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Otis Ahkivgak

Otis Ahkivgak was born in 1891 in Wainwright, Alaska, but lived along the northern Beaufort Sea coast. Typical of Inupiaq families at that time, they moved around a lot following the seasons and available food sources. Starting in 1902, after a measles epidemic, the family spent winters at Flaxman Island. Otis grew up hunting for caribou, seals, and polar bear, setting nets for fish, reindeer herding, and trapping foxes. Otis whaled with Taaqpak at Cross Island, and married his daughter, Mary. They moved to Barrow, Alaska about 1938. Otis loved to go whaling and considered Taaqpak his great teacher. From a lifetime of subsistence activity, Otis developed a great knowledge of the ice conditions both along the Beaufort Sea coastline and around Barrow. Eventually, Otis took over Taaqpak’s whaling crew as Taaqpak became too old to keep whaling. The Ahkivgak Crew continues to whale in Barrow. After Mary Ahkivgak died, Otis married Olive. Otis Ahkivgak died December 24, 1980; he was 89 years old. For more about Otis Ahkivgak, see Qiñiqtuagaksrat Utuqqanaat Iñuuniaġniŋisiqun: The Traditional Land Use Inventory for the Mid-Beaufort Sea, Volume 1. (Barrow, AK: North Slope Borough, Commission on History and Culture, 1980).

Date of Birth:

Mar 15, 1891

Date of Death:

Dec 24, 1980

Otis Ahkivgak appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Sea Ice in Northern Alaska

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Otis Ahkivgak, Part 1	This is a recording of Kenneth Toovak providing a verbal English summary translation of an interview he conducted in Iñupiaq with Otis Ahkivgak on December 8, 1979 in Barrow, Alaska. The interview was for UAF researchers Dr. Lewis Shapiro and Ron Metzner on the project Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). Kenneth summarizes each of the four original tapes made with Otis on separate new tapes. Ron Metzner is with Kenneth, asking clarifying questions. Unfortunately, the location of the original Iñupiaq tapes are unknown; the UAF Oral History Collection only has these English audio translations and their transcripts. In this first part of a four part interview recorded on January 6, 1980, Kenneth talks about Otis talking about ice conditions along the Beaufort Sea coast between Barrow and Barter Island, and life along the northern coast, including hunting, traveling, and trading at the trade fair at Niġliq on the Colville River.	97-64-05_PT.1	Sea Ice in Northern Alaska	Jan 6, 1980
Otis Ahkivgak, Part 2	This is a continuation of the recording of Kenneth Toovak providing a verbal English summary translation of an interview he conducted in Iñupiaq with Otis Ahkivgak on December 8, 1979 in Barrow, Alaska. The interview was for UAF researchers Dr. Lewis Shapiro and Ron Metzner on the project Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). Kenneth summarizes each of the four original tapes made with Otis on separate new tapes. Ron Metzner is with Kenneth, asking clarifying questions. Unfortunately, the location of the original Iñupiaq tapes is unknown; the UAF Oral History Collection only has these English audio translations and their transcripts. In this second part of a four part interview recorded on January 6, 1980 Kenneth talks about Otis talking about ice, wind and current on the Beaufort Sea coast around Beechey Point, Cape Halkett, Milne Point and Cross Island, getting caught out on the moving ice, and whaling at Cross Island.	97-64-05_PT.2	Sea Ice in Northern Alaska	Jan 6, 1980
Otis Ahkivgak, Part 3	This is a continuation of the recording of Kenneth Toovak providing a verbal English summary translation of an interview he conducted in Iñupiaq with Otis Ahkivgak on December 8, 1979 in Barrow, Alaska. The interview was for UAF researchers Dr. Lewis Shapiro and Ron Metzner on the project Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). Kenneth summarizes each of the four original tapes made with Otis on separate new tapes. Ron Metzner is with Kenneth, asking clarifying questions. Unfortunately, the location of the original Iñupiaq tapes is unknown; the UAF Oral History Collection only has these English audio translations and their transcripts. In this third part of a four part interview recorded on June 3, 1981, Kenneth talks about Otis talking about ice movement and piling up on barrier islands, ice conditions on the Beaufort Sea coast, and whaling.	97-64-05_PT.3	Sea Ice in Northern Alaska	Jun 3, 1981
Otis Ahkivgak, Part 4	This is a continuation of the recording of Kenneth Toovak providing a verbal English summary translation of an interview he conducted in Iñupiaq with Otis Ahkivgak on December 8, 1979 in Barrow, Alaska. The interview was for UAF researchers Dr. Lewis Shapiro and Ron Metzner on the project Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). Kenneth summarizes each of the four original tapes made with Otis on separate new tapes. Ron Metzner is with Kenneth, asking clarifying questions. Unfortunately, the location of the original Iñupiaq tapes is unknown; the UAF Oral History Collection only has these English audio translations and their transcripts. In this fourth part of a four part interview recorded on June 3, 1981, Kenneth talks about Otis talking about learning about ice, wind and current and a big ice pileup in front of Barrow. Otis also told a story about a man who behaved badly and drifted out on the ice but returned home only to be crushed by ice piling up and collapsing on his sod house.	97-64-05_PT.4	Sea Ice in Northern Alaska	Jun 3, 1981