A long overdue recognition was finally given to Edward Lennie, who was named to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame during an Oct. 6 ceremony in Toronto.
Accepted by Hans and Billie Lennie on his behalf, the pair were joined by friends and family both at the awards ceremony and in Inuvik, where friends cheered whenever the camera flashed to their peers at a watch party at the Inuvik Community Corporation, hosted by the Western Arctic Youth Collective. This was the 66th Order of Sport awards.
“Thank you to the first nations that allowed us on our lands to accept these prestigious awards,” he said. “The Northern Games are a celebration of coming together. These games are played for real life skills up north — strength, agility and endurance.
“One of the biggest messages my father had to the athletes was that you’re not allowed to say you can’t. You have to at least try.”
Lennie was one of several titans of Canadian Sport recognized for both their contributions to their communities but also their overcoming adversaries both in and out of the game. Also inducted posthumously were the Chatham Coloured All-Stars — who fought past racism both on and off the baseball diamond in the 1930s — and the Preston Rivulettes — who were dominating hockey rinks when women were still battling for the right to vote.
All the award winners had a common message, however — access to sports is a vital component of a healthy childhood and long term mental health and well being.
Taken from his Imaryuk (Husky Lakes) family to a residential school at age eight, Edward Lennie didn’t let the culturally oppressive system have its way — when he returned from the institution three years later, he set himself to re-discovering his traditional practices that had been ripped away from him. He learned traditional hunting practices and how to live on the land, but he also connected with traditional Inuvialuit games.
In his adulthood, Lennie saw many of his people move from life on the land to living in government built communities. Concerned his people would lose touch with their traditions, he began organizing competitions in the ancient games. Competitions in blanket toss, snow snake, the one and two foot high jumps and many others became a commonplace in the Beaufort Delta.
He was also instrumental in bringing the games to the world stage. When the first Arctic Winter Games was being organized in Yellowknife in 1970, Lennie and a council of Elders pushed for the northern games to be included with the games. The addition of northern sports was a hit with the Arctic Winter Games, which have gone on to showcase northern Indigenous cultures around the Arctic circle for over 50 years, even joining the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympic Winter games in Vancouver.
Lennie passed away in 2020 at age 86.
Accepting the award on his behalf, Hans Lennie thanked supporters at home and reminisced about the traditional lifestyle he learned with his father.
“A sport I used to play on the kitchen floor is now recognized internationally,” he said. “Our culture was so important to my dad, it’s not only survived but he can be proud of its accomplishment.”
Hans added while Edward was instrumental in preserving the games, he didn’t do it alone, crediting a long list of Elders and athletes who kept the games alive.
Congratulating the family, co-host Ron MacLean said he was blown away by the athleticism displayed in the northern games.
“I would try to do (the northern games,)” said awards co-host Ron MacLean. “But I would probably fall over.”
Watch the awards show: