On Indigenous Tax Consciousness: The Socio-Legal History of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, 1938-1987

dc.creatorZahnd, Maximilien
dc.date2023-11-15T15:34:23Z
dc.date2022-10-28
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-03T03:12:58Z
dc.descriptionThis thesis explores the relationship between taxation, Indigenous sovereignty, and settler colonialism. Specifically, it chronicles the socio-legal history of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, a Gwich’in tribe from the Alaska interior region. The tribe gained national attention when it attempted to tax a school construction project in the 1980s, triggering a fierce but ultimately unsuccessful judicial battle with the state of Alaska. The thesis seeks to answer the following research questions: How does a tribe develop the idea to use taxation, and why does it decide to use it? The thesis thus strives to explore the origins and contours of what I call ‘Indigenous tax consciousness’. Drawing on archival and field research, I argue that a tribe’s tax consciousness consists of a long and delicate process that often takes years to crystallize. It requires a favorable politico-legal climate, good timing, a few key individuals, and some serendipity. Most importantly, however, Indigenous tax consciousness goes hand in hand with a profound desire to seek political, economic, and cultural empowerment.
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/360895
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.104103
dc.identifier.urihttps://repo.dare.co.zw/handle/123456789/174122
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherUniversity of Cambridge
dc.publisherScott Polar Research Institute
dc.publisherDarwin College
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved
dc.rightshttps://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
dc.subjectAlaska Natives
dc.subjectLegal History
dc.subjectSovereignty
dc.subjectTax
dc.titleOn Indigenous Tax Consciousness: The Socio-Legal History of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, 1938-1987
dc.typeThesis
dc.typeDoctoral
dc.typeDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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