The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Donates $1M for Alaska Native learning center on UAF campus North of 60 Mining News – April 15, 2022
Reverend Dr. Anna Frank provided the blessing during the April 12 reception hosted by Doyon, where Kinross Alaska announced its support of the Troth Yeddha' Indigenous Studies Center to be built at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Anna Atchison, external affairs director for Kinross Alaska, and Aaron Schutt, president and CEO of Doyon and chairman of the Troth Yeddha' Legacy Committee, during an April 12 reception at the Doyon Plaza in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Kinross Alaska has donated $1 million to support the Troth Yeddha' Indigenous Studies Center, a 34,000-square-foot facility to be built on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus that will provide a center for Alaska Native programs and support indigenous student success.
"This is much more than a building. It is a space and tangible symbol of honoring and valuing Alaska's first people," Kinross Alaska External Affairs Director Anna Atchison said upon announcing the donation during an April 12 reception hosted by Doyon Ltd., the Alaska Native Claims Act (ANCSA) regional corporation for Interior Alaska.
Doyon President and CEO Aaron Schutt, who is also chairman of the Troth Yeddha' Legacy Committee, said, "The Indigenous Studies Center will be a place rich in culture, knowledge and healing for our future leaders in Alaska."
This reception coincided with a two-day symposium put on by Doyon and the UAF Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development on the 50th anniversary of the passage of ANCSA, a unique settlement of land claims that organized Alaska Natives into 12 regional corporations, with each having its own geographical regions based largely on heritage and shared interests.
The proposed Indigenous Study Center is part of the Troth Yeddha' Initiative launched by UAF around a decade ago, which included the establishment of Troth Yeddha' Park on the school's West Ridge.
Troth Yeddha', which means "Indian potato ridge" in the Lower Tanana Athabaskan language, is the traditional name for the ridge on which UAF is built. Troth, a root that was an important staple to Alaska Athabaskans, can still be found in stream beds and flood plains between Troth Yeddha' and the Tanana River.
In 2013, the University of Alaska Board of Regents and U.S. Board on Geological Names both recognized this prominent ridge overlooking Fairbanks and Tanana Valley by its traditional Athabaskan name.
Kinross Alaska approached UAF last year to learn more about to Troth Yeddha' Initiative and to discuss the potential of a partnership that would allow the operator of the Fort Knox gold mine north of Fairbanks to help develop the planned $40 million Indigenous Studies Center planned to be built on Troth Yeddha' Park.
The Kinross donation will help fund the design and bid specifications for this new facility that will serve as the administrative hub for UAF's College of Rural and Community Development, which includes the Alaska Native Language Arts Center, the Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development, the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, and other programs.
"This important project will position UAF as global leader in Indigenous STEM science and innovation that will benefit our community, state and nation," said UAF Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community, and Native Education Charlene Stern. "This gift demonstrates Kinross' commitment to the vision for Alaska Native and Indigenous programs that will help to meet Alaska's workforce needs now and in the future."
Over his more than 16 years of covering mining and mineral exploration, Shane has become renowned for his ability to report on the sector in a way that is technically sound enough to inform industry insiders while being easy to understand by a wider audience.
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