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Authors: Sherry Shahan

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Jr. Iditarod Sled Dog Race:
This race began in 1978 to permit male and female mushers age fourteen to seventeen to complete in a shorter version of the Last Great Race on Earth. The junior route is approximately 160 miles and takes two days.

kass’aq
: A Yupik word meaning “white man.”

kuspuk:
A traditional long-sleeved overshirt worn by Eskimo men and women. A summer kuspuk is lightweight, typically made of cotton. Winter kuspuks are made of heavier material and may be lined with fur.

lead dog(s):
A single dog or pair of dogs that runs in the front position. Lead dogs must be both smart and fast.

mandatory gear:
Certain items that, according to race rules, mushers must carry in their sled or on their person to ensure good care and safety for themselves and their dogs.

mukluk:
A soft, high-top boot made from leather, reindeer skin, or sealskin, and worn by Eskimos.

“Mush!”:
This command comes from the French word
marcher
, which means “to walk” or “to march.” It’s rarely used today.

musher:
A person who stands on the back of a sled and drives a team of dogs.

neckline:
A short line that connects a dog’s collar to the gangline.

nenglu
: The Yupik word for “igloo.”

qamiiyek
: The Yupik word for “sled.”

quyana
: The Yupik word for “thank you.”

quyanaghhalek tagliusi
: The Yupik phrase for “welcome, thank you for coming.”

Red Lantern Award:
A red lantern is awarded to the last musher to finish the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The longest time for a Red Lantern Award recipient was thirty-two days, fifteen hours, nine minutes, and one second, recorded by John Schultz in 1973.

rookie:
A musher participating in a race for the first time.

runners:
Two long bottom pieces on a sled that come into contact with the snow. Mushers stand on the portion of the runners that extends behind the sled basket.

serum run:
In 1925 untold numbers of Eskimo children in Nome were exposed to diphtheria, a highly infectious disease. A hospital in Anchorage had the only serum in the
territory. The serum was put on a train to a native village called Nenana. From there, twenty mushers and their teams of huskies transported the serum 674 miles in a relay. It took approximately five and a half days. The lifesaving serum arrived frozen but still usable.

Siberian Yupik:
Indigenous people who live on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. They also reside on the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula, in the far northeast portion of Russia.

sled bag:
A cloth sack that fits into the sled basket and holds the load.

snow hook:
A heavy piece of metal with two U-shaped prongs attached to the snub line. Hooked around a tree or stuck into ice, it’s used to anchor the team for a short time.

snub line:
A rope attached to the sled to secure it to a stationary object, such as a tree.

swing dog(s):
A single dog or pair of dogs hooked directly behind the lead dog(s). They help “swing” the sled around curves.

tugline:
A line that joins the back part of the dog’s harness to the gangline. It’s also called the backline.

ulu:
An all-purpose knife with a wide, flat blade. An ulu knife has many uses, including skinning animals, cutting patterns from skins, and shaving blocks of ice to build an
igloo. Today, a steel blade is common and handles are typically antler or carved wood.

wheel dog(s):
A single dog or pair of dogs directly in front of the sled. These dogs are trained to pull the sled around corners and trees.

“Whoa!”:
A call for the team to stop. It’s often used with pressure on the drag brake.

About the Author

Sherry Shahan is the author of more than thirty books, including the Alaska-based adventures
Frozen Stiff
and
Death Mountain
. Her young adult novel
Purple Daze
was written using journal entries, interconnected free verse, and traditional poems.

When she’s not snorkeling with penguins in the Galápagos or riding horseback with a herd of zebras in Africa, she can be found studying ballet or competing in West Coast Swing at a dance convention.

Sherry holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in a laid-back beach town in California. Visit her on the Web at
SherryShahan.com
.

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