Alaska Federation of Natives convention will go virtual again this year due to COVID-19

The annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention will once again be held entirely online this year given ongoing widespread COVID-19 transmission in the state.

The convention, which is scheduled for Dec. 13 and 14, had already been postponed from October because of COVID-19 concerns. The decision to go virtual was made because of safety and health concerns and after consulting with state, federal and tribal health officials, organizers wrote in a statement Friday afternoon.

“The current information shows continuing high rates of COVID-19 cases, transmission, hospitalization and deaths, particularly in Anchorage,” AFN organizers wrote.

The convention is “the largest representative annual gathering of Native peoples in the United States,” according to AFN. It’s also typically the largest convention in the state and usually involves thousands of delegates and relatives converging on the host city.

Organizers previously described worries that in-person attendees could contract the virus in Anchorage, which was set to host this year’s convention, and bring it back to villages without robust health care infrastructure.

The 2021 convention, focusing on the theme “ANCSA at 50: Empowering Our Future,” will involve a virtual meeting platform and live statewide television and radio coverage as well as streaming on video channels, according to organizers. There will also be an online marketplace featuring many Alaska Native artists who have had booths at previous in-person conventions.

Last year’s AFN convention was also held virtually.

“Safety is paramount to our decision,” Sheri Buretta, chair of AFN’s Convention Committee, said in Friday’s statement. “Our convention is a large indoor gathering where CDC guidelines of social distancing are not practical.

“The situation in Anchorage has not improved nearly enough to risk the health of Convention participants, particularly our Elders and other vulnerable attendees, when hospitals across the state are under extreme pressure right now.”