TETLIT'ZHEH/FORT MCPHERSON
When Stanley Snowshoe saw an aging photograph of some paddlers charging down the Mackenzie River in the Fort McPherson band office a few years ago, it struck a chord.

The three surviving members of Fort McPherson's team (Joe Kay, left, Woody Elias, and John Itsi) from the Sir Alexander Mackenzie NWT Centennial Canoe Race, show off the commemorative paddles that were given to them at an assembly recognising their achievement on Oct. 17. - photo courtesy of Norman Snowshoe

The photo had been taken in 1970, the year a six-man team from Fort McPherson won the Sir Alexander Mackenzie Canoe Race from Fort Providence to Inuvik in honour of the Northwest Territories Centennial celebrations.

Although he was just five years old at the time, the photo jogged a memory of him standing on the banks of the Mackenzie River, cheering on the hometown boys as they paddled into town on one of the legs of the race.

Worried that memories like his would one day fade way for good, Snowshoe decided to organize a presentation to honour the six Fort McPherson men who were crowned champions that summer. On Oct. 17, more than 250 members from the community packed themselves into the gym at Chief Julius School to hear their story.

"It makes me proud to be Gwich'in to hear this story," Snowshoe said. "They are our heroes for what they accomplished."

A total of 10 teams took part in the race with entries from across the Northwest Territories, as well as a team from Alberta and Yukon. Fort McPherson's team was captained by 29-year-old Phillip Blake, who rushed to put together a group of young men in their mid-20s and early-30s at the end of the trapping season. John Itsi remembers being recruited for the team along with his cousin, Joe Vittrekwa, on their way back into town from a recent muskrat hunt just two weeks before the race started.

"He asked us if we were interested and we said 'yeah, we'll try out,'" said Itsi.

The next day Itsi, Blake and Vittrekwa met down by the river along with Joe Kay, Woody Elias and Vittrekwa's brother "Delta" Joe Vittrekwa, who made up the remainder of the team. Blake had been on the team that represented the Northwest Territories in the 1967 Centennial Voyageur Canoe Race at Expo 67 in Montreal and in the weeks leading up to the race, he pushed the six young men to train hard - putting them through a regime of running and paddling everyday.

"We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into," said Itsi.

The race kicked off on July 8, 1970 under the watch of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who fired the starting gun from the shores of the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence. Although the Queen's interactions with the team was limited to shaking the hands of all the captains beforehand, Elias recalled a young Prince Charles coming down to meet the paddlers just before the start of the race.

"He just walked around and asked us questions, just like he was himself. I thought he was nice," remembered Elias.

The race itself consisted of several stages with stops at all the communities along the Mackenzie River. Not only did the men have to paddle an average of 140 kilometres a day to make their way down the river, they also had to complete a long distance race and a sprint at each stop.

"We never seemed to get tired," Itsi said. "I think we had an advantage because everyone of us was making a living hunting and trapping."

Things started out poorly for the boys from Fort McPherson when they found themselves in ninth place on the first leg of the race out of Fort Providence. They soon recovered though, and after deciding to split with the pack, they had jumped up to third place and were gaining ground.

"There was one canoe ahead of us and we just kept going and going and pretty soon we passed it," Itsi said.

For the rest of the expedition, Fort McPherson found itself trading leads with teams from Aklavik and Alberta. Blake's team ended up winning most of the legs, although they had a narrow miss in Norman Wells when an ill-advised tip about a shortcut around one of the islands landed them on the shallows of a sandbank.

"We had to jump in the water and run with our canoe," said Itsi.

When they finally finished their portage, the team was at the back of the pack, and all the other teams were just "little dots" on the horizon, Itsi said. Instead of giving up, the team dug their paddles in and they ended up finishing in second place, just behind Alberta.

"When you get on the river you can't quit," said Elias. "Where are you going to go?"

That night, there was a huge feast in Norman Wells with steak, beer and dancing that lasted well into the night. Blake had warned the team not to get too carried away with the party so Itsi and his cousin Fred drank "just enough to feel your oats" and went back to their tent early.

"Some of the teams, I think they were pretty hungover," joked Itsi.

The race finished up with a final stretch from Aklavik to Inuvik on July 28. Although the journey between the communities didn't count toward the race, Itsi remembers the team pushing itself to be the first boat to make it to Inuvik. With Aklavik just ahead of them on the home stretch, Itsi said the banks of the Mackenzie were lined with people cheering the two teams on as they came around the bend.

"People were screaming, we were all neck and neck, it was really exciting," said Itsi. "You can't describe that kind of feeling."

After paddling for 1,812 kilometres, Fort McPherson ended up beating their rivals by less than 12 minutes, clocking in a time of 157 hours, 3 minutes and 34 seconds to Aklavik's 157 hours, 14 minutes and 17 seconds.

Forty-four years after the race, Elias, Kay, and Itsi said they are humbled that the community is honouring their achievement.

"We did it as a team and we did it for the people," said Elias afterward.

Unfortunately the other three team members - Blake and the Vittrekwa brothers - passed away years ago and were not there to celebrate.

"They showed pictures of them and a little tear came out of my eye when I seen Philip and Joe and Fred," said Itsi.

On top of honouring the six members from the team that won the race, the assembly also recognized other paddlers from Fort McPherson who had taken part in other canoe races throughout the years.

When the Power Point presentation that Snowshoe had compiled with the help of teacher Matthew Moore was finished, everyone in attendance gave the men a standing ovation.

"The people started clapping like they were there," said Snowshoe. "It was kind of emotional."

At the age of 68, Itsi said he "would rather just paddle around the lake" than take part in a race. Nonetheless, he said he hopes his experience will serve as an inspiration to the youth in the community.

"It's something I will always remember and I hope the younger generations will keep paddling and keep the tradition going," he said.

Fact file

Top five finishes for the Sir Alexander Mackenzie Centennial Canoe Race 1970

1. Fort McPherson: 157 hours, 3 minutes. 34 seconds

2. Aklavik: 157 hours, 14 minutes, 17 seconds

3. Inuvik: 158 hours, 35 minutes, 58 seconds

4. Fort Providence: 159 hours, 4 minutes, 3 seconds

5. Alberta: 159 hours 58 minutes, 44 seconds

Source: Stanley Snowshoe

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.