Bill: So you raised your children in that area. When did that pattern stop? When did you leave that area? Elizabeth: Qaŋaaglaanguuq aasii taavaniqsiullaiŋavisi? Nina: Qaŋaqqammiuraq taavaniqsiullaiŋarugut. (It was only recently that we stopped staying over there.) Elizabeth: Sumun aullaŋavisi tavraŋŋa piiġavsi? (Where did you go when you left that place?)(Some Iñupiaq material missing.) Nina: Aullaŋaitchugut sumun, Utqiaġviŋñuksiññaŋarugut. Mauŋaŋarugut Ikpikpaŋmiñ. Elizabeth: From Ikpikpak they went back to Barrow and then to Meade River. Bill: You stayed in Barrow for a few years? Nina: Utqiaġviŋñiinŋarugut imma how many years, iñugiaktut. Elizabeth: They were several years in Barrow. Bill: And why did you come to Meade River? Mattie: (Iñupiaq material missing.) Nina: Qavaŋŋaŋarugut kiuvva qavaŋŋaġapta mauŋaŋarugut. Aasii taima maŋaŋamiñ Iñuiġutimman una alurriqiruat aġiummata Utqiaġviŋaqaluaqtugut. Utqiaġviŋñun nuunŋarugut. (Well, we had come back from the east, when we came back from the east, we came here. And then when the people started moving from here when the coal mining stopped, we moved to Barrow.) Bill: I want to make sure that we can catch Mattie on here. When did you come to Meade River? Elizabeth: Qaŋaaglaanguuq mauŋa nuuŋavisi? (When did you move here?) Nina: Sumiñ? (From where?) Elizabeth: Nuutqaaġavsi mauŋa. (When you first moved here.) Nina: 1947-mikiaq mauŋa nuuŋarugut. Tatqavaŋŋa. Elizabeth: She believes it was in 1947. Bill: And why? Elizabeth: Summan? Nina: Nuułłuta, nuułłuta tainna. Elizabeth: They just moved. Bill: What was your husband doing then? Nina: Savakłutik maani coal-mines. Elizabeth: Coal mines. Bill: And where did you live here? Elizabeth: Kanani Tikiġlugmiiłhaiññaŋarut, amii? Nina: Ii. (Yes.) Elizabeth: They lived at what is now Tikiġluk. You've probably noticed there's a couple houses still standing down there. Bill: Yes. I know that one. Freighting coal back and forth? Nina: Taikani, tamaaniitkaluaġapta aasii iñuiġutimman savaŋaiġmata coal mine Utqiaġviŋaruani. Elizabeth: She didn't understand it, she was talking about when they went back to Barrow, but I remember that part because my dad was also involved. Her husband and everybody else that worked at the coal mine, what they would do, they had a cut train that would go to Barrow to bring the coal for Barrow people, would sell it down there. And then come back. And they did it throughout the winter when they could travel the cat train over the rivers.

Bill: Was that the first time you had been up here on the Meade? Elizabeth: Tamauŋaqpaalluŋavisigguuq tavra 1947-mi tavrani nuutkavsi? Nina: Naumi, tamaaniitchuuŋammiugut. Elizabeth: No. They have been here before, on and off. Bill: Before you got married? Elizabeth: Katitinŋaiñŋaqpiñ? Nina: Katitkaanikkama. Elizabeth: No. After. Nina: Immaaglaan unaŋŋa, aġnaiyaakuluurauŋŋaġman aullaaġaġuuŋagaluaġmiugut sumi nalusuugitka atqit. Qaŋasaaġruk. Elizabeth: She was saying that she remembers that when she was a little girl that they had traveled inland but she's not sure exactly where they were. Bill: Have you been farther upriver than Tikiġluk? Nina: Tatpauŋa umiaqtuqłuta tatpauŋaguurugut kuukum upinġaami. Elizabeth: In the summertime they go up farther. Bill: What are some of the old places up there? Elizabeth: Aasiigguuq tatpaaniittuat sunik atiqaqpat? Nina: Nunami tatpaani nuna uvaniqpaniittuaq suna. Qalluuraq. Qalluuram aasii uvanitchianiittuaq sunausiimña? Elizabeth: Qalluuraq. Bill: Some of the places upriver from here are Qalluuraq. What other placed that direction she remember. What other places that direction do you remember? Elizabeth: Taunuŋanmun ittuat suli itqaumaŋitpigi? Nina: