Duke in : Two-Day Excursion to the City of Barrow by: Jason Kim, Paula Moreno, and Kendall Clay

The Journey to Barrow

The day after the summer solstice, we took our luggage, our hand-lenses, and our field notebooks and packed it all into three Checker cabs. We were headed to the Anchorage airport, anxious for our 3-hour flight to the arctic city of Barrow. After herding all fourteen of us through security, we relaxed for a short time before boarding our flight. Our two-hour journey to Prudhoe Bay commenced, and we could view the spectacular topography from up above, complete with glacial lakes and the towering Brooks Range, uninhabited and wild. We landed in a town more desolate than we had ever witnessed. Prudhoe Bay is an oil drilling town, and its sole reason for existing was the Trans-Atlantic Pipeline. After an uneventful layover, our plane took off again, headed for our final destination: Barrow, or Utqiaġvik ​ After pulling our luggage down the unpaved roads, it was clear that this was a town unlike any other in the continental US. Our group managed to occupy every room at the local Airport Inn. The hotel owners, Andrew and Nancy, were not only accommodating, but also quite informative. They welcomed us to Barrow by explaining its cultural differences. Nancy, a native citizen of Barrow who grew up in California, understood the complex differences between the lower 48 states and this far northern city. She taught us basic language greetings, discussed the unsetting sun, and most importantly, gave us the what’s-what on restaurants. After checking in to the airport, we headed across town for dinner at Osaka. This restaurant catered to all palettes, from Chinese kalbi to American mini corn-dogs. Once we were no longer hungry, we illicitly walked out to the beach, despite Professor Shaw’s best wishes. These beaches had snow instead of sand, and ice instead of waves. Regrettably (or not), we did not witness a polar bear. Our group trekked back to the hotel, fighting against strong, chilled winds and learning first hand how necessary it is to dress for an arctic climate. Upon returning, we warmed up and settled in for the night (although the sun didn’t), and prepared for our first full day upon the town.

A Tour of the Town An 8 am alarm would normally seem rough, but when there is homemade bread downstairs, you do not hit snooze. Our continental breakfast came equipped with hot coffee, oatmeal, cereal, orange juice, and the bread. It gave us the fuel to begin our journey with our tour guide, a local Barrow professor. We lacked a strict itinerary for the day, but she managed to make the most of our time, starting us off by showing us the only “trees” in Barrow. Of course, the arctic is not suitable terrain for anything larger than some grasses; these trees were made of whale attached to the top of metal poles. Our guide then took us into the local fur and flower shop. It was a unique experience to see bear furs next to blossoms, and it was already

becoming apparent that the cost of living was much higher in Barrow; one bottle of water would cost you $3.00. Our tour would later show us that water wasn’t the only extravagantly priced commodity. A trip to the local grocery store showed us $10.00 pints of Ben and Jerry’s, $7.80 gallons of milk, and $13.99 containers of Ramen. Our professor explained to us that the average salaries in Barrow are elevated, so these prices are reasonable for the residents. Minimum wage in Alaska is $9.75, which helps accommodate these extraordinary costs of living. We, however, did not have adjusted salaries; these two days in Barrow required minimalistic purchases.

Iñupiat Heritage Museum

Afterward, we visited the Iñupiat Heritage Museum. This attraction was wonderfully informative, with many donated items and taxidermied animals. As soon as we walked in, we were standing underneath a giant replica bowhead whale; it was apparent that these sea mammals would be the focal point of Barrow’s community history. There was an entire room devoted to their valued skill of whale hunting. Barrow has over 40 crews, each with an individual flag to signify that crew’s hunting successes. We learned that the process of landing a whale is spiritual for the Iñupiat. A whale will only be caught by a worthy crew, devoid of a cluttered camp or obnoxious members. If the caught creature is treated correctly, more whales will be willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of this deserving community. Thus, camps are kept clean, crews are quiet, and prayers are abundant. Historically, whale hunting was fraught with superstitions. The whaling captain’s wife was the chief influence upon the whale’s spirit. Her behavior had to follow strict guidelines. She was unable to sew during the season, or else harpoon lines would become entangled. She couldn’t speak improperly, or the whales would be offended. Lastly, she was forbidden from using a knife, or else the lines would get cut. Now, these rules are no longer practiced, but the community still believes in the necessity of a church meeting to pray for safety and success. After learning about this integral part of Iñupiat life, we explored the rest of the museum. There was a television in the main room that showed clips of the Native ways of dancing. These routines help to pass down the Iñupiat traditions and reflected their unique culture and lifestyle. Displayed on a back wall, a timeline of Barrow’s history showcased the most important events to happen since it became a city in 1959. Some highlights include the discovery of oil on the North

Slope in 1968, the completion of the Trans-Atlantic pipeline in 1977, and the first collegiate accreditation of a Native Alaskan college in 2003.

Iḷisaġvik

Our class departed the Heritage Museum and headed for Taco Thursday lunch at the only accredited Native college in Alaska. Iḷisaġvik is a unique combination of technical education and cultural preservation. They tend to cater to the native population, but are welcoming of non-Natives as well. The education is meant to be tailored to local needs; a degree from Iḷisaġvik should give the students an opportunity to work in the town of Barrow, close to family and friends. Since it is accredited, the two-year degree can also transfer to a four-year college, allowing all Natives to be able to pursue further educational ambitions. This community college offers numerous degrees for its students, such as Iñupiat studies, beginning health programs, business studies, informational technology, emergency services, vocational trades, heavy equipment operations, and liberal arts. Overall, Iḷisaġvik is an opportunity to advance the education of local natives, while still incorporating the Iñupait traditional ways of life.

Nalukataq

th Saturday, June 24 ​ was our last day in ​ Barrow. Hours before the plane ride back to Anchorage was set to depart, some of us in the group were lucky enough to experience a truly culturally immersive experience through the Nalukataq, the spring whaling festival. Every year after whaling season is over, the Iñupiat people, native to Barrow, host this whaling festival to celebrate the season’s catches and honor the whales that will be used to feed the people for the year. The Nalukataq ​ is hosted, usually sometime at the end of June, by the whaling crews to present all the Barrow people with portions of the whale(s)

caught, truly embodying a sense of community among the Iñupiat. These festivals can go on for a day to a span of a few days depending on how much the whaling crews catch. Whichever crew caught the whale to be served is in charge of hosting the Nalukataq and preparing the foods for everyone in the community to enjoy. Even newcomers and visitors are very welcomed! As long as you have some sort of bowl or dish to put the foods in, you are ready to truly experience, first-hand, a meal prepared by the Iñupiat people. A group of seven of us were able to go to the whaling festival just moments before the was being served to all the elders and families. The festival was in an enclosing closed off by fences made of tarp to block the winds. In the center were three rows of tables, overflowing with various foods for the people to enjoy. The tables and people surrounding them can be seen in Figure 5. All the families and visitors were sitting along the outskirts, surrounding the tables but sitting within the enclosing to keep from the winds. Once we entered the gates, we weren’t really sure where to go or what to do. As we were looking for a place to sit, a nice family offered us a spot right in front of them. They really made our experience worth the while. Throughout the whole experience, they kindly offered us plates and knives to use and even gave us some information on what exactly we were being served and how to eat it. This really displayed to us how welcoming the Iñupiat community really was, welcoming us newcomers with open arms, offering us food and festivities so that we may also celebrate this year’s harvests. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood, excited for all the festivities and foods, and we, as newcomers, really felt welcomed with a sense of belonging. We even got to meet the governor of Alaska, Bill Walker who was walking around the festival talking to the natives, giving handshakes and hugs. Of course, he asked in a jokingly manner what Duke was doing all the way in Barrow, but after some casual conversation about what we were doing and why we were in Barrow and in Alaska in general, he ended his final remarks to us with an enthusiastic, “Go Duke!”. As for the Nalukataq’s schedule goes, this year’s festival was special. The festival began about th noon on Saturday the 24 ​ of June. It began with an ​ Iñupiat wedding. Caribou stew was served in cups for all to enjoy. Following the wedding, an elder was brought out to the middle to say a blessing and pray for the food and the people there to enjoy it. After that, the festival officially commenced and the whaling crews and family could begin to serve all the foods available to the people! We were first served Mikiaq, whale skin and fermented in whale blood, which we were told is a luxury so we were honored to be served such foods. In Figure 7, you can see one Richard Mannarino

enjoying this luxury, using his cup as a bowl to be served in. Next, they gave us “eskimo ice cream” which is really caribou fat whipped with berries and other parts of the caribou and sometimes fish. Muk tuk, was served to us frozen which is simply just the raw whale blubber. To finish up the foods, we were served desserts and pastries such as the “eskimo donut” and some type of muffin. They also gave out fruits for everyone to enjoy. I mean, how often will you be able to say that they’ve eaten raw whale skin and blubber? This was truly a unique experience and we were all glad to be apart of it! The Nalukataq usually ends with singing, dancing, and blanket tossing, which is what the festivals are most commonly known for. The blankets are usually made from seal skin and we could see it sprawled out next to the tables in the middle of the enclosing. Usually the whaling crew’s captain and wife go first and then the kids. Unfortunately, it was time for us to leave and head to the airport and fly back to Anchorage, so we did not get to see and experience the blanket toss—maybe next year! We just wanted to give a warm thank you to the Iñupiat people for welcoming us and allowing us to experience an experience like no other.

NOAA ​

On our last day in Barrow, we had the opportunity to visit a NOAA observatory (Figure 8). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) focuses on measuring the conditions of the ocean and the atmosphere. The observatory in Barrow primarily studies the atmosphere, measuring the concentrations of different gases in the air. Its location is ideal for observing conditions in the Arctic because it is close to the ocean and fairly isolated from people; it’s even a couple of miles away from the town. Therefore, there is less influence from human presence in the region when studying the air. The Barrow observatory has measured atmospheric conditions for 40 years; this is important to observe long-term trends in the atmosphere. There are four NOAA atmospheric baseline observatories—in Barrow, Alaska; Mauna Loa, Hawaii; American Samoa; and the South Pole, Antarctica—all basically on the same longitude. NOAA also has partners that use briefcase kits to measure atmospheric conditions worldwide. They all take note of gas concentrations in the air, which is important in terms of greenhouse gases and studying global warming. Bryan, a scientist at the observatory, enthusiastically gave us a tour and explained how all the equipment works. He explained some of the trends in gas concentrations observed over time. For him, there’s no question that

anthropogenic global warming is occurring, due mainly to carbon emissions. Charts and graphs showing concentrations of gas over time decorated the laboratory. Bryan also emphasized the importance of experimental design. With almost every explanation of how the equipment works, he’d mention how they control as many variables as possible or calibrate the equipment constantly, or some other way they try to be as precise and accurate as possible when studying the air. There were also some small experiments we could conduct ourselves that illustrated certain concepts Bryan explained. For instance, we tried to make clouds using a bike pump and a pressurized pickle jar (Figure 9). Another experiment used a balloon and carbon dioxide to highlight the blanket effect carbon dioxide has on the atmosphere, slowly leading to its warming. We also collected air samples on the roof, pointing small vials into the prevailing wind. These flasks of Arctic air are truly unique keepsakes of our time here (Figure 10). We then braved a walk across soft snow (some people fell!) to look at one of the instruments in the field. Bryan showed us a spectrophotometer, an apparatus that measures ozone in the atmosphere. We were all cramped in a small, dark dome, but then Bryan opened the roof, revealing the bright sunlight. After our tour, we drove back to town. Along the way, Bryan—our TA—pointed out the unusual tundra topography. On our flight there, we had seen strange patterns in the ground. Now, we had a closer look at these frost polygons and the uneven ground. Much of the ground was composed of our favorite organic material—peat. We even found small flowers growing, a strange sight in this harsh environment (Figure 11).

Leaving Barrow

Our time spent exploring Barrow was quite short, but we managed to get a general sense for its Iñupiat culture, arctic landscape, and research initiatives. We particularly enjoyed the chance to explore NOAA’s observatory, engage with the locals at Nalukataq, and learn about the Native history at the Iñupiat Heritage Museum. After being exposed to the chilling winds for two days, there was a longing for the warmth of Anchorage and an appreciation for the Barrow locals who endure arctic winters. Yet, we had acquired a new appreciation for a different way of life, quite dissimilar from our lower 48 existences. From abundant ATV’s to roadside whale bones, Barrow will leave a distinct impression of the native Alaskan lifestyle upon our travels.