Kaktovik Subsistence Land Use Values through Time in the - "~" -'.~ Arctic National. Wildlife Refuge. Area. '0' _:: . :.,- .. : • ::1: -,' -:..:~ "', ...~ g-:?:..:.:~~ .". .~__ 7~_';~;~:~.\~~: rr========'='"'="-==-,="'=-=-,,,=-"'=="='==;] '"";t£i~ -/:: ~::::':::::;'::'­ ~:-;' -:~~:?! :-:~ ",: ....... .. - :' j~~~li.~ .. "_........" ..•., c _-.•,­ ·:~~~;f~ft:· ',:'-~~ .-:'~'';;.~'' ' :'"'",. -, ..",...... • ~:_., •• _. _'0 , -, .:':'Ef?"t-:;-.: "-~~ '. :..:..•• ~~ :0,:. "":"... ...OOC' ': ;;:~~~ ;~~~~~f ·~-_r..~ :.-~ ,~:..~,~, .~~: ~-s;;> ."'- :;~T' ",.-, --: , :',~ 0' __ '".. ' -./- ,.~~>;- '1 ;: <. ,.; :.-. NAES 82-01 Kaktovik Subsistence LAND USE VALUES THROUGH TIME IN THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE AREA I . i by Michael J. Jacobson Cynthia Wentworth Kaktovik Resource Specialists: Nora and George Agiak Mae Agiak Kaveolook Eunice Agiak Sims Herman Aishanna Isaac and Mary Sirak Akootchook George Akootchook Jane Akootchaok Thompson Olive Gordon Anderson Betty and Archie Koonneak Brower Tommy Uii'ii'iiq Gordon Alfred and RUby Linn Herman and Mildred Rexford u.s. Fish and Wildli1e Service Northern Alaska Ecological Services 101 12th Avenue. Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 1982 CONTENTS I Foreward . .•. 1 Acknowledgements .. iii Introduction ,... .. _ v 1. Subsistence Setting. , .1 2. Hlslory of Kaktovik. .. .. .3 3. Traditronal Land Use Inventory Sites . .7 4. Land Usa Patterns Over Time. ......,. .15 5. The Land and the Subsistence Economic System ........21 6. Yearly Cycle _. ._ ..29 7. Resources Harvested _. .... 35 8. Future Studies and Aecommmendalions .,. ,,69 Appendix 1. Genealogy................ ........ ,71 Appendix 2. The Reindeer Era ............................ .79 AppendIx 3. Traditional land Use Inventory Sites. ..,..... , ..85 Appendix 4. IndivIdual Histories and Residence Chronologies 121 Appendix 5. MuSkox., ,., , 137 Uterature Cited . ·· , , .. 139 Cover photo: Tents along the Sadlerochit River (M. Jacobson). Book design by Visible Ink, Anchorage, Alaska. LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Population from Brownlow Point 10 Demarcation Point ... ..7 Table 2. Traditional land Use Inventory Sites in the Arclic National Wildlife Refuge .............8 Table 3. Traditional Land Use Inventory Sites Mld·Beaufort Sea Coastal Area ..... ,......... _....... .. 9 Table 4. Kaktovik Fuel Prices, 1977·1981 .. ._.... 22 TableS. Kaktovik Staple Food Prices ... ,.... ,.23, Table 6. Blotrc Resources Commonly Used by Kaktovik Residents. ..,, 36 Table 7. Whales Taken by ViUage of Kaktovik Between 1964 and 1981 ., ,49 Table 8. Genealogy: Akootchook Family, ......... 72 Table 9. Genealogy: Gordon Family. ........... ,. ....... 73 Table 10. Genealogy: Ologak Family ........... 75 Table 11. Genealogy: Arey Family. .,......... 76 Table 12. Genealogy: Other Related Families. ....,, 77 Table 13. Economic Situalfon After Severe Winter of 1935-36 .. ,, 81 LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1. Northern Portion, Arctic NalJonal Wildlife Refuge, . .vl Fig. 2. North Slope Borough .. .... vi Fig.3. Mid-Beaufort Sea Coastal Area. ._.. .. ix Fig. 4. Traditional land Use Inventory Sites Arctic National Widlife Refuge Area ,_,. .10 Fig. 5. Traditional Land Use Inventory Sites Barter Island and Vicinity ... , .. .10 LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS Photo 1. Crossing the foothills near the Hulahula River .... , .... 1 Photo 2. Susie and Andrew Akootchook, about 1948. They helped establish a trading post at Barter Island in 1923 .... ... 4 Photo 3. Tom Gordon, a Scottlsh whaler and trader, established a trading post al Barter Island in 1923 . 4 Photo 4. Fishing for arctic char at the Hulahula River's Second Fish Hole , .. 11 PhotoS. Singing and dancIng at Iglukpa!uk in the 1920's ........ 12 Photo 6. Old house, now vacant, at Pinuqsraluk ....., 13 Photo 7. Perry Akoolchook inspects his snowmachine at a Sadlerochit River camp. ._.. 16 Photo 8. Nora Agiak and other girls row a boat alBarter Island in the 1920's __ . ,17 Photo 9. Whaling caplain Isaac Akoolchook with maktak Irom large bowhead whale kiJled fall 1981 ... __ ., ... 25 Photo 10. loaded sled near ArcUc Creek on the Sadlerochit River, .. 27 Photo 11. Boating along Ihe coast near Barter Island in late July, 1977 .. 30 Photo 12. A sled load of firewood is brought to the Hulahula River's Second Fish Hole camp. .. _. , _. , .. , ... 31 Photo 13. Dancing inside Ihe community hall during Thanksgiving . , . .32 Pholo 14. Ugruk (bearded seal) skin stretched out to dry al Kaktovik .33 Photo 15. caribou taken near Pokok (Humphrey) Bay in July ., ... ,, .. 37 Photo 16. Masak Gordon butchers caribou meat at Kaktovik , .. , 38 Photo 17. This caribou hide is used as a sleeping pad when camping .39 Photo 18. Examining edible parasites on a fresh caribou hide ....40 Photo 19. Arctic fox skins are hung lor drying _.. _......... , ..45 Phol020. Setting a trap for arctic ground squirrel .... , .... , .. , .... 