Project Jukebox Survey

Help us redesign the Project Jukebox website by taking a very short survey!

Ernest "Qigñaq" Kignak

Ernest Kignak (Qigñaq) was born inland from Barrow, Alaska in 1903 during a famine period and was adopted by a Nunamiut family. As a young boy becoming aware, he recalls that his adoptive family was in Barrow, but were always traveling inland. He notes that they came to Barrow because they had a hard time getting food, particularly seal oil. They didn't have enough other goods to trade for oil, so they had to stay in the Barrow area at times and hunt sea mammals. Ernest grew up traveling on the Ikpikpuk River and other inland rivers. He has made the trip from the Ikpikpuk River into the Colville River and describes the route on Tape 00049. 

Ernest recalls learning about historic places from his family as they traveled, and he also learned about the area from his own observations. Before he got married, Ernest was a reindeer herder in the area between the Wainwright herd and the Alaqtaq area where Tom Brower had a herd. He refers to the herd he worked with as "Taaqpak's herd." He earned over 200 reindeer, but quit herding to take care of his wife.  Ernest Kignak passed away in 1988. 

(Biographical section from Quliaqtuat Iñupiat Nunañiññiñ - The Report of the Chipp-Ikpikpuk River and Upper Meade River Oral History Project. W. Arundale and W. Schneider, 1987.)

Date of Birth:

Apr 18, 1902

Date of Death:

Mar 1, 1988

Ernest "Qigñaq" Kignak appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Ernest Kignak, Interview 1	Ernest Kignak (Qigñaq) was interviewed on March 10, 1982 by Bill Schneider and Wendy Arundale at his home in Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiaġvik) for the Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project. Delores Burnell was the Iñupiaq language translator during the interview. In this interview, Ernest talks about his experiences hunting, fishing, trapping and reindeer herding in the Chipp-Ikpikpak area. He discusses fish and caribou populations, travel routes, trade practices, historic sites, and place names. He also talks about activities along the Colville and Meade Rivers, and changes in the rivers, land, and animals. (IHLC Tape #00049) Ernest Kignak spoke in Iñupiaq during the interview. The transcript contains the spoken Iñupiaq written out and its corresponding English translation, both provided by Kathy Itta (now Ahgeak).	87-101-13	Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project	Mar 10, 1982
Ernest Kignak, Interview 2, Part 1	Ernest Kignak (Qigñaq) was interviewed on January 20, 1983 by Bill Schneider and Wendy Arundale at his home in Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiaġvik) to review what he said in a previous interview on March 10, 1982 and how it was written up in the Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project final report. Leona Okakok was the Iñupiaq language translator during the interview. In this first part of a two part interview, Ernest talks about hunting, fishing and traveling in the Chipp-Ikpikpak area when he was young, his family settling in Barrow, fish and caribou behavior, and the importance of observation when hunting and learning the land. He also reviews his biographical section in the report. (IHLC Tape #00066)	87-102-09	Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project	Jan 20, 1983
Ernest Kignak, Interview 2, Part 2	This is the continuation of an interview with Ernest Kignak (Qigñaq) on January 20, 1983 by Bill Schneider and Wendy Arundale at his home in Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiaġvik) to review what he said in a previous interview on March 10, 1982 and how it was written up in the Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project final report. Leona Okakok was the Iñupiaq language translator during the interview. In this second part of a two part interview, Ernest talks about caribou hunting and fishing in the Chipp-Ikpikpak area, the historic sites of Alaqtaq, Aviullaavik and Isulimaniq, and reindeer herding. (IHLC Tape #00067)	87-102-10	Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project	Jan 20, 1983

Interview Title

Abstract

Archive #: Oral History

Project

Date of Interview

Ernest Kignak, Interview 1

Ernest Kignak (Qigñaq) was interviewed on March 10, 1982 by Bill Schneider and Wendy Arundale at his home in Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiaġvik) for the Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project. Delores Burnell was the Iñupiaq language translator during the interview. In this interview, Ernest talks about his experiences hunting, fishing, trapping and reindeer herding in the Chipp-Ikpikpak area. He discusses fish and caribou populations, travel routes, trade practices, historic sites, and place names. He also talks about activities along the Colville and Meade Rivers, and changes in the rivers, land, and animals. (IHLC Tape #00049)

Ernest Kignak spoke in Iñupiaq during the interview. The transcript contains the spoken Iñupiaq written out and its corresponding English translation, both provided by Kathy Itta (now Ahgeak).

87-101-13

Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project

Mar 10, 1982

Ernest Kignak, Interview 2, Part 1

Ernest Kignak (Qigñaq) was interviewed on January 20, 1983 by Bill Schneider and Wendy Arundale at his home in Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiaġvik) to review what he said in a previous interview on March 10, 1982 and how it was written up in the Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project final report. Leona Okakok was the Iñupiaq language translator during the interview. In this first part of a two part interview, Ernest talks about hunting, fishing and traveling in the Chipp-Ikpikpak area when he was young, his family settling in Barrow, fish and caribou behavior, and the importance of observation when hunting and learning the land. He also reviews his biographical section in the report. (IHLC Tape #00066)

87-102-09

Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project

Jan 20, 1983

Ernest Kignak, Interview 2, Part 2

This is the continuation of an interview with Ernest Kignak (Qigñaq) on January 20, 1983 by Bill Schneider and Wendy Arundale at his home in Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiaġvik) to review what he said in a previous interview on March 10, 1982 and how it was written up in the Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project final report. Leona Okakok was the Iñupiaq language translator during the interview. In this second part of a two part interview, Ernest talks about caribou hunting and fishing in the Chipp-Ikpikpak area, the historic sites of Alaqtaq, Aviullaavik and Isulimaniq, and reindeer herding. (IHLC Tape #00067)

87-102-10

Chipp-Ikpikpuk and Meade Rivers Oral History Project

Jan 20, 1983