Celebrating National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day
In June we celebrate National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day. A time to recognize the rich history, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
To celebrate, we had the privilege of speaking with Sharon Firth. She graciously shared her journey, highlighting the significance of Indigenous representation in sport.
A member of the Gwich’in First Nation, Sharon Firth was born in Aklavik Northwest Territories in 1953. Sharon and her twin sister Shirley competed in four Olympic Games and three World Ski Championships. They won a combined 79 Nationals medals and were named to the National Ski Team for 17 consecutive years. Sharon was inducted into the order of Canada, Canada Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Ski Hall of Fame, and was awarded the John Semmelink Memorial Award, the Commissioner’s Award from the government of the Northwest Territories, and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
In the interview we discuss growing up in Aklavic NWT, surviving residential schools, the Territorial Experimental Ski Training program, representing Canada and the Indigenous community, giving back, and life after competitive skiing.
Listen Now (click to listen)
“The current systems that we live with at this moment in time are founded on genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Indigenous people of Turtle Island. We should remember that as we move through our everyday lives. Residential and Indian Day School was my era, sixties scoop was many of my friend’s era and there are still kids being taken away from their families and communities in so called Canada. And then to think about how this affects kids getting into sport and particularly sport that is dominated and governed by folks who do not look like them or share the same cultural values. There are many Indigenous sports organizations and competitions that Indigenous youth feel more comfortable engaging with and being part of.” – Sharon Firth