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Molly Pederson
Molly Pederson is an Inupiaq elder from Barrow, Alaska. Her parents were Floyd and Laura Ahvakana. As a young woman, she worked for Wien Airlines as a flight attendent. She went on to become an educator and Inupiaq language instructor and translator for many years. She is the mother of five children, and has eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In 1978 and 1979, Molly translated for sea ice researchers Dr. Lewis Shapiro and Ron Metzner of the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute on the project Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979). Molly has also helped translate the Bible into Inupiaq, and has served her community on a variety of boards, committees, and commissions.
As Transcriber
Interview Title | Archive #: Oral History | Project | Abstract | Transcriber |
---|---|---|---|---|
Samuel Kunaknana | 97-64-01_SIDE A | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Samuel Kunaknana was interviewed in July 1978 by Kenneth Toovak and Ron Metzner 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 The interview was translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979).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 original recording is missing, so only the original transcript without audio appears below. In this interview, Samuel talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular around Cross Island and the mouth of the Colville River. He discusses how the wind influences the ice and how and where pressure ridges are formed, as well as talking about whaling around Cross Island. |
Molly Pederson |
Sarah Kunaknana | 97-64-01_SIDE B | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Sarah Kunaknana was interviewed in July 1978 by Kenneth Toovak and Ron Metzner 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 The interview was translated into English in 1979 by Molly Pederson and appears in the Historical References to Ice Conditions Along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska (Scientific Report, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1979).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 original Inupiaq recording and English transcript appear separately below. Due to lack of a new transcript with timecodes, they are not synced for simultaneous listening and searching. In this interview, Sarah talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular between Beechey Point and Flaxman Island and around Cross Island. She discusses how the wind influences the ice and tells the story about her brother getting lost on the sea ice. She also talks about living a subsistence lifestyle where they moved around the countryside following the game animals, and about whaling around Cross Island. |
Molly Pederson |
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. |
Kenneth Toovak | 97-64-03 | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Kenneth Toovak was interviewed on July 12, 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 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-36). The interview was translated again in January 2014 by Muriel Hopson and appears below synced with the Inupiaq audio. In this interview, Kenneth discusses his observations of sea ice conditions along the coast near Barrow and near the Colville River, in particular the build up of pressure ridges and the effect of wind, currents and weather on the ice. |
Molly Pederson, Muriel Hopson |
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 |
Samuel Kunaknana | 97-64-01_SIDE A | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Samuel Kunaknana was interviewed in July 1978 by Kenneth Toovak and Ron Metzner 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 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 original recording is missing, so only the original transcript without audio appears below. In this interview, Samuel talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular around Cross Island and the mouth of the Colville River. He discusses how the wind influences the ice and how and where pressure ridges are formed, as well as talking about whaling around Cross Island. |
Molly Pederson |
Sarah Kunaknana | 97-64-01_SIDE B | Sea Ice in Northern Alaska |
Sarah Kunaknana was interviewed in July 1978 by Kenneth Toovak and Ron Metzner 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 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 original Inupiaq recording and English transcript appear separately below. Due to lack of a new transcript with timecodes, they are not synced for simultaneous listening and searching. In this interview, Sarah talks about sea ice conditions on the northern Beaufort Sea coast, in particular between Beechey Point and Flaxman Island and around Cross Island. She discusses how the wind influences the ice and tells the story about her brother getting lost on the sea ice. She also talks about living a subsistence lifestyle where they moved around the countryside following the game animals, and about whaling around Cross Island. |
Molly Pederson |