Nenana Native Village initiates a road blockade at the 10th Street bridge on Oct. 31, 2022, to halt road expansion to the Kantishna River. (Jeff Chen/Native Movement)

Nenana tribal members initiated a road blockade on Oct. 31, 2022, in order to prevent further development of the Totchaket road west of Nenana. The plan for this road extension and agricultural land sale was developed without consent from the Nenana Native Village, and they are engaging in nonviolent direct action in order to protect their lands from further development. 

Despite tribal and local objections, the state recently auctioned off over 2,000 acres of public land, and plans to develop traditional hunting lands that have sustained generations of Nenana area families. The state’s privatization and development of this land for industrial agriculture will be a devastating blow to the community’s food sovereignty. In an effort to protect ancestral lands, Native Movement placed bids in the auction on behalf of Tlaa Deneldel Community Group, a Nenana-based group focused on food sovereignty and cultural revitalization. Native Movement was announced as the winning bidder on two parcels.

The development of this road has not been approved by the Nenana Native Village or Toghotthele Corporation, the Tribe and village corporation respectively. The Tribe owns the bridge that is needed for access to the road, so locals are blockading the bridge for as long as the Tribe deems necessary. 

The Tribe is currently calling for support. You can support in multiple ways:

  1. If you wish to join the blockade, you can find out more information by contacting Lindsey Maillard (@motherofdaze on Instagram or lindsey@nativemovement.org). If you wish to join, please come prepared, so as not to pull further resources from the Tribe. Bring lots of warm clothes, food, water, hand warmers, and anything else you might need to stay warm outside for an extended period of time. Please come in the spirit of nonviolence, respect for the land, and solidarity with the Tribe.

  2. Comments are also very much needed! You can send a comment indicating your opposition to the road expansion and support for the Tribe by contacting the DOT project manager Jonathan Hutchinson at jonathan.hutchinson@alaska.gov and (907) 451-5479.

  3. You can also make a donation below and/or buy Nenana LandBack merch! Donations will benefit The Tlaa Deneldel Community Group, a Nenana food sovereignty project created to build local tribal agricultural projects.


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