47 Photo 21. Holding an arctic ground squirrel trapped 30 miles inland on the Hulahula River, ... ,, .. .48 Photo 22. Villagers help butcher a bowhead whale at Barter Isrand, October 1977, 50 Photo 23. George Akoolchook removes maktak from a large bowhead whale. _.. 51 Photo 24. Happiness at Nazukatuq feast ... _..... _.. _ 52 Photo 25. Butchering a large bowhead whale at Barter Island. 52 Photo 26. Seal hunter on an ice floe several miles north of Barter Island, in August. ,,. _.. _54 Photo 27. Women at Uqsruqlalik (Griffin Point) cutting ugruk meat inlo strips for staring in seal all -_, .. ,. .. ._.. 55 Photo 28. Ugruk meat hangs from drying rack , .. .55 Photo 29. This polar bear was killed close to Barter Island in November, 1977 _ . .56 Photo 30. These willows were placed In lhe snow at Sadlerochit Springs 50 that snares for capturing ptarmigan could be hung in the spaces between them . , ....60 Photo 31. Plucking feathers from ptarmigan , ,. _.. ,. ,, .61 Photo 32. Ken Sims of Kaklovik holds an arctic char (left) and a chum salmon caught close to Barter Island, . ..62 Photo 33. lake trout are caught in the Neruokpuk lakes by fishing through the ice with hook and line _.. _.... ' ..64 Pholo34. Rshing for lake troulthrough thick ice ... .. _. .66 Photo 35. lloyd and Susan Gordon with ptarmigan and ground squirrels taken near Sadlerochit Springs .. _. , .....94 Photo 36. Kaktovik girls with lheir calch of arctic char at Second Fish Hole.. _..96 Photo 37. Women and children at fglukpafuk, summer 1924. .,....... .. 100 I FORWARD Kaktovik, located on Barter Island on the Beaufort seacoast, Is the only vlllage within the boundaries of the Arctic NaUonal WJldlife Refuge. lis 175 residenls. most or whom are Ir'!uplaq speaking EskImos, have strong cultural Jinks 10 lands In and adJacent 10 Ihe northern part of the refuge and are culturally and economically dependent on the reluge's wildlife resources. Kaktovik Is one of the eight villages belonging to the North SlOpe Borough, which Is the regional governing entity headquartered In Barrow. Modem In many respects, there Is also ample evidence ollis dependence on the land's resources. New pick-up trucks are parked next to plies of whale maklak. Racks of drying ugruk meat extend from Just­ completed modern four bedroom houses. and caribou hides are draped over snow­ machines parked In front yards. North Slope Borough construction and services offer Jobs where resIdents are regularly employed, but work schedules are f1e.xJble enough to allow for subsistence activitIes, and people hunt and fish on weekends and durIng vacations. Contlnulng petroleum development on the North Sbpe and Its possible extension to the coastal plain of the Arctic NatIonal Wildlife Refuge have !ocused anenUon on the people of KaktoVik and their subsIstence way of life. In order to make optImum j resource allocation decisions and minimize petroleum related Impacts, Ills important to know as much as possible about these peoples' past and present uses of the land and wildlife and the values associated with these uses. This report documents, from the vIewpoint of the people at Kaktovik, historic and present land use and associated values In the general area of the Arctic National WlldlJfe Refuge. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the area and resources that Kaktovik people use for subsistence. The next three chapters give a historJcal perspective on the area and the subsistence use ot the land: Chapter 2 describes the history of the village of Kaktovik. Chapter 3 tells about olher former dweJlJng places: the Traditional Land Use Inventory sites where people: sllli return to fish and hunt Chapter 4 describes some of the land use patterns that present Kaktovik people followed when they were younger and which Influence subsistence actlvilles now. Chapter 5 discusses the significance of subsistence use of the land from an economic perspective. The yearly cycle of subsistence activities according to season is de­ scribed in Chapter 6. Finally. Chapter 7 gives a detailed descrIption of the subsistence use of each species, IncludIng where; when and how it is taken. Appendix 1 shows the principal genealogical relationships of Kaktovik people. The next three Appendices give detailed historical information concerning the Reindeer Era,the Tradilional Land Use Inventory Sites used by Kaktovik people, and the land use pat­ terns of varIous Individuals. The final Appendix discusses Kaktovik's role In the 1969 transplant of musk ox on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Foremost we would like to acknowledge the many Kaktovik residents who provided the Information for this report. WUhout their willing assistance and cooperation,