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Percy Nusunginya
Percy Nusunginya is an Iñupiaq elder from Barrow, Alaska. He was born in 1941 to Faye and Ned Nusunginya, and grew up living a traditional subsistence lifestyle where he learned to hunt and be out on the se ice at a young age. He attended primary school in Barrow and high school at Mount Edgecumbe in Sitka, Alaska. As a young man, Percy worked for the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL), including on their ice island research stations. Percy comes from a long line of successful whalers and expert hunters and is very proud of his heritage. He has continued the family tradition by whaling with his brother-in-law, Joe Panigeo, and then starting his own crew in the late 1970s. Percy has extensive knowledge of the sea ice environment and of whaling and seal hunting. Percy has a deep commitment to protecting the rights of the Iñupiat people, and for many years has been actively involved in advocating on their behalf.