Atqupkaġaluaqtuq. Samma tamanna tatpauŋa. Samma Nauliġialiqisuummivat? Avani? (There were lots of names for those places. Now where did they say Nauliġiaq was? Over there?) Namniq suli samma kivani atiqaġmiruaq Namniġmik, kivani. (And there was also a place called Numnik (Namniq) back east. (Numnik is a Barrow family name.) Bill: That's upriver? Nina: Atchu. (I don't know.) Tatpaani iglualuit pamma quliaqtuġuugait qaŋapak iñuit tamattumani kuuŋmi, ukiiviŋit iñuit. (There are old houses that people talk about along the river where some of the people used to winter.) Qaŋasaaq imma. (That was a long, long time ago.) Elizabeth: She's heard of old places where people would stay in the wintertime down that direction and there's some indications of old houses. I guess sod houses that people have talked about since she's lived here. Bill: That place Numnik, is that named for some reason? Nina: Tavra atiqaġaat Namniġmik, iñuum atikkaluaŋa, Aŋutiġrualiqisuurullu samma. (They called it Numnik, it used to be it was name of a person, and they also talk about Aŋutiġruaq.) Elizabeth: Aŋutiġruaq is also another name down that direction. Numnik is a person's name. She's not sure why they name it that way. Aŋutiġruaq is also a man's name. Aŋutiġruaq, A-Big-Man.

Bill: Did you live here since 1947, you stay here? Elizabeth: (Iñupiaq material missing here.) They stopped the coal mining sometime in the fifties, and they closed the school, so most of the families moved to Barrow, and her family moved also. Bill: You've been traveling all your life. And then you moved back just recently? Elizabeth: Utiŋavisiasii mauŋa qaŋaaglaan. 1976? Nina: 1977-mi uvuŋa igluliŋarugut. Upinġaatuaġman uvagut aullaaġaġuuruani. Elizabeth: 1977 they came down, but they were here every summer. Nina: Uvagut aullaaġaġuuruagut upinġaatuaġman takanuŋa Atqasupiamun. Igluuraqaqtuŋa samma takanani. (Our family used to go camping down to the old Atqasuk. I have a little house down there.) Elizabeth: She came up every summer, to the original Atqasuk, and she's got a little house down there. Nina: Aasii nuunŋarugut October 1977. Takanaŋŋali nuuktiqtugut uvva. (We moved in October of 1977. We moved from down there to here.) Bill: Do you know when people started camping at old Atqasuk? Elizabeth: Qaŋaaglaanguuq takanani Atqasupiami aullaaŋasuusiŋavat? Nina: Kitkut? (Who?) Elizabeth: Iñuit. (People.) Nina: Atchuimma, taimaŋŋa qaŋa aullaaġuuŋarut taipkua. Taimaŋŋa qaŋa. Aasii marra makua nutaqqat Kiiritkut imma suvuanniḷu taipkua. (I don't know when, ever since ever, those people back then would go camping there. Since time immemorial. And then these younger people, even before Kiiriq and them.) Elizabeth: She can't say when they started camping, as far as she remembers it's always been a camping place at Atqasuk, and the family called Kiiriq, that's his wife, is one of the names that you have, Fannie Kiiriq, they were permanent residents in Atqasuk. They lived there year round. They were camping way before Kiiriq family. When the coal mine was still running here at Tikiġluk, Kiiriq and his wife lived in Atqasuk year round. Just coming into Tikiġluk for supplies or on Sundays for church. Bill: Do you have any more questions? Wendy: No, I don't think so, I think we've really covered a lot. Elizabeth: We're getting to the present, because if I begin to remember...(laughter). Wendy: Elizabeth, it's been particularly great to have you for this session, and you know Nina, and you know Mattie, and you know the area, so it's really very helpful to have you be able to understand and fill in. Bill: It was fortunate too, having Mattie come in and adding information. What is your last name? Mattie: Tunik.