The 1968 discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay prompted Native leaders to push for a land claims settlement with unprecedented urgency.
In the early- and mid-1970s, AFN provided technical assistance to help Alaska Natives implement ANCSA and set up the corporations mandated by the Act.
[4] AFN was instrumental in the development and passage of federal laws including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, and the 1987 Amendments to ANCSA (the "1991 legislation").
[7] At the state level, AFN plays an active role in the legislative process, promoting laws, policies and programs in areas such as health, education, resource development, labor and government.
AFN will help Native Alaskan people survive and prosper as distinct ethnic and cultural groups who will participate fully as members of the overall society.
3,000 to 4,000 people attend each year, including 1,000 voting delegates from across the state [9] and the proceedings are broadcast live via television, radio and webcast reaching Alaska Natives and non-Natives alike from Russia, Utqiaġvik, Ketchikan, and from the Aleutian Chain to the Canada–US border.