Faced with the need to build new social and economic institutions following the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Alaska Natives formed 12 regional non-profit making corporations. One of these, Northwest Arctic Inupiat (NANA), is bringing a human resources development approach to the area in an effort to develop enduring economic and occupational structures that promote self-sufficiency. The NANA region has three major institutional planning, management, and quasi-governmental organizations that are controlled de jure by the NANA people: the NANA Corporation, Mauneluk, Inc., and the Northwest Arctic School District (NWASD). The NANA Corporation provides leadership for a rural development strategy emphasizing self determination and the connection between cultural heritage and land use. Mauneluk, Inc., is responsible for coordinating, planning, and administering human service activities. With a special legal status similar to tribal organizations, Mauneluk receives millions of dollars for education, health, social services, community planning, and development. NWASD focuses on preparation for various lifestyles, cross-cultural education, vocational technical training, and, somewhat controversially, higher education. The future of NANA may rest on the future of subsistence lifesyles and on the massive alienation of adolescents and young adults. (SB)