Is it irony or entertainment when a Tlingit man at a governing conference sings the Hank Williams classic "Your Cheatin' Heart" a capella?

That's something residents of Alaska and Yukon Territory found themselves speculating about over the weekend at the Governing Under the Midnight Sun conference. Alaskans and Yukoners gathered to discuss their histories and politics from Oct. 22 to 25 in Whitehorse, Yukon.

When asked to say a few words and sing during the closing remarks at a conference banquet this weekend, Sam Johnston sang part of "Your Cheatin' Heart" in English, and then in Tlingit.

Some attendees speculated that since Johnston is old enough to have known how Yukon First Nations people were treated before and during their land claim negotiations, his song may have been commentary on the federal government. On the other hand, maybe he just wanted to entertain his audience. The speculation was mostly in jest. The singing, on the other hand, was definitely real.

First Nations and Alaska Native land claim issues, and how Alaska and the Yukon alternatively handled them, were a major part of the discussion this weekend at the conference.

Some parts of those histories were similar, and others were more disparate.

"Different times have different contexts and different ways of looking at the world, " University of Alaska Fairbanks history professor Terrence Cole said during the conference's first panel Friday morning.

As far as the land claims go, Alaska came first. The federal government was in charge, and it was done relatively quickly. The resulting settlement was complicated, good for its time, Cole said. When the Yukon's time came, the Alaska Federation of Natives offered to pay for lawyers so the Yukon First Nations could challenge the issue in court. The body in charge at the time, the Yukon Indian Council, decided to negotiate instead.

And so, for years and years and years, they negotiated. Recently, most of the negotiations have ended. Most of the First Nations have signed agreements, said Yukon Sen. Dan Lang.

But it's not over yet.

Judy Gingell was part of the first delegation to Ottawa to begin the negotiations. Gingell said her job wasn't over until the loans used to pay lawyers during the negotiations were forgiven. At the end of the negotiations, the First Nations owed the federal government about $70 million, she said.

Lang said there are still three unsettled First Nations claims in the Yukon.

"Once they're settled, we're going to be a far better place to live," he said.

Implementing self-governance, a part of the settlements, is also a challenge. Marilyn Jensen talked about Carcross-Tagish First Nations efforts to do so, and their goals in self-governance.

"We're trying to reclaim our traditional values and we're trying to reclaim our health and wellness," Jensen said.

Ed Schultz, from the Council of Yukon First Nations, said the transformation of the Yukon's government was intertwined with First Nations' ability to self-govern, which came about as part of the land claims settlements.

"It has really transformed the way we govern in this territory," he said, adding that the Yukon was recognized around the world for being unique.

Similarly, statehood changed life for Alaska Natives, said Isaac Juneby, a Han elder from Eagle who has been involved in native issues for decades.

"There were a lot of things that were turned over to the state," Juneby said, mostly federal services that the state of Alaska was then charged with providing. "I remember my dad telling me that even the way you do things is going to change."