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Crawford "Ahkivgak" Patkotak

Crawford Patkotak

Crawford Ahkivgak Patkotak was born in 1966 in Barrow, Alaska, and was raised by Susan and Simeon Patkotak, Sr. He grew up in Barrow and at Peard Bay, hunting and gathering. He started whaling when he was about eight years old. His father was a successful whaling captain, and his mother came from the Ahkivgak whaling family, where she learned from her grandfather, Taaqpak. Crawford has been whaling captain of the Patkotak Crew since 2008, after his father got too old to continue whaling. In addition to living a subsistence lifestyle to support his family and community, Crawford currently is chairman of the Board of Directors of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), as well as the senior vice president of Shareholder and Community Programs. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the Barrow Utilities and Electric Cooperative (BUECI), on the board of the Barrow Whaling Captains Association, as a member of Barrow City Council, and a member of the Board of Trustees for Ilisagvik College.

Crawford "Ahkivgak" Patkotak appears in the following new Jukebox projects: