The Alaska Federation of Natives will gather in Anchorage this month for its 60th Annual Convention, running Oct. 22-24 at the Dena’ina Center under the theme “Rooted in Land and Tradition, Rising in Our Voices.” Billed as the country’s largest gathering of its kind for Native peoples, the convention typically draws around 6,000 attendees from villages and communities across the state.

AFN President Benjamin Mallott said this year’s theme reflects both where the organization came from and where it’s headed, pointing to the enduring connection between Alaska Native communities and their ancestral lands as the convention marks six decades of advocacy. The gathering will also feature Dr. Rosita Worl, a Tlingit anthropologist and president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, as its keynote speaker — recognizing a career Mallott said embodies the spirit of this year’s theme.

AFN has grown steadily since its founding in 1966, today standing as the state’s biggest Native organization and claiming more than 140,000 Alaska Native members on its rolls. The convention serves as the organization’s primary forum each year, bringing together tribal leaders, delegates, elders, youth and Alaska Native corporations to weigh in on issues affecting Native communities and vote on resolutions that help shape AFN’s priorities for the year ahead.

Beyond the policy sessions, the convention is also known for its cultural programming, including the Alaska Native Customary Art Fair and the Quyana Alaska dance celebration, which features traditional performances from Native groups across the state. This year’s convention will be preceded by the First Alaskans Institute’s Elders & Youth Conference, running Oct. 18-21, also in Anchorage, bringing together younger and older generations to share knowledge and strengthen Native leadership ahead of AFN’s main gathering.