Julie Kitka became the third Alaska Native leader to be inducted into the National Native American Indian Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Oklahoma City on Oct. 5.
Kitka recently stepped down as the longtime president of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) and will deliver the keynote speech at the AFN convention in Anchorage next week.
Kitka spent more than three decades working for AFN and was known to have the ear of national policy makers. From Congressional leaders, to military generals, to White House cabinet members and staffers, she developed a wide range of connections to promote Alaska Native causes.
Five other Native Americans were also inducted to the Hall of Fame, including Frank Ducheneaux from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Ducheneaux played a role in crafting every landmark piece of Native American legislation before Congress, including the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. AFN’s first president, Emil Notti, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. The late civil rights leader Elizabeth Peratrovich was also honored in 2019.