— OCS Study MMS 86-0088 U.S. Department of the Interior Technical Report Number 125 . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ....%. .. .. .. .. “. .“:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: . Social and Economic ..:.:.:.:.:.:. x.:.:.:.:.:.:.. Studies Program :::::: ..:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. x.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. ..<.:-:.:.”.’.,.. .. .. .. .. .::::::::::::::::::::::: .. .. .. .. .. .. .:::::::::::::::::::::::::: . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. :.:.:.:.:.:-:.:.:.: .:.:.:.%. :.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:+:.:.:.: .:.:.x. :.:.:.. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::- . Sponsor: ::=: :y: Minerals Management :::::::::::::::::\:: ::: Service .:.:.:.:.:. :+:+x+: .:.:.:.:.:. :.:+ Alaska Outer Continental ‘. A. ..z3i!iiii... Shelf Region Barrow: A Decade of Modernization TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 125 CONTFUiCT NO. 14-12-0001-30227 Barrow: A Decade of Modernization The Barrow Case Study Prepared for Minerals Management Service Alaska OCS Region Alaska OCS Socioeconomic Studies Program By: Rosita Worl and Charles W. Smythe, Ph.D. Chilkat Institute September 30, 1386 NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region, in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its content or use thereof. , r. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study was designed to describe current sociocultural and socioeconomic conditions in the community of Barrow, to establish the historical context of recent changes in the town, and to increase our understanding of the effects of OCS develop- ment on the community’s social, cultural, and economic systems. A general ethnographic approach was used in the research, which included standard participant-observation techniques and adminis- tration of protocols. Data collection focused on general trends in the community and the functioning of extended family networks (particularly social organization, economic strategies, and relationships among households) . We collected biographical information to increase understanding of changes at the indivi- dual level. The study also utilized results of the 1985 Barrow Housing and Employment Survey and other primary and secondary data. Barrow has experienced extensive social and economic transformations, particularly during the 1975 to 1985 period. The North Slope Borough Capital Improvements Program stimulated a boom in the Barrow economy which attracted many non-Natives. Most of this population, which now represents nearly 40 percent of the total, can be considered permanent. Native heads of households now represent a minority in the total number of house- hold heads. Barrowts population also shows surprising racial diversity which has emerged during the last decade. i The borough government is the largest employer in Barrow. The private sector, led by the non-Native population, temporarily burgeoned during the height of the construction boom, but the number of private businesses is decreasing as borough expendi- tures decline. Ifiupiat males, who dominated the short-term, high-paying jobs associated with borough construction, now represent the largest unemployed sector of the population. Ifiupiat women entered the labor force in the largest num- bers since Western contact. They tend to hold the lower-paying, permanent administrative and operations jobs in the borough and other organizations. They have also achieved positions of political leadership in the new institutions. The proportion of Ifiupiat women raising families without husbands also increased during this period. The Ifiupiat demonstrated a remarkable ability to develop and adapt to a proliferation of new institutions and to utilize them to promote their political and economic welfare. Some of these new institutions have been developed to address the social problems and family violence which increased during this period. The extended family, operating through interrelated house- holds , is salient in community social organization. Interrelated households are the primary locus of domestic functions, including visiting and interchange, nurturing children, and subsistence production and distribution. Modern Barrow is characterized by a high degree of community integration, which is directly related to the maintenance of extended family relationships. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We greatly appreciate the interest and generosity of the families and individuals who kindly agreed to participate in the household interviews and biographical sketches. Without their contributions, this would not have been possible. We owe particular thanks to the Mayor of the North Slope Borough, George Ahmaogak, who supported our efforts by granting us access to borough records and encouraging the full cooperation within the departments. We owe special thanks to the Planning Department, the Environmental Protection Office, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Administration and Finance, the Housing Department, and the Assessing Department. The North Slope Borough School District also provided support for which we are grateful. We would also like to extend our thanks to the City of Barrow and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission for their assistance. The objectives of the study have been further enhanced through the cooperative efforts of Karla Kolash of the NSB Planning Department and Jan Erickson, who allowed us access to the 1985 NSB Barrow Survey. We owe them special thanks. Also, our appreciation extends to David Libbey who gave us copies of the Utqiagvik Ethnohistory Project reports. We would like to acknowledge Earl Nordstrand in the NSB GIS office in Anchorage, who so willingly allowed the staff to assist us in our endeavors. We particularly acknowledge Jess Grunblatt iii and Emily Binnian for their patience and assistance on this project. We also owe special thanks to Bart Ahsogeak, Roy Nageak, Ben Nageak, Bob Harcharek, and Elise Patkotak, all of whom helped us in numerous ways. The local research assistants in Barrow, Edith Nashoalik, Leona Okakok, and Mary Kancewick, provided invaluable assistance. We would also like to acknowledge the substantial contributions of Norman Chance and Nancy Chance in the field research, for household interviews, biographical sketches, and data collection on social services. Steve McNabb played an important role in the creation and analysis of the data base developed from the Barrow surveys. We were also greatly assisted by Ricardo Worl, who served as a research assistant for the project. To Dawn Scott and Judith Brogan we owe special acknowledg- ments for their efforts in the production and editing of this report. We would also like to express our appreciation to the MMS staff of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Karen Gibson, who served as the Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative, and Don Callaway consistently offered valuable assistance and support throughout this project Finally to the people of Barrow, we thank you for the kind welcome and for the hospitality so graciously extended to us, and for sharing your knowledge. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS EE19E Tables . vii MapsandFigures . ● . viii Chapter 1. Introduction and Methodology . ✎ . 1 Introduction. ● ● . 1 Methodology . ✎ ✎ . 5 The Sample. ✎ ✎ . 12 Chapter 2. Community History . ● ✎ ✎ . ● 21 The Early Period: Change and Continuity. ✎ ✎ ✎ . ✎ 21 The Recent Period: Accelerated Change. ✎ ✎ ✎ . ✎ 36 Chapter 3. Barrow Today . ✎ ✎ ✎ . ✎ 53 The Physical Setting . ● ✎ ✎ . ✎ 53 The Institutional Setting. ✎ ✎ ✎ . ✎ 69 Chapter 4. Population and Migration . ✎ ✎ ✎ . ✎ 87 The Barrow Villages: 1850-1940 . ✎ ✎ ✎ . ✎ 87 Barrow, The Town: 1940-1985. ● ✎ ✎ . ✎ 94 Barrow Households: 1985. ✎ ✎ ✎ . ✎ 105 Migration of Households. ● ● ✎ ✎ ● ✎ 114 Inter-Ethnic Relationships in Barrow . ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 117 Chapter 5. Economy. ✎ ● ✎ ✎ ● ✎ 135 Development of Local Opportunities . ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 135 North Slope Borough . ✎ ✎ ✎ ● ✎ ✎ 135 The Private Sector. ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 142 Employment Patterns. ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 147 Subsistence Production . ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 150 Barrow: A Mixed Economy . ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 150 Whaling. ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 155 Boating. ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 160 Camping. ✎ ✎ ● ✎ ✎ ✎ 163 Sea Ice Hunting and Fishing . ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 169 Subsistence Participation . ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 170 Household Income and Expense . ● ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 172 Household Costs . ✎ ● ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 185 Chapter 6. Household Economic Organization. ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 193 Introduction . ✎ ✎ ● ✎ ✎ ✎ 193 Institutional Policies . ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 194 Employment/Subsistence Strategies. ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ ✎ 196 v TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont.) Chapter (cent. ) Wage Earner/Hunter Relationship . 197 Intermittent Employment . 0 . ● . 201 Weekend Hunters . e . ✎ . e . 204 Subsistence/Commercial Hunters. ✎ . 205 Ifmpiat Women. * . s . * ✎ . 207 Som& Examples. ,. ✎ . e . 209 Tom . ..*.* . * ✎ * ● ● . 209 Dick. e . ✎ . 213 John. ✎ . 217 Jill. e . ✎ . 220 Chapter 7. Extended Family Groups . ● . ● ☛ . ● . 225 Some Examples. ✎ e . 231 Extended Family A... e . 231 Extended Family B... 0 e . ● . * . 242 Extended Family c... 252 Extended Family D... ● ● . 260 Extended Family E... ✎ . 266 Extended Family F... ✎ . 273 Visiting . ; . e . e . ✎ . 278 Hunting, Butchering, and Sharing . ✎ . 0 . 282 Adoption . * . 0 ✎ . 309 Reasons for Adoptions . e . ✎ . 310 Kin-related Adoptions . ✎ . 314 315 Patterns of Affiliations. ● . ✎ . Naming. e 0 . ✎ . 318 Chapter 8. Extended Families and the Development of Social Services. 331 Chapter 9. Summary and Conclusions . ● . 371 Appendix A- Household Protocol . e . ● . 397 Appendix B- Chronology of Institutions .