Traditional Athabascan Law Ways and Their Relationship to Contemporary Problems of "Bush Justice": Some Preliminary Observations on Structure and Function.

Abstract

This paper is directed toward helping achieve a better understanding of traditional law ways among Alaska's Athabascan Indians and of the present state of the administration of law in the "bush"-village Alaska. An outgrowth of the 1970 Bush Justice Conference sponsored by the Alaska Judicial Council, the paper's primary purpose is to help facilitate establishment of more appropriate delivery and administration of legal services for ethnically distinct populations of Alaska.Introduction / Traditional Athabascan Culture / Social Organization and Leadership / Values and Their Relationship to Law Ways / Athabascan Law Ways — The Philosophical Basis / The Pragmatic Structure and Operation of Athabascan Law Ways / Major Offenses and Their Resolution (Adultery, Theft, Murder) / Summary of Athabascan Law Ways / Law Ways and Culture Change / Past and Present Law Ways: Some Disjunctions / Reference