Happy trails, despite some challenging conditions for Tłı̨chǫ canoeists

The 120 or so participants in the 2026 Trails of Our Ancestors Canoe Trip battled adversarial weather right to the end, as blustery winds pummeled the procession on Lac La Martre as it arrived at Whatì on Sunday.

The annual multi-day journeys starting from Tłı̨chǫ communities, are designed to retrace the routes used by the participants’ ancestors, connecting them with their cultural heritage and traditional way of life.

A large crowd on shore cheered the arrival of the voyagers, and a couple of hundred people formed a receiving line to shake the hand of each and every canoeist.

“I learned to respect the land in such a meaningful way. It was amazing,” said Joyce Ann Lafferty from Gamètì, having just completed her fourth Trails of Our Ancestors trip, through heat, wind and portages.

So what’s one of the most challenging parts? “Paddling against white caps. Today was hard. We’re yelling ‘paddle!”

Tłı̨chǫ Grand Chief Jackson Lafferty was one of the canoeists.

“It’s to build on our relationship that we have with our communities and our cultural programming, our way of life, to strengthen our way of life,” he said.

“Just being out on land, the wilderness, the freedom. Every trip is different, you know. We see all kinds of wildlife, and we have some challenges with the weather, it’s unpredictable, but we manage.”

The Grand Chief continued: “It’s about teamwork, working together, we all work together when we’re camping out, and when we’re stuck on boulders and rocks and low water challenges, but we all manage and work together.”

The arrival of the canoeists kicked off a week of government dialogues and cultural activities at the 22nd Tłı̨chǫ Annual Gathering & Sixth Session of the Sixth Tłı̨chǫ Assembly, which begins Monday, at 1 pm.

CKLB will broadcast the daytime events live.