UNITED STATES
CORPORATE CHARTER
OF THE
NATIVE VILLAGE OF W ALES
ALASKA
RATIFIED JULY 29, 1939
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON: 1938
CORPORATE CHARTER OF THE NATIVE
VILLAGE OF
WALES
A FEDERAL CORPORATION 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 Wales, Territory of Alaska, seek to organize
under Sections 16 and 17 of the Act of June 18, 1934, and Section 1 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 Wales."
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 theInterior
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 per cent 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
per cent 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
Wales, 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.
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 Wales, Territory of Alaska, and was on J uly 29, 1939, duly ratified by a
vote of 61 for and 0 against in an election in which over 30 per cent 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).
LOUIS TUNGWENUK,
Chairman, Election Board.
HENRY G. RAMSEY,
Government Representative.