Self-Employment and Subsistence Hunting and Fishing in Alaska
Self-Employment
Jackie Bisbee is the coordinator of the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Vocational Rehabilitation Program in Fairbanks, Alaska. The program currently serves Athabascan Indians living in 27 Alaska villages, seven of which are on the road system, the others only accessible by commuter airplane or boat. The land encompasses approximately 37% of the state of Alaska or 235,000 square miles.
“About 25% of our cases go to self-employment,” said Bisbee. The grant under which they operate is focused on providing competitive employment, self-employment and subsistence outcomes to clients with disabilities. She and two staff members carry an equal share of the 77 cases active at this time.
Clients who seek self-employment must prepare a business plan. “We want them to think it out and write answers to questions like these: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?,” said Bisbee. For more formal business plans, the program contracts for the service.
If clients need training or instruction before they can start a business, the program staff will find someone to provide the training. Typically, a Memo of Understanding is drawn up between the training provider and the rehabilitation center so that both parties understand what is expected.
The medical needs of clients are met through various means, sometimes simultaneously with the pursuit of a self-employment goal. In one case, a neurological expert made visits to a man who suffered a stroke in order to assess and monitor his condition. At the same time, a computer expert was paid to visit the client weekly and teach him computer skills.
Tanana Chiefs Conference has a Minority Business Office (MBO) for further self-employment assistance. The MBO offers business loans to new entrepreneurs. “The loan office really makes clients think about their project because of the documentation they require before any loans are approved,” said Bisbee.
The vocational rehabilitation office will buy equipment and supplies to help clients start a business. No provision exists for the return of things purchased if the business fails. “It would be bad public relations for the program,” said Bisbee. “The people we buy equipment for really want to succeed.”
Subsistence
“Subsistence hunting, fishing, and trapping is a viable outcome for us, on par with self-employment” emphasizes Bisbee. Subsistence fishing and hunting is a big self-determination issue. Being able to provide food from for one’s family from the natural environment is culturally appropriate. “People depend on subsistence hunting and fishing,” said Bisbee. “It contributes to their livelihood – ensures their survival. There are no full service grocery stores in the remote villages, especially those off the road system.”
Villagers will catch and dry salmon to eat over the long winter months. Those with dog teams will feed salmon to their dogs. Those lucky enough to secure a moose will freeze the meat or make it into jerky.
The last few years have been tough for those trying to make a living off the land, either by subsistence or self-employment means. Poor salmon runs have been compounded by ever-lower prices for commercially caught salmon. “Fur prices have bottomed out so much that it is not economically feasible to trap anymore,” said Bisbee.
The Tanana Chiefs Conference Vocational Rehabilitation Center will finance the purchase of boats, motors, snowmobiles, and other tools for the people to hunt, fish, and trap. The Center has purchased glasses, dentures, hearing aides, and prostheses for people who need them to perform successfully in either the self-employment or subsistence venue. One elderly man was able to go moose hunting again after receiving a hearing aide.
Success Stories
Jackie and her staff foster a personal relationship with the clients they serve. When in the field, Jackie and her staff make it a point to visit former clients, say “hi,” see how they are doing, and remind them that they can open up their files again if they need anything. Informal visits of this nature are part of the culture of the Athabascan Indian population served and provide feedback on how well the vocational rehabilitation program is meeting consumer needs.
Jackie Bisbee is the coordinator of the Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) Vocational Rehabilitation Program in Fairbanks, Alaska. The program currently serves Athabascan Indians living in 27 Alaska villages, seven of which are on the road system, the others only accessible by commuter airplane or boat. The land encompasses approximately 37% of the state of Alaska or 235,000 square miles.
“About 25% of our cases go to self-employment,” said Bisbee. The grant under which they operate is focused on providing competitive employment, self-employment and subsistence outcomes to clients with disabilities. She and two staff members carry an equal share of the 77 cases active at this time.
Clients who seek self-employment must prepare a business plan. “We want them to think it out and write answers to questions like these: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?,” said Bisbee. For more formal business plans, the program contracts for the service.
