Eskimos to advise on Antarctic

Press, 17 January 1986, Page 4

Eskimos to advise on Antarctic

Two expert cold weather survivors will feel quite at home when they reach the Antarctic this week.

Two Eskimos of Barrow, North Slope Borough, Alaska, Mr George Ahmaogak and Mr Luther Leavitt, arrived in Christchurch yesterday en route to the United States National Science Foundation’s Antarctic research base. The foundation had invited them to advise on appropriate clothing and support equipment. They are first Eskimos to be officially invited there. “As cold weather experts from time immemorial, we have been invited to submit a report, with suggestions and ideas on the clothing, support equipment and transport used there,” said Mr Ahmaogak. Mr Ahmaogak, aged 37, is Mayor of the North Slope Borough, a borough of about sq km and a

tion of 12,000 people. This northernmost and coldest 'part of Alaska has seven villages.

Mr Leavitt, aged 65, is a respected whaler in Barrow, the seat of the borough’s provincial Government. He can no longer hunt for whales as he was permanently disabled by a whale bomb on an expedition. Eskimos hunt whales “purely for subsistence and not for commercial gain;” said Mr Ahmaogak. Whales instead of turkeys were eaten traditionally at Christmas and Thanksgiving.

The fact that Eskimos had survived the freezing Alaskan temperatures for thousands of years is expected to help Antarctic researchers.

“We expect a lot of good will come from this trip, and we are glad our opinions are being sought,” said Mr Ahmaogak. “I hope

we will be able to continue to help.” A typical winter’s day in Barrow would be about minus 23.9 deg. The coldest month is February, when temperatures are known to drop to a breathfreezing minus 35 deg. In the three months of summer, temperatures warm to between 1.1 deg. and 4.4 deg. Each home is specially equipped to stay warm. Mr Ahmaogak said his house had 152.4 mm of insulation in the walls and about 203 mm of insulation in the roof and floor.

All homes were vapour tight to prevent the moisture from freezing between the walls, said Mr Ahmaogak. Most homes were heated with either natural gas or electricity. In Alaska the freezing conditions affect every aspect of life.

Most vehicles are fitted with heaters and bat-

tery blankets. The mayoral car Mr Ahmaogak uses is even fitted with a cabin heater which fits snugly under the dashboard and plugs into the car’s engine. Most cars would also use a lighter oil in winter than in summer.

Diet plays an important part too. Rendered seal oil from the blubber of seal which had been aged in a wooden barrel, was commonly eaten with raw caribou meat or fish. The oil was not cholestrol forming like daily products, said Mr Ahmaogak. Of course, wearing the right clothing was important.

Specially made clothes for hunting, such as heavy parka and mukliks (a sealskin winter boot) were commonly worn. Mr Ahmaogak said he could quite happily, sleep outside in temperatures of

minus 26.7 deg. if dressed correctly. ■ Mr Ahmaogak’s borough also includes the oil-rich fields of Prudhot Bay. The Trans Alaskan oil pipeline also passed through the borough.

Mr Ahmagak has been active politically since the borough was formed in 1972. He has been active and successful in lobbying for many Eskimo rights. Now the borough has more than one hospital and police station to service the whole area. Before 1972 there was almost no firefighting equipment. School education in the borough is now free, thanks to Mr Ahmaogak’s efforts. Health has also . been vastly improved since the borough was formed. Mr Ahmaogak was elected mayor last October, and will stand for re-elec-tion when his term ends in 1987.