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Effie Kokrine

Effie Kokrine Effie Kokrine was a respected Athabascan Elder and long-time resident of Fairbanks, Alaska. She was born in a camp on the Tanana River on March 23, 1919, and moved to Fairbanks with her husband, Andy Kokrine, in 1949. She was an avid dog-musher who won the Women's North American Sled Dog Championships in 1946 and 1947. She was a dedicated educator, teaching Athabascan culture to Fairbanks school children. To them, she was known as "Grandma Effie." After living in Fairbanks for many years, Effie Kokrine passed away in 2001 in her home village of Tanana at the age of 82. For more about Effie Kokrine, see this article in the Peninsula Clarion newspaper. In 2013, Effie's daughter, Annette Freiburger, completed her master's degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with her thesis titled: "The Life History of Effie Kokrine Through Personal Recordings."
Date of Birth:
Mar 23, 1919
Date of Death:
Nov 1, 2001
Effie Kokrine appears in the following new Jukebox projects:
Effie Kokrine's Dog Mushing Slideshow
Effie Kokrine's Fairbanks Slideshow
Interview Title Abstract Archive #: Oral History Project Date of Interview
Effie Kokrine, Interview 1 Effie Kokrine was interviewed on February 10, 1987 by William Schneider, Sue Will and Doris Southall in Fairbanks, Alaska. In this interview, she talks about growing up in Tanana and the use of dog teams, dog team mail carriers, positions of dogs in the team, training and disciplining dogs, choosing dogs for a team, feeding and caring for dogs, getting involved in dog racing and specific incidents in races, equipment and gear, junior dog mushing, the trail to Wiseman, breaking trail and use of gee poles, keeping dogs in Fairbanks, her favorite dogs, and the importance of having trust between dog and musher. 87-16 Dog Mushing in Alaska Project Jukebox Feb 10, 1987
Effie Kokrine, Interview 2 Effie Kokrine talks about life on the Tanana River. 2008-04-02 Fairbanks Communities of Memory Mar 2, 1996