Golden Arrow
Group portrait of the Golden Arrow racing canoe on Cultus Lake in the spring of 1968. The crew members were from Sqwá First Nation and included members of the Mussell, Fraser, and Wallace families.
From front to back: Jack Mussell, Bill Mussell Jr., Joe Mussell, Lester Mussell, Jack Fraser, Percy Wallace, Jim Fraser, Melvin Mussell, Roy Mussell, Dick Mussell, and Fred Mussell.
Canoe racing has long been an important part of Coast Salish life. Great pride and reverence were placed in the making of the canoe itself, and being chosen to race for one’s family and community was considered an honour. Canoe racing required strength, endurance, discipline, and complete trust in one another. On the water, each paddler moved in rhythm with the others, working together as a single body through the pull and power of the canoe.
More than competition, canoe racing reflected the ways Coast Salish communities historically worked together for survival, prosperity, and shared purpose. Crews travelled throughout the region to gatherings and races held at places such as Cultus Lake, Hope, Vancouver, Howe Sound, Vancouver Island, and Lummi, where relationships between families and Nations were strengthened and carried forward from one generation to the next.
In this photograph, the unity and focus of the paddlers reflect more than competition alone. They speak to a deep relationship with the water itself — one rooted in respect, identity, and the enduring strength of a people.