JUNEAU, AK (March 26, 2021) – The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska’s (Tlingit & Haida) Executive Council unanimously voted today to postpone the 86th Annual Tribal Assembly to September 8-10, 2021. The Tribal Assembly was previously scheduled to be held virtually April 21-23, 2021.
The decision to postpone was based on several requests received from Delegates who expressed their hope that a deferment of Tribal Assembly would provide for a greater likelihood for Delegates to gather in-person to govern, conduct and manage the affairs and property of the Tribe.
Tribal Emergency Operations Center (TEOC) Incident Commander Jason Wilson was charged with researching the potential of an in-person Tribal Assembly and presented his findings to the Executive Council. Taking into consideration the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and based on the current status of the Coronavirus pandemic, vaccine distribution and response levels, Incident Commander Wilson affirmed that an in-person Tribal Assembly could be accomplished with proper mitigation strategies and safety measures put in place.
The planning and coordination of an in-person Tribal Assembly will move forward with the health and safety of Delegates, tribal citizens and employees at the forefront. Tlingit & Haida’s TEOC will continue to monitor the Coronavirus pandemic and develop the Tribe’s mitigation strategy to accommodate and in-person Tribal Assembly. In the event CDC changes its guidelines, Tlingit & Haida will stand ready to revert the Tribe’s course back to a virtual Tribal Assembly.
In a memo issued to Delegates earlier today, President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson expressed his gratitude to Delegates for voicing their hope. "Our Executive Council stands with you and we look forward to September when we can gather to demonstrate our governance just as we have done for over 85 years," shared President Peterson. "I believe an in-person Tribal Assembly will bring the closure we need to put the pandemic behind us and will give us the time and space to come together and memorialize those we have lost as we do each year during Tribal Assembly."