The Life History of Effie Kokrine Through Personal Recordings
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The life history of Effie Kokrine through personal recordings Item Type Thesis Authors Freiburger, Annette J. Download date 05/10/2021 15:20:31 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4625 THE LIFE HISTORY OF EFFIE KOKRINE THROUGH PERSONAL RECORDINGS By Annette J. Freiburger RECOMMENDED: Phyllis Morrow, Ph.D. William S. Schneider, Ph.D. Adviso Committee Chair lander, Ph.D. artment of Northern Studies APPROVED: ~-~ Todd L. Sherman, M.F.A. D . al THE LIFE HISTORY OF EFFIE KOKRINE THROUGH PERSONAL RECORDINGS A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS By Annette J. Freiburger, B.A. Fairbanks, Alaska August 2013 v Abstract This thesis is a combination of tape transcriptions and research to document the life history of Athabascan leader Effie Folger Kokrine. Effie Kokrine was well known in the Interior of Alaska, but her impact reached much farther, and in many directions, as she loved to travel and share her stories with people in many different states and in several other countries. Sharing stories was only one of her many talents. She was an Alaska Native culture educator, a champion dog musher, an expert seamstress, skin sewer and beader, hunter, fisher, cook and bottle washer. Effie stayed active and busy right until her sudden death from heart failure. She believed that every person should contribute to the well-being of the community, and she did her part by volunteering with the Junior Dog Musher’s Association, the American Legion Post #11 Women’s Auxiliary, the Badger Lion’s Club, and speaking to almost every group that invited her, which was many. The only reason that she would turn someone down who invited her to speak was if she had a prior commitment. She was a favorite speaker of various groups, especially those involving children, because of her history, and because of her humor. The intent of this thesis is to attempt to capture some of that history and share some of the stories. vii Table of Contents Page Signature Page ............................................................................................................... i Title Page ....................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1 Introduction to Athabascan Elder Effie Kokrine.......................................... 1 1.1 Why is it Important to Complete the Story That Effie Started? ........................... 1 1.2 Who was Effie Kokrine? Some Background Information ................................... 3 1.3 The Relationship Between Effie Kokrine and Annette Freiburger ....................... 24 1.4 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 34 Chapter 2 Effie’s Family History .................................................................................. 39 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 39 2.2 Those Who Came Before ...................................................................................... 47 2.3 Story About a Girl and a Wild Man ...................................................................... 47 2.4 Effie’s Predecessors .............................................................................................. 51 2.5 A Story Shared With Effie From Her Mother, Jessie ........................................... 59 2.6 Reminiscing About Life on the Yukon ................................................................. 64 Chapter 3 Effie’s Early Years ....................................................................................... 69 3.1 Early Years on the Tanana River and Kantishna .................................................. 69 3.2 Effie Leaves Tanana for Eklutna .......................................................................... 82 3.3 Return to Tanana ................................................................................................... 91 Chapter 4 Marriage, the Early Years ............................................................................ 103 4.1 Effie and Andrew Married October 9, 1935 ......................................................... 103 4.2 Dog Races Start in the Spring ............................................................................... 112 4.3 The Family Starts to Grow .................................................................................... 113 Chapter 5 Move to Fairbanks ........................................................................................ 131 5.1 It Was Supposed to be a Temporary Move ........................................................... 131 viii Page 5.2 Adjusting to Life in Fairbanks .............................................................................. 134 5.3 Developing as a Hunter ......................................................................................... 137 5.4 Hunting Moose or Caribou ................................................................................... 145 5.5 Dotson’sa Story (stories are shared when it starts getting dark in the fall) .......... 152 5.6 The Tradition of Stories ........................................................................................ 154 5.7 More Hunting Stories ............................................................................................ 156 5.8 Last Hunt on the Denali Highway ........................................................................ 162 Chapter 6 Dog Sled Racing........................................................................................... 167 6.1 Effie Becomes a Champion .................................................................................. 167 6.2 Junior Dog Musher’s Association......................................................................... 181 Chapter 7 Elder in Training .......................................................................................... 187 7.1 Move to 7.5 Mile Richardson Highway, Then Back to Graehl ............................ 187 Chapter 8 Return to the Yukon River Fish Camp ......................................................... 197 8.1 Andrew, and Return to the Yukon River Camp.................................................... 197 Chapter 9 The Elder Years, Being Grandma Effie ....................................................... 211 9.1 Grandma Effie, Teacher ........................................................................................ 211 9.2 Effie, the Traveler ................................................................................................. 220 9.3 Teaching Young Friends About Moose, Preparing Skins .................................... 224 9.4 Working With Children at Spirit Camp ................................................................ 236 9.5 Making a Drum, Visit to Kantishna ...................................................................... 238 Chapter 10 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 245 10.1 Bringing Her Home............................................................................................... 245 10.2 Life After Effie ..................................................................................................... 256 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 261 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 285 ix List of Figures Page Fig. 1.1.1 Effie Walking with a Rifle on the Banks of the Yukon................................. 3 Fig. 1.2.1 Fort Gibbon, Charles E. Bunnell Collection, UAF 1958-1026-1234 Archives, Alaska and Polar Regions Collection, University of Alaska Fairbanks ............................................................................... 8 Fig. 1.2.2 Entrance to Fort Gibbon, Tanana, Alaska, Mrs. George Frye Photograph Collection, UAF 1972-117-19, Archives, Alaska and Polar Regions Collection, University of Alaska Fairbanks ............................................................................... 8 Fig. 1.2.3 Town of Tanana, Edward R. McFarland Photographs Collection, UAF 1974-130-121, Archives, Alaska and Polar Regions Collection, University of Alaska Fairbanks ............................................................................... 9 Fig. 1.2.4 Effie (top, 3rd from left) with Children at the Mission School ...................... 10 Fig. 1.2.5 Steamboats Dawson and Yukon in Tanana, Rivenburg, Lawyer and Cora Photograph Albums Collection, UAF 1994-70-396 Archives, Alaska and Polar Regions Collection, University of Alaska Fairbanks ............................................... 11 Fig. 1.2.6 Eklutna Vocational School Collection; Anchorage Museum, Gift of Hortense Hanshew, B1980.026.1.3 .............................................................. 14 Figs. 1.2.7, 1.2.8 Early Married Years, 1936 or 1937 ................................................... 20