Tee-Hit-Ton Indians v. United States

Summary

The Court held that the Tee-Hit-Tons' aboriginal use and occupancy of Alaskan lands, without congressional recognition of ownership or permanent occupancy rights, was not property protected by the Fifth Amendment and could be extinguished without compensation. It further held that the relevant Alaska statutes preserved the status quo but did not recognize compensable ownership or permanent possessory rights. The Court therefore affirmed dismissal of the claim. Justice Douglas, dissenting, would have treated the 1884 Organic Act as recognizing the Indians' possessory claims and remanded for findings concerning the scope of their timber rights.