What is Indigenous Veterans Day?
November 8, 2021, was Indigenous Veterans Day — a day for us to commemorate and reflect on the commitment and sacrifice of over 12,000 Indigenous people who served WWI, WWII, and the Korean War, and to honour those currently serving.
Indigenous people brought many different skills in marksmanship, scouting, and coding, all while adapting to cultural differences and learning a new language to serve their country. However, the first Indigenous soldiers were not recognized as Canadian citizens, which meant that eligibility to access support systems and resources were not readily available.
To learn more, visit:
- Veterans Affairs Canada: Indigenous Veterans
- Statement by the Prime Minister on Indigenous Veterans Day
- CBC News: “Indigenous veterans in B.C. call for recognition, more support on their day of remembrance”
If you are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the lived experience from an Indigenous perspective, a novel by Joseph Boyden called “Three Day Road” follows two young Cree men who volunteered for the war. Boyden draws on knowledge from his Indigenous family members who served in WWI.