembly for the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The 91st annual assembly that continues through Friday will feature a series of presentations, votes on resolutions and elections for new officers — including five people running for council president.

The president for the past 12 years, Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson, offered themes of furthering alliances and asserting sovereignty during his 50-minute speech at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. That matched the tone of remarks exchanged beforehand by him and First Vice President Ku.seen Jacqueline Pata when she introduced him to the delegates as both "my opposite" in the tribal clan sense — she is of Raven/Sockeye moiety and he is Eagle/Wolf.

"He represents his community and his clan well," she said. "Richard Peterson has been our president since 2014, and he has led in some of the areas and brought new things to the tribe that is exciting."

Pata praised his efforts towards establishing Indigenous land rights, and said "he was our very strong proponent of things like food sovereignty and the food distribution program, especially during this time of COVID when some of those things were more difficult to get."

Peterson opened his remarks by stating "Jackie, thank you for recognizing that we're opposites."

"It's always important in our culture when we take those moments and recognize who we are," he said. "Our culture, whether you're Tlingit or Haida, both carry the idea of balance. Eagle, Raven, we’re matrilineal people. We follow our mothers and to recognize our opposites is a really important thing."

The Yaaw Tei Yi Dance Group participates in the grand entrance at the 91st annual Tribal Assembly of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

Peterson, who was unopposed when he was elected to a sixth two-year term as president at the 2024 assembly, highlighted tribal achievements since then in his speech. Among those were the opening of the Two Coopers Casino in Juneau, renovation of tribal buildings in downtown Juneau including the Edward K. Thomas Building and ongoing work at the Driftwood Lodge, education campus projects in multiple Southeast Alaska communities, expansion of its broadband Tidal Network in the region, and alliance efforts with other tribal and local governments.

"The repeated Mendenhall Glacier outburst floods have tested our community here in Juneau, and it's required Tlingit and Haida to build greater emergency response capacity," he said. "The Public Safety Division and employees again stepped forward this year as Juneau prepared for flooding. The tribal emergency operations structure allowed us to bring resources, knowledge, coordination, and responsibility to the table alongside the city, state, and federal agencies and other partners."

Also, Peterson said, "this year I made it a priority to spend more time directly with neighboring tribal governments in several Southeast Alaska communities and beyond."

"Those conversations have involved public safety, compacting, facilities, services, cultural stewardship and ways to better serve our shared citizens," he said. "We will not agree on everything. We do not need to. But we should know one another, communicate directly, respect each other's sovereignty, and understand where working together makes all of us stronger."

At the same time, Tlingit and Haida is experiencing challenges with sovereignty, funding and other issues at the state and federal levels, Peterson said. Among the issues of contention are the Trump administration’s reversal of a Biden-era agreement to grant a parcel of tribal land "Indian Country status" and delays in federal funding for tribal projects.

"Sovereignty is not simply something we say we have; it is something that is inherent and we exercise," Peterson said. "And sometimes it is something we have to defend. We will always come to the table ready to work with federal and state partners. But partnership does not mean silence when we disagree. Government-to-government means government-to-government. Consultation must occur before decisions are made, not after. "

The opening day of the tribal assembly began with short speeches by Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon and Tlingit and Haida Community Council President Jodie Gatti, plus short video speeches by the three members of Alaska’s congressional delegation. A keynote speech before Peterson’s speech was offered by David Bean, chairman of the Indian Gaming Association, who also visited Juneau for the July 1 opening of Two Coppers Casino.

Wednesday afternoon is scheduled to feature speeches by candidates seeking offices in the elections that are scheduled Thursday.

The assembly is being livesteamed on Tlingit and Haida’s YouTube channel.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.