Initially established in 1973 as the non-profit arm of the Bering Straits Native Association, Kawerak advocated for the settlement of the Alaska Native Land Claims Act. Today, Kawerak contracts with the state and federal government to provide services to residents of the Bering Strait Region, 75% of whom are American Indian, Eskimo or Aleut descent. Kawerak's organizational goal is to empower Alaska Native people and their governing bodies to take control of their future. With programs ranging from education to housing, and natural resource management to economic development, Kawerak seeks to improve the Region's social, economic, educational, cultural and political conditions.