George Attla
Appearance
George Attla | |
---|---|
Born | [1] Koyukuk, Alaska, United States[2] | August 8, 1933
Died | February 15, 2015 | (aged 81)
Other names | Huslia Hustler[3] |
Known for | Sprint Dog Mushing |
Website | http://attlamakingofachampion.com/ |
George Attla (August 8, 1933 – February 15, 2015) was a champion sprint dog musher.[4] Attla won ten Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Championships and eight North American Open championships[5] with a career that spanned from 1958 to 2011.[6] Attla was the subject of a 1993 book titled George Attla: The Legend of the Sled-dog Trail, by Lewis "Lew" Freedman.[7]
In 1974 Attla wrote a book titled Everything I Know About Training and Racing Sled Dogs.[8] Attla died of B-cell lymphoma in February 2015.[9]
Major mushing victories and finishes
[edit]- Anchorage Fur Rendezvous First place finishes: 1958, 1962, 1968, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1981, and 1982.[10]
- Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race In 1973 Attla placed fourth in the inaugural Iditarod.[11]
Legacy
[edit]- On April 25, 1998, the governor of Alaska, Steve Cowper, declared April 29 as George Attla Day.[12]
- Attla was the focus of the movie Spirit of the Wind.[13]
- He inspired the 2017 single "You Got to Run (Spirit of the Wind)", a collaboration between Buffy Sainte-Marie and Tanya Tagaq.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Daily News-Miner Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ Freedman, Lew (2000). Spirit of the Wind. Epicenter Press. p. 16. ISBN 9780945397939.
- ^ a b "Legendary sprint musher George Attla dies". Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "Alaska Native mushing icon George Attla hopes to boost sport in villages". Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "For bedridden mushing legend George Attla, 81, the journey continues". Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "No stopping George Attla: Setbacks don't keep legendary musher off the runners". Newsminer. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ Freedman, Lew (1993). George Attla: The Legend of the Sled-dog Trail. Stackpole Books. pp. 204.
- ^ Levorsen, as told by George Attla to Bella (1974). The Iditarod: the most demanding race of all (2nd ed.). Rome, N.Y.: Arner. ISBN 0914124021.
- ^ "Legendary Alaska scurry musher George Attla dies". Fairbanks Daily News. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Who are the winners of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous dog races?". Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "Musher Career Summary". Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "George Attla – Making of a Champion Role Model".
- ^ Dunham, Mike (27 February 2014). "Film about legendary musher George Attla returns to the screen". Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ Queens of Indigenous Music Buffy Ste-Marie and Tanya Tagaq Unite for “You Got To Run (Spirit Of The Wind)” Archived 2019-12-23 at the Wayback Machine. RPM.fm, February 22, 2017.
Categories:
- 1933 births
- 2015 deaths
- Deaths from cancer in Alaska
- Deaths from lymphoma in the United States
- Dog mushers from Alaska
- Koyukon people
- Native American sportspeople
- People from North Pole, Alaska
- People from Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
- Alaska people stubs
- Indigenous peoples of North America biography stubs