Home Tikigaq Story What We Do Contracting Resilience in Point Hope Careers Shareholders Contact Us Paglalikun.Welcome Our Roots The Inupiat people inhabit the oldest continuously settled Native American site on the continent. Specifically, the Tikigagmuit (Tikigaq people) reside in the village of Point Hope, Alaska which is located 330 miles southwest of Barrow, above the Arctic Circle and approximately 720 air miles northwest of Anchorage on a spit of land jutting into the Chukchi Sea in Northwest Alaska. This highly favorable site has abundant resources and has enabled the Tikigagmuit to retain a strong traditional cultural presence. It is reportedly the oldest continuously inhabited village on the North American continent with over 2,500 years of recorded history. The spit of land jutting into the Chukchi Sea resembles an index finger and Tikigaq means index finger in the Inupiaq language. Village Life Point Hope is a subsistence village dependent upon fishing, gathering and hunting of marine mammals for food. The subsistence activities throughout the year revolve around whales, other marine mammals and land mammals. The bowhead whale is at the center of the Inupiat culture; whaling crews hunt the bowhead in the spring and whaling captains hold positions of respect in the village. Subsistence activities vary from preparation for whale hunting, to sharing the whale when caught during Nalukataq (a summer festivity in which successful whaling crews share the whale with the community). The residents of Point Hope proudly celebrate their traditional past and embrace their promising future; this is demonstrated through the Tikigaq Mission Statement and overall philosophy of the corporation’s subsidiaries. Language Inupiaq is the plural word for Northern Eskimos. Inupiaq is the singular word for an Eskimo person of this region and the name of the language spoken by the people. For Inupiaq, language is intrinsic to their culture and traditions. The Inupiaq language consists of Inuit-Inupiat families of languages spoken from Siberia (Yupik) to Greenland (Inupiaq). Many dialects are understandable to speakers of neighboring dialects. The Inuit language family is a sub-family of the Eskimo-Aleut language family. In Alaska, a linguistic division depends on whether the speakers consider themselves Inuit or Yuit (Inupiat or Yupik). The geographic linguistic and cultural boundary seems to occur close to the Yukon River. Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Because of Alaska’s indigenous population, land ownership has always been a historically contentious issue for the state. The longstanding debate over Native claims to Alaska land came to a head in 1968 when enormous oil reserves were discovered in Prudhoe Bay. It was broadly acknowledged that transporting the oil across 700 miles of traditional Native lands to the ice-free port of Valdez would require an immediate decision on the question of what land belonged to the state and federal government and what land belonged to the Alaska Natives. Addressing the issue once and for all, Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971. The first thing the new law did was create 12 Alaska Native Regional Corporations (a 13th would be added later) and over 200 village corporations. The second thing the law did was transfer the title of over 44 million acres of Alaska land to these regional and village corporations to be divided up proportionally along with nearly $1 billion dollars in cash. In short, Native land claims were nullified, and instead, the Government put land and money into the hands of Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) whose Shareholders were Alaska Natives. This solution was designed to address the land claims disputes that had plagued the state for years, but it was also designed to serve as a solution to the economic problems faced by Native peoples. By assigning land and money to each ANC, and by making Alaska Natives Shareholders of those companies, the federal government hoped to give Alaska Natives a self-sufficient way of providing for the economic viability of their people. In 1971Tikigaq Corporation was formed as one of the many village corporations called for by ANCSA. Tikigaq has more than 1400 Shareholders, and its mission is to support those Shareholders both financially and culturally through the pursuit of business opportunities. Effective Leadership We know that effective and capable leadership is required to inspire employees to create quality products, services and solutions that meet the expectations of our customers. Our leadership team cultivates the company’s success with their direction, expertise, and experience. Board of Directors The Tikigaq Corporation Board of Directors plays an integral role in strategic planning and growth initiatives. They represent the wide-ranging diversity of our company and contribute considerable time, effort, and energy to furthering our mission and improving the wellbeing of our Shareholders. Sayers Tuzroyluk, Sr. Chairman Ryan J.C. Rock President Elmer Frankson Vice- Chairman Aqquilluk Hank, Sr. Vice-President Operational Management Ryan J.C. Rock President and CEO Stuart Barrows Chief Operating Officer Janelle Cobb Chief Financial Officer David Rickards Contracts Compliance Violet Attungana SBA Liaison Chistina Darley Human Resources Sam Cunard Health, Safety, Environment Cristina Shaffer Information Technology James Daniel IV General Manager Construction David Ledenham General Manager Environmental George Evans Operations Manager Operations and Maintenance Aqquilluk Hank, Sr. Retail Manager Point Hope Operations Donna Freitas Director, Business Development Christina N. Tippin Treasurer Hazel Oktollik Corporate Secretary Rex A.K. Rock, Jr. Director Our People Alzred Steve Oomittuk Director Robert Omnik Director At Tikigaq, it’s our people that shape our future. We come from a variety of backgrounds, beliefs, skills, and abilities. Nevertheless, we’re united by a culture that embraces and embodies our core values… evident in our actions every day. Our employees consistently delivery results every day. These people bring their technical knowledge, numerous years of expertise and experience, and resourcefulness to the delivery of our specialized construction, environmental, operations, maintenance and support services. Shareholder Program Tikigaq’s commitment to our Iñupiat shareholders extends beyond the typical financial relationship. We strive to complement their lives with occupational and educational opportunities as well as social and cultural preservation programs. Our profits provide services and support across a wide range of programs. Diverse Portfolio of Operating Companies Tikigaq supports a diverse portfolio of operating companies with one strategic goal: enabling superior outcomes for our customers’ missions. Together with its operating companies, Tikigaq represents an uncommonly broad array of focused services, technologies, specialized talents, and proven program success at some of the most visible and challenging implementations across all of government and industry. Tikigaq is an enterprise with 40 years of commercial and federal contracting experience and almost 400 employees supporting more than 1,400 Iñupiaq shareholders in the Arctic Slope region of Alaska. Tikigaq Corporate provides the backbone infrastructure to support 6 socio-economically disadvantaged small businesses (SDBs) with mature business processes and shared back-office support services. We leverage this infrastructure and the shared experiences of our operating companies’ personnel to bring world-class solutions to our customers worldwide. Tikigaq Companies Tikigaq Construction, LLC Tikigaq Constructors, LLC Agviq Environmental Services, LLC Agviq, LLC Tikigaq Federal Services, LLC Bell Tikigaq, LLC Tikigaq Conam, LLC Contact us Careers Tikigaq Email Board of Directors Portal Tel. (907) 365-6299 | Fax (907) 365-6520 1400 W Benson Blvd #210, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA © 2020 Tikigaq Corporation