UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
CORPORATE CHARTER
OF THE
NATIVE VILLAGE OF BARROW
RATIFIED MARCH 21, 1940
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON 1941
CORPORATE CHARTER OF THE NATIVE VILLAGE OF
BARROW
A FEDERAL CORPORA'HON CHARTERED UNDER THE ACT OF JUNE
18,
1934, AS AMENDED BY THE ACT OF MAY 1, 1936.
Whereas, a group of Eskimos having a common bond
of living together in Barrow, Territory of Alaska, seek to organize under
Sections 16 and 17 of the Act of June 18, 1934, and Section I of the Act
of May 1, 1936, by adoption of a constitution and by-laws and a charter
approved by the Secretary of the Interior,
Now, therefore, I, Oscar L. Chapman, Assistant Secretary
of the Interior, by virtue of the authority given to me by the above acts,
do hereby submit this Charter of Incorporation to the group of Eskimos
so organizing.
SECTION 1. Purpose and Name. In order to
enable the village and its members to do various kinds of business for
their good, the Village is hereby chartered as a corporation of the United
States of America under the name of "Native Village of Barrow".
SEC. 2. Membership. The corporation shall
be a membership corporation, consisting of all persons of the Village considered
members under the rules of its Constitution.
SEC. 3. Management. The corporation shall
be managed by the governing body set up under the Constitution.
SEC. 4. Powers. The corporation shall have
the power to do the following things:
To own, hold, manage and dispose of all village
property;
To make contracts;
To sue and be sued;
To borrow money from the revolving Indian credit
fund and to use it under a loan contract;
To enter into any business or activity that will
better the condition of the Village and its members;
To do such other things as may be necessary to carry
on the business and activities of the Village.
SEC. 5. Limits to Powers. In using its powers
the corporation must not do the following things:
Go against any law or the constitution and by-laws
of the Village;
Sell or mortgage any land set aside as a reserve
for the Village;
Make leases, permits or contracts covering any lands
or waters set aside as a reserve for the Village without the approval of
the Secretary of the Interior or his authorized representative.
SEC. 6. Property of Members. Property owned
by a member of the Village shall not be taken to pay the debts of the corporation
without his consent.
SEC. 7. Records. The corporation shall keep
correct records of its business and activities and give copies of these
records when asked to do so to the representative of the Office of Indian
Affairs serving the Village.
SEC. 8. Changes in the Charter. Changes in
the charter may be made by the Village and if approved by the Secretary
of the Interior shall be in force when agreed to by a majority vote of
those members voting in an election called by the Secretary of the Interior,
provided, that at least 30 percent of the voting membership votes. The
charter itself shall continue in force for all time, unless taken away
by act of Congress.
SEC. 9. Adoption of Charter. This Charter
shall be in force when it is agreed to by a majority vote of those members
voting in an election called by the Secretary of the Interior, provided,
that at least 30 percent of the voting membership votes and provided that
the Village has agreed to a constitution and by-laws approved by the Secretary
of the Interior.
This Charter is hereby approved and submitted to
the group of Eskimos having a common bond of residence in the Village of
Barrow, Alaska, to be voted on in an election called and held under the
instructions of the Secretary of the Interior. The Charter shall be deemed
issued when a petition for a charter, signed by one-third of the adult
Eskimos, has been received by an authorized representative of the Department
of the Interior.
OSCAR L. CHAPMAN,
Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
[SEAL]
WASHINGTON, D. C., May 23, 1939.
CERTIFICATION
Pursuant to an order, approved May 23, 1939, by the
Assistant Secretary of the Interior, the attached Charter was submitted
for ratification to the group of Eskimos having a common bond of residence
in the Village of Barrow, Territory of Alaska, and was on March 21, 1940,
duly ratified by a vote of 94 for and 4 against, in an election in which
over 30 percent of those entitled to vote cast their ballots, in accordance
with the Alaska Act of May 1, 1936 (49 Stat,. 1250), and section 17 of
the Act of June 16, 1934 (48 Stat. 984), as amended by the Act of June
15, 1935 (49 Stat. 378).
ROY AHMAOGAK,
Chairman, Election Board.
DAVID BROWER,
Secretary, Election Board.
HOWARD H. BURKHER
Government Representative.