Yukon grandmother and grandson both receive Coronation Medal

Gwich'in fiddler and Air Canada pilot Boyd Benjamin was honoured alongside his grandmother Martha Benjamin with a King Charles III coronation medal. 

The ceremony was held at the Kwanlin Dün Centre in Whitehorse, hosted by Yukon Commissioner Adeline Webber. 

Both are Vuntut Gwitchin citizens from Old Crow. 

Martha Benjamin, 89, is a former cross-country skiing champion. In the fifties and sixties she competed at the national and international level, winning the Canadian Nordic Ski championships in the senior women's category by a wide margin. 

"She had an opportunity to go to the Olympics that year because she had won the championship, but she turned it down because she had a young family," said Boyd Benjamin. 

In the 2012 book Aboriginal Peoples and Sport in Canada, author M. Ann Hall describes Martha as out-skiing men as well as women.

But ultimately, Hall wrote, there was "no money and little interest" from the Canadian Olympic Committee in sending Martha to the 1964 Winter Olympics. 

"Her coach, Father [Jean-Marie] Mouchet took her to a competition and all of the women competitors refused to race against her," said Boyd. "So he put her in the men's race. At that time it was allowed. And she beat them too." 

In the years that followed, Martha dedicated her time to sports programming and cutting and grooming Old Crow ski trails for young skiers, which earned her the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers in 2001. 

'Flying Gwich'in fiddler' recognized

As for her grandson Boyd, his talents lie with music and flying planes – two skills which may not appear to have much in common. But Boyd has found a way to keep both of his passions alive, with a discipline he says was instilled in him by his grandmother. 

"I've been able to travel around our country really playing the music, sharing the music from Old Crow," he said. "We have a very sensitive and diminishing fiddle tradition and the fiddle music that we played, that I learned when I was just young, it's also important for me to share that." 

Of the 10 Yukoners that received Coronation medals Saturday, three were Vuntut Gwitchin citizens. Linda Netro, a family support worker with the First Nation's government, was also recognized for her work in the community. 

"It's a great honour, not only for the individuals, but for the community – a testament to our people," Chief Pauline Frost said. 

"We are known as one of the most northerly isolated communities…. It's a harsh environment and a harsh climate to live in and adapt to. You need to be flexible, but you also need to be driven, right? 

"And so I think our way of life is really what makes us unique and special."

Frost congratulated Martha Benjamin, Linda Netro, and also Boyd Benjamin, whom she said is a role model for youth. 

"We have more and more young people that are making a name for themselves outside the community," she said. "I think it's a beautiful thing."

'Something I will never forget'

Boyd Benjamin said growing up in Old Crow is not without its challenges, from the remoteness to the ongoing impacts of colonization.

"Our children are born up there and already the odds are against them," he said. "If you graduate high school, that's almost a miracle right there." 

"But… all we can do is try. That's all I ever did. I just tried. Maybe I just tried harder than others and stuck with it. I hung on. And I had my grandmother Martha telling me, don't you dare let go. Hang on for dear life." 

Boyd said his message for young people is to just try, and never to give up on yourself. He says this achievement is one he'll carry with him for a long time. 

"Being on stage with my grandmother, accepting this award with her, is the highlight of my life," he said. "It's something that I will never forget."

With files from Leonard Linklater.