The 1960s Paddlers
Long before modern sport recognized northern endurance, Indigenous paddlers were already proving their strength on some of the hardest waterways. In the mid‑1960s, a group of young men from Canada’s Western Arctic carried that strength onto a national stage — and into the world record books.
These were not professional athletes. They were hunters, trappers, and land‑based families whose strength came from generations of living on the land.
For three unforgettable summers — 1965, 1966, and 1967 — fully Indigenous teams from the Western Arctic raced in some of the most demanding canoe competitions ever held. Every time they entered the water, they carried with them thousands of years of Indigenous knowledge: how to read currents, how to move in rhythm, how to endure, how to trust one another.
They showed our Strength and our Way of Life in motion.
1965 — The First Team Steps Forward
In 1965, Team NWT entered a series of long‑distance canoe races in northern Ontario — preparation races for the Centennial Race that would come two years later.
1965 Paddlers
Captain Tommy Ross — Aklavik
Philip Blake — Fort McPherson
Others still being researched
Their endurance, river knowledge, and calm strength quickly earned respect from paddlers across the country. They showed that northern Indigenous athletes belonged on any river, in any competition.
1966 — Two Major Races, One Powerful Crew
In 1966, the preparation intensified with two major races:
Fort St. James to Victoria, BC
Montreal to New York City
1966 Paddlers
Captain Tommy Ross — Aklavik
Billy Arey — Aklavik
Philip Blake — Fort McPherson
William Teya — Fort McPherson
Andrew Neyando — Fort McPherson
Others still being researched
Together, they formed the heart of Team NWT — young men raised on the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers, now racing thousands of kilometers through unfamiliar waterways, proving that northern endurance belonged on any river.
They raced through storms, heat, cold, and exhaustion. They slept little. They pushed through pain. They refused to quit.
Their success set the stage for what would become one of the greatest endurance races in human history.
1967 — The Longest Canoe Race Ever Held
Still a Guinness World Record
In 1967, Canada marked its 100th birthday with a 5,283‑kilometre canoe race from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to Montreal, Quebec — the longest canoe race ever held, lasting 104 days. It remains a Guinness World Record.
Team NWT entered with a six‑man canoe — the only fully Indigenous team in Canada, all from the Northwest Territories.
1967 Paddlers
Tom Ross — Captain, Aklavik
Abel Kogiak — Aklavik
Philip Blake — Fort McPherson
John Ross — Fort McPherson
Joe Liske — Behchokǫ̀
Philip Liske — Dettah
Barney Masuzumi — Fort Good Hope
Walter Edgi — Fort Good Hope
Velmore Dragon — Fort Smith
Together, they paddled through:
mountain rivers
prairie waterways
massive lakes
dangerous rapids
They raced day after day, month after month. They slept little. They endured storms, cold, heat, and exhaustion. They paddled through the night. They refused to quit.
Their canoe — powered by Indigenous strength — became a symbol of northern resilience.
The 1967 NWT team stands as one of the greatest endurance crews in Canadian history. Their achievement is still unmatched. Their race is still the longest ever recorded. Their story remains one of the most powerful examples of Indigenous excellence in national sport.
Strength Born from the Land
What made these teams extraordinary was not just their results — it was the way they trained.
They trained by hauling wood. By traveling long distances on the river. By working on the land. By living the life of their ancestors.
Their bodies were shaped by survival, endurance, and responsibility. Their minds were shaped by patience, humility, and the teachings of their Elders. Their teamwork came from family ties, community bonds, and shared experience.
The 1965–1967 paddlers are some of the most important — and least recognized — athletes in northern history. Their achievements laid the foundation for every northern canoe racer who came after them. They proved that Indigenous athletes from small communities could rise to any challenge.
Their story is a reminder:
We are strong. We endure. We rise together.
The legacy of those three teams still flows through the North today — in every Youth who picks up a paddle, in every community that gathers by the water, and in every story told about the strength of our people.