If clients need training or instruction before they can start a business, the program staff will find someone to provide the training. Typically, a Memo of Understanding is drawn up between the training provider and the rehabilitation center so that both parties understand what is expected.
The medical needs of clients are met through various means, sometimes simultaneously with the pursuit of a self-employment goal. In one case, a neurological expert made visits to a man who suffered a stroke in order to assess and monitor his condition. At the same time, a computer expert was paid to visit the client weekly and teach him computer skills.
Tanana Chiefs Conference has a Minority Business Office (MBO) for further self-employment assistance. The MBO offers business loans to new entrepreneurs. “The loan office really makes clients think about their project because of the documentation they require before any loans are approved,” said Bisbee.
The vocational rehabilitation office will buy equipment and supplies to help clients start a business. No provision exists for the return of things purchased if the business fails. “It would be bad public relations for the program,” said Bisbee. “The people we buy equipment for really want to succeed.”
Subsistence
“Subsistence hunting, fishing, and trapping is a viable outcome for us, on par with self-employment” emphasizes Bisbee. Subsistence fishing and hunting is a big self-determination issue. Being able to provide food from for one’s family from the natural environment is culturally appropriate. “People depend on subsistence hunting and fishing,” said Bisbee. “It contributes to their livelihood – ensures their survival. There are no full service grocery stores in the remote villages, especially those off the road system.”
Villagers will catch and dry salmon to eat over the long winter months. Those with dog teams will feed salmon to their dogs. Those lucky enough to secure a moose will freeze the meat or make it into jerky.
The last few years have been tough for those trying to make a living off the land, either by subsistence or self-employment means. Poor salmon runs have been compounded by ever-lower prices for commercially caught salmon. “Fur prices have bottomed out so much that it is not economically feasible to trap anymore,” said Bisbee.
The Tanana Chiefs Conference Vocational Rehabilitation Center will finance the purchase of boats, motors, snowmobiles, and other tools for the people to hunt, fish, and trap. The Center has purchased glasses, dentures, hearing aides, and prostheses for people who need them to perform successfully in either the self-employment or subsistence venue. One elderly man was able to go moose hunting again after receiving a hearing aide.
Success Stories
- A client with his right arm amputated started a fishing guide service on the Kenai River. He had several years of experience working for another guide on the Kenai. “He knew exactly what he wanted to do,” said Bisbee. “Having done it before made it easier for him. He was focused.” The man received financial assistance to purchase a used boat and motor, the necessary licenses, marine training, and fishing gear. In his first year in business, he accepted the customer overflow from his former employer-guide.
- A successful banker was confronted with a stroke that suddenly changed his life and his career. He had to come to terms with his decreased cognitive ability after the stroke. After five years of learning to deal with his disability, he decided to start his own computer consulting business. He used to use a computer when he worked for the bank. The man developed a business plan and went to work. A computer systems person was hired through the vocational rehabilitation program to help train him. Six months later, he was in business for himself. One of his first requests for service was to install a new computer system for an organization near his home.
- A skilled carpenter with chronic mental illness wanted to make dog sleds the way his dad used to make them when his dad was still alive. His first step was training himself. He read books on sled-making and studied doll-sized models of sleds that his father used to make before building real ones. The client’s first product was a small model sled that he sold to a person who works for Tanana Chiefs Conference. He recently completed his first pair of snowshoes to add to his product repertoire.
- One man sells gas and oil to people using boats and seaplanes on a lake in the summertime.
- A woman uses her sewing machine to make kuspuks (summer parkas) and other types of traditional Native Alaskan clothing.
Jackie and her staff foster a personal relationship with the clients they serve. When in the field, Jackie and her staff make it a point to visit former clients, say “hi,” see how they are doing, and remind them that they can open up their files again if they need anything. Informal visits of this nature are part of the culture of the Athabascan Indian population served and provide feedback on how well the vocational rehabilitation program is meeting consumer needs.
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