**5. Case Study: An Anti-Racist Decolonizing Approach to Land Management and Ownership for Our Children and Future Generations**

*5.1. Research Site*

This case study is part of my PhD dissertation research in partnership with the Ninilchik Village Tribe (NVT) in Ninilchik, Alaska, a federally recognized Tribe and Board designated rural community. NVT has over 900 members worldwide with approximately 15 to 20 percent living in the Ninilchik area (personal communication with NVT Executive Director Ivan Encelewski, 21 August 2018). NVT is a diverse Tribe due to the intermarriage policies Russians practiced during the fur trade, the waterways Ninilchik is on, and liberal enrollment policies. NVT is comprised of Dena'ina people who originally lived in the area as well as Ahtna, Yup'ik, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, people from Native American Tribes from the contiguous U.S., and Native Hawaiians who have moved to the area [55]. Ninilchik had a population of 749 as of 2018 when I started this project [56]. They are on the Alaskan road system, and the Board considers them a rural community. NVT and I set out to conduct a project to understand the role self-determination played in sustainability<sup>5</sup> and wellbeing in the community. During this project, I conducted ethnographic futures research storytelling scenarios with 30 people chosen by NVT, please see Table 1 for the demographics of the participants.


**Table 1.** Demographics of participants.

#### **Table 1.** *Cont*.

