Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak made news around Alaska with the establishment of our tribal court. Thanks to a 24-month grant, we are developing a formal tribal court system to deal with our most compelling concern-the safety and well-being of our children. Focused exclusively on children’s cases, specifically child protection and delinquency matters, our tribal court will address child protection cases where the state is involved due to allegations of parental neglect or abuse and delinquency cases where the state is involved because of the child’s conduct and actions. Our tribal court will not handle general criminal or civil law cases, including divorce and custody disputes between biological parents, regardless of either parent’s tribal status.

Tribal Court Advisory Team

With the creation of a tribal court system, the Tribal Council has restructured our ICWA department under our new tribal court administrator. Our tribal court advisory team is helping the administrator design and implement a court structure and system from the ground up.

Tribal Court Judge

Our tribal court judge also is involved in the process of planning and implementing the tribal court. Once the court is operational, the judge will hear cases and render decisions. We have yet to decide whether we will establish a court system that is adversarial or peacemaking in nature.

Foster Families

Tribal members can have a big impact on child protection and well-being by becoming foster families for Alaska Native children. Relatives are the tribe’s first choice as placements for Native children, regardless of whether the family has a foster license. However, obtaining a foster care license through the state of Alaska provides monthly financial assistance to offset the cost of taking a child into your home. The tribe is considering establishing a tribal foster care licensing system, rather than channeling all potential caregivers through the state. If you would like to be considered as a potential placement for tribal member children, or other Alaska Native children in Kodiak, please contact out tribal court administrator.

UPDATE

Our Tribal Council Committee met May 1, 2010 to review our Tribal Court Judge Candidates and to move forward with training for the Judges. The Committee approved two candidates, Eric Olsen and Johnny Reft, from the applications. Eric and Johnny, along with Linda and Bob are on their way to Tribal Court Development Training in Fairbanks August 10th and 11th.

The training is intended to provide information to tribes who are just beginning Tribal Court development, for tribes that want to enhance or make modifications to their courts, as well as for tribes pursuing ongoing tribal court training. We continue to work on the goals of the grant by establishing Sun’aq Tribal Court as a youth service provider with an emphasis on early intervention for at risk tribal youth.
As we have recently applied for another Tribal Court grant that would enable us to enhance the operation of our Tribal Justice System. We now have an established foundation to support a longstanding tribal goal that is based on traditional practices and values to guide our youth to a healthy adulthood while restoring justice and harmony in our families and tribal community.