Howard Rock or Uyaġak (previously written as Weiyahok) (August 10, 1911 – April 20, 1976) was an Iñupiaq newspaper editor, activist, and artist. He was well known for his artwork and for founding the first ever Alaska Native newspaper.

Early life

Rock was born in

Point Hope Point Hope ( ik, Tikiġaq, ) is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 674, down from 757 in 2000. In the 2020 Census, population rose to 830. Like many isolated communities in Alaska, the c ...

(Tikiġaq) in 1911. His Iñupiaq name ''Uyaġak'' (written at the time as ''Weiyahok'') means "rock" in the

Iñupiaq language Iñupiaq Iñupiaq : , Inupiaq, Iñupiat , Inupiat, Iñupiatun or Alaskan Inuit is an Inuit language, or perhaps languages, spoken by the Iñupiat people in northern and northwestern Alaska, as well as a small adjacent part of the Northwest Ter ...

. He went to high school at White Mountain Vocational School, and studied at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

for three years. After college, he became an artist, carving ivory until he was drafted during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. He returned to artwork after the war.

Activism and ''The Tundra Times''

He became involved in Alaska Native activism in 1961 after returning to Point Hope. He served as a spokesman for Point Hope in a dispute between the village and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission over a proposed plan called

Project Chariot Project Chariot was a 1958 US Atomic Energy Commission proposal to construct an artificial harbor at Cape Thompson on the North Slope of the U.S. state of Alaska by burying and detonating a string of nuclear devices. History The project o ...

to build an underwater harbor by exploding five atomic bombs in the area. That same year he was approached by the Arctic Slope Native Association to form a newspaper. In October 1962, the Tundra Times was founded with Rock as editor and publisher, becoming the first Alaska Native newspaper in Alaska. The newspaper took on Project Chariot and the virtual enslavement of the

Unangan The Aleuts ( ; russian: Алеуты, Aleuty) are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleut people and the islands are politically divided between the US ...

(Aleut) people on St. Paul Island by the U.S. Government. The paper grew to a circulation of over 3,500 under his direction. He held the position of editor and publisher until his death in 1976. The Tundra Times helped support the land claims struggle that led to the

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971, constituting at the time the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve long-standing ...

. In 1975, the Tundra Times was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for meritorious public service. During his life, Rock received many awards including being named “Alaskan of the Year,” in 1974, and “49er of the Year,” in 1975.

Death and legacy

Howard Rock died on April 20, 1976. The Howard Rock Award is given out to an outstanding Alaska Native leader by the First Alaskans Institute at their annual gala.

References

1911 births 1976 deaths Alaska Native activists Native American artists Inupiat people Inuit artists American newspaper editors Native American activists {{Alaska-bio-stub