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Ronald Brower, Sr.
Ronald H. Brower, Sr. is an Iñupiaq elder from Barrow, Alaska. He was born in 1949 to Annie (Qaġġun) and Harry (Kupaaq) Brower, Sr. The early years of his childhood were spent inland at Iviksuk on the Inaru River. The family moved back to Barrow around 1954. He started going whaling and hunting on the sea ice when he was about nine years old. Ronald’s knowledge of sea ice around Barrow comes from his many years of experience whaling and from listening to his elders when he was a boy. He whaled with his uncle, Tom Brower, his father, Harry Brower, Sr, and has been co-captain with is younger brother, Harry Brower, Jr. Ronald attended the Wrangell Institute, Mt. Edgecumbe, and received an associate’s degree in Arctic Studies from Sorbonne University in Paris, France and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Ronald has been active in his community, where he was involved in establishment of the North Slope Borough in the 1970s, and served on the board of the Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation (UIC) for 21 years and as their president and land chief for eight and a half years. Ronald has a deep interest in and commitment to preserving Iñupiaq history and language, and has applied this by serving as chairman of the North Slope Borough’s Commission on Iñupiat History, Language and Culture, archeological facilitator for the State of Alaska for the North Slope region, founding director of the Iñupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, and vice-president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council and president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council-Alaska. Ron worked with the Inuit Elders International Conference from Greenland from 1979 to 1998 and served on the Inuit Circumpolar Conference executive council from 1998 to 2006. He currently is an Iñupiaq language instructor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and is a skilled artist of ivory carvings, oil paintings, baleen boats, and ulus.
| Interview Title | Abstract | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Date of Interview |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Brower, Sr., Part 1 |
Ronald Brower, Sr. was interviewed on March 8, 2016 by Karen Brewster at Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Fairbanks, Alaska. In this first part of a two part interview, Ronald talks about living a traditional subsistence lifestyle as a child and learning to hunt and go whaling. He discusses ice conditions, what to pay attention to in order to be safe, and how conditions have changed in his lifetime. He also talks about drifting out on the ice and the 1997 ice break-off event near Barrow. |
2013-15-30_PT.1 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska | Mar 8, 2016 |
| Ronald Brower, Sr., Part 2 |
This is the continuation of an interview with Ronald Brower, Sr. on March 8, 2016 by Karen Brewster at Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Fairbanks, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, Ronald talks about the dangers of being out on the sea ice and how to be safe out there, the effect of wind and current on ice conditions, and changes in ice conditions he has observed in his lifetime. He also talks about climate change and the future of whaling, human adaptation to the changing environment, the applicability of traditional knowledge, and younger generation's sea ice knowledge. |
2013-25-30_PT.2 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska | Mar 8, 2016 |
As Transcriber
| Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract | Transcriber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harold Itta | 97-64-04 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Harold Itta was interviewed on July 26, 1978 by Kenneth Toovak in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). The interview was translated again in August 2014 by Ronald Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In the introduction, Kenneth Toovak says this is the second tape of Harold Itta, but it is the only recording of him that we have. This recording matches up part-way through the transcript in the report (see p. A-II-4), but does not start where the written transcript begins. So there must have been a part one that is now missing and all we have is the written part in English in the report. In this part of the interview, Harold talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast and around Barrow, Alaska. He discusses years of a lot of ice, long distance travel to open leads, ice movement, shallow areas, and the ice break up event in Barrow in the 1950s when many whaling crews lost their equipment and had to run to safety. |
Ronald Brower, Sr. |
| Vincent Nageak, Sr., Interview 1 | 97-64-09 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Vincent Nageak, Sr. was interviewed on May 25, 1978 in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). The interview was translated again in August 2014 by Ronald Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In this interview, Vincent talks about sea ice conditions in the area of Cape Halkett, Harrison Bay, Thetis Island, Cross Island, and Barter Island. He also talks about ice conditions around the barrier islands, whaling activity, and traveling by dogteam across the ice by Cape Halkett in late spring. Nageak was also interviewed for this project in English by Ron Metzner on September 27, 1979 (ORAL HISTORY 97-64-10). |
Ronald Brower, Sr. |
| Henry Nashaknik, Interview 1 | 97-64-08 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Henry Nashaknik was interviewed on July 26, 1978 by Kenneth Toovak in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). The interview was translated again in August 2014 by Ronald Brower, Sr., and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. The original interview was recorded on two different tapes: part one of the interview is on the end of ORAL HISTORY 97-64-04 (after the interview with Harold Itta ends); part two of the interview continues on ORAL HISTORY 97-64-08. The two parts of the interview have been combined here into one digital file and named to reference tape ORAL HISTORY 97-64-08, since ORAL HISTORY 97-64-04 has already been used for the Itta interview. In this interview, Henry Nashaknik talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular around McClure Island, Cross Island, and Harrison Bay. He discusses how the wind and current influences the ice and how and where pressure ridges are formed. He also tells stories about two different groups of men who were drifted out on the ice and how they survived and were able to return to shore. |
Ronald Brower, Sr. |
| Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 2 | 97-64-03 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Bruce Nukapigak was interviewed on July 12, 1978 by Kenneth Toovak in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979, p. A-II-30). The interview was translated a second time in January 2014 by Muriel Hopson and appears in this project as Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 1. The interview was translated a third time in August 2014 by Ronald H. Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In this project, it is known as Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 2. In this interview, Bruce talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular around Barter Island, Cross Island, Beechey Point and the Jago River. He discusses how the wind influences the ice and how and where pressure ridges are formed.
