MARLA:  Okay.  We're on.  My name is Marla Statscewich, and today is October 25th, 2005.  I'm in Anaktuvuk Pass.

I have the pleasure today of talking with Bob Ahgook, and his wife Rhoda is here, as well.  And we're in his home, and it's a beautiful evening.  And this is for the Community Health Aide Program. 

And so thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview. 

BOB:  Yeah, you're welcome. 

MARLA:  And so maybe you just want to start with some -- some background information, where you were born, when you were born, who your parents were.  And then we'll go from there.
 
BOB:  I was born in mouth of Colville, that's down north of Nuiqsut area.  And when I was a kid, I -- that's where I was born. 

MARLA:  What year were you born? 

BOB:  1929. 

MARLA:  Okay. 

BOB:  Oh, September 29. 

MARLA:  Okay.  And who were your parents?
 
BOB:  My father is Jesse Ahgook, and my mother is Myrtle Ahgook.

MARLA:  Okay.  And how many siblings do you have? 

BOB:  I have five brothers -- four brothers and five sisters. 

MARLA:  Wow, big family.

BOB:  Yes.  There were 10 of us. 

MARLA:  And what number are you? 

BOB:  I'm -- I was number 6, I think, yeah.
 
MARLA:  Okay.  So you had lots of -- you were right in the middle? 

BOB:  Yeah, about -- my sisters were -- four of them were above me.  I mean, they were older than me. 

MARLA:  Right. 

BOB:  And one of them was the last -- last girl.  My mother adopted her to his sister and his brother because my brother -- she adopted a boy from his sister when she died.  Kind of a -- my brother adopted brother was born early in October, then my youngest sister was born later, in May. 

MARLA:  So when did you come to Anaktuvuk Pass? 

BOB:  We -- we live around down coast and around Prudhoe Bay, used to call Barter Island, this side Barter Island.  We went up to Wiseman.  We live around Itkillik area for a few years, we went to Wiseman 1945 -- '43. 

I went to school but I didn't get enough education, I went fourth grade, then we went to Fairbanks in 1944, just before Christmas. 

So we live around there until I come back to Anaktuvuk, down Tulugak 1949.

MARLA:  And is that where you met Rhoda? 

BOB:  Yeah, they were around here.  People were around here and then I -- I started learning how to -- I mean, I started following people around so I -- so I could learn how to hunt and everything, to live on awhile in Anaktuvuk area, as people used to go out in the spring, summer and kind of for bounty hunting, you know, for wolf, that's how they make them a little bit of money.
 
MARLA:  Yeah. 

BOB:  In those years before no -- no job.  Everybody don't have a job those days.
 
MARLA:  So you did a lot of trapping and hunting then?
 
BOB:  Yeah. 

MARLA:  In the late '40s? 

BOB:  Yeah.