A recent court ruling could open a new chapter in how Alaska Native tribes make decisions about their land. The decision in the case filed by Alaska Native entities in 2006 allows them to put some lands into trust the same way tribes in the lower 48 states can. It closes a question remaining from the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act that terminated aboriginal land claims. It’s a complicated and important topic with winners and loser on both sides. We’ll break down what it means and what happens next for communities that have waited decades for the right to control the land they own.