|
Ronald Brower, Sr. |
| Leo Attungowruk | 97-64-13_PT.1 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Leo Attungowruk was interviewed on January 4, 1980 by Ron Metzner and Frank Akpik, Sr. in Point Lay, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. Amos Agnasagga was also present during the interview. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was translated into English in August 2014 by Ronald H. Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. The audio quality on this interview is poor, so parts of it can be hard to hear and understand. The last thirty minutes of the interview were not translated as they are more about whales and whaling than about sea ice, so only the English portions appear for that portion of the transcript. Other interviews for this project appear in Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979), but this interview with Atuungowruk is not in the final report. In this interview, Leo talks about sea ice conditions around Point Hope and Point Lay, effects of wind and current on the ice, a flood that occurred in Point Lay in the early 1940s, and living a subsistence lifestyle off the land and sea around Point Lay. |
Ronald Brower, Sr., Karen Brewster |
As Translator
| Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract | Translator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 1 | 97-64-03 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Bruce Nukapigak was interviewed on July 12, 1978 by Kenneth Toovak in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979, p. A-II-30). The interview was translated a second time in January 2014 by Muriel Hopson and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In this project, it is known as Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 1. The interview was translated a third time in August 2014 by Ronald H. Brower, Sr. and appears in this project as Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 2. In this interview, Bruce talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular around Barter Island, Cross Island, Beechey Point and the Jago River. He discusses how the wind influences the ice and how and where pressure ridges are formed. |
Molly Pederson, Muriel Hopson, Ronald Brower, Sr. |
| Harold Itta | 97-64-04 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Harold Itta was interviewed on July 26, 1978 by Kenneth Toovak in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). The interview was translated again in August 2014 by Ronald Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In the introduction, Kenneth Toovak says this is the second tape of Harold Itta, but it is the only recording of him that we have. This recording matches up part-way through the transcript in the report (see p. A-II-4), but does not start where the written transcript begins. So there must have been a part one that is now missing and all we have is the written part in English in the report. In this part of the interview, Harold talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast and around Barrow, Alaska. He discusses years of a lot of ice, long distance travel to open leads, ice movement, shallow areas, and the ice break up event in Barrow in the 1950s when many whaling crews lost their equipment and had to run to safety. |
Molly Pederson, Ronald Brower, Sr. |
| Vincent Nageak, Sr., Interview 1 | 97-64-09 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Vincent Nageak, Sr. was interviewed on May 25, 1978 in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). The interview was translated again in August 2014 by Ronald Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In this interview, Vincent talks about sea ice conditions in the area of Cape Halkett, Harrison Bay, Thetis Island, Cross Island, and Barter Island. He also talks about ice conditions around the barrier islands, whaling activity, and traveling by dogteam across the ice by Cape Halkett in late spring. Nageak was also interviewed for this project in English by Ron Metzner on September 27, 1979 (ORAL HISTORY 97-64-10). |
Ronald Brower, Sr., Molly Pederson |
| Henry Nashaknik, Interview 1 | 97-64-08 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Henry Nashaknik was interviewed on July 26, 1978 by Kenneth Toovak in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). The interview was translated again in August 2014 by Ronald Brower, Sr., and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. The original interview was recorded on two different tapes: part one of the interview is on the end of ORAL HISTORY 97-64-04 (after the interview with Harold Itta ends); part two of the interview continues on ORAL HISTORY 97-64-08. The two parts of the interview have been combined here into one digital file and named to reference tape ORAL HISTORY 97-64-08, since ORAL HISTORY 97-64-04 has already been used for the Itta interview. In this interview, Henry Nashaknik talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular around McClure Island, Cross Island, and Harrison Bay. He discusses how the wind and current influences the ice and how and where pressure ridges are formed. He also tells stories about two different groups of men who were drifted out on the ice and how they survived and were able to return to shore. |
Molly Pederson, Ronald Brower, Sr. |
| Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 2 | 97-64-03 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Bruce Nukapigak was interviewed on July 12, 1978 by Kenneth Toovak in Barrow, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was first translated in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979, p. A-II-30). The interview was translated a second time in January 2014 by Muriel Hopson and appears in this project as Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 1. The interview was translated a third time in August 2014 by Ronald H. Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In this project, it is known as Bruce Nukapigak, Translation 2. In this interview, Bruce talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular around Barter Island, Cross Island, Beechey Point and the Jago River. He discusses how the wind influences the ice and how and where pressure ridges are formed.
|
Molly Pederson, Ronald Brower, Sr., Muriel Hopson |
| Leo Attungowruk | 97-64-13_PT.1 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Leo Attungowruk was interviewed on January 4, 1980 by Ron Metzner and Frank Akpik, Sr. in Point Lay, Alaska for a project related to potential oil development of the Alaskan continental shelf. Amos Agnasagga was also present during the interview. The original interview was in Inupiaq. The interview was translated into English in August 2014 by Ronald H. Brower, Sr. and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. The audio quality on this interview is poor, so parts of it can be hard to hear and understand. The last thirty minutes of the interview were not translated as they are more about whales and whaling than about sea ice, so only the English portions appear for that portion of the transcript. Other interviews for this project appear in Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979), but this interview with Atuungowruk is not in the final report. In this interview, Leo talks about sea ice conditions around Point Hope and Point Lay, effects of wind and current on the ice, a flood that occurred in Point Lay in the early 1940s, and living a subsistence lifestyle off the land and sea around Point Lay. |
Ronald Brower, Sr. |