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Herman "Qallu" Ahsoak

Herman Qallu Ahsoak was born in 1964 in Barrow, Alaska, and is one of fourteen children of Jennie and Mark Ahsoak, Sr. Herman learned to hunt and whale at a young age from his father, uncles, brothers, and community elders. He is a passionate whaler and hunter with much experience and knowledge of the sea ice, although he says that he continues to learn from elders who have been whaling longer than he has. Since 2004, Herman has been whaling captain of the Quvan Crew. He performs Iñupiaq dances as a member of the Barrow Dance Group, serves on the board of directors of Barrow's village corporation, Ukpeaġvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC), and is a former vice president of UIC.

Herman "Qallu" Ahsoak appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Sea Ice in Northern Alaska

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Herman Ahsoak, Interview 1	Herman Ahsoak was interviewed on July 11, 2008 by Matthew Druckenmiller in Barrow, Alaska. This interview was part of Matthew's research for a Ph.D. in Snow, Ice and Permafrost Geophysics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For his project, he mapped the trails built by whalers to their camps at the edge of the sea ice and talked with local residents about ice conditions, whale camps, and trail building. Results of his research can be found in his dissertation Alaska Shorefast Ice: Interfacing Geophysics With Local Sea Ice Knowledge and Use (2011). In this interview, Herman talks about the ice conditions, trails, camp locations and whaling in Barrow during the 2008 spring season.	2013-25-08	Sea Ice in Northern Alaska	Jul 11, 2008
Herman Ahsoak, Interview 2	Herman Ahsoak was interviewed on February 24, 2016 by Karen Brewster at the Tuzzy Consortium Library in Barrow, Alaska. In this interview, Herman talks about his knowledge of and experience with the sea ice around Barrow. He discusses first going out whaling and learning about ice, changes he has seen in the ice including thinner ice, and how to be safe out on the ice. He also talks about the role of ice in whaling, including choosing a camp location, trail building, identifiying safe ice and moving camp for safety reasons, the effect of wind and current. He shares his experience with a large ice break-off event in 1997 and the ensuing rescue effort, the effect of changes in the ice on subsistence, and the responsibility of a whaling captain in making decisions about ice safety and whether to put a whaling crew out.	2013-25-27	Sea Ice in Northern Alaska	Feb 24, 2016