Shirley Firth

Shirley Firth was a member of the Gwich’in First Nation, and with her twin sister, Sharon, became one of the first aboriginals to represent Canada at the Olympic Games. She competed in four Winter Olympics, four World Championships. was voted Canadian Women’s Nordic Skier of the Year six times by Ski Racing Magazine, and was inducted into the Canadian Ski Museum and Skiing Hall of Fame in 1990. She and her sister were the subjects of a CBC Documentary entitled The Olympians: The Firth Sisters. After marrying, Shirley Firth settled in Europe for over 20 years, receiving a teaching diploma in 2002 from the University of Paris. While there, she lectured on Dene and Inuit cultures at various universities, schools and cultural centers in central Europe and Scandinavia. Shirley Firth was awarded the Order of Canada in 1987 and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. She later returned to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.