Indigenous Veterans Day

Durham College respectfully acknowledges Indigenous Veterans Day, as well as the courage and sacrifice of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in the service of the Canadian military. It is estimated that over 12,000 Indigenous people have volunteered for front line duty, and have served in all conflicts the Canadian armed forces have been involved in.

In the First World War alone, as many as 4,000 Indigenous men served in uniform. Some communities saw every able-bodied man between the ages of 20 and 35 enlist. These men brought unique skills to the army thanks to their hunting traditions, including patience, stealth and marksmanship. As a result, Indigenous soldiers excelled as snipers and reconnaissance scouts. One of the most famous snipers in the whole of the Canadian Corps was Henry Louis Norwest, a Métis man from Alberta who held a divisional sniping record of 115 fatal shots and received the Military Medal for his courage under fire.

The Second World War saw another 3,000 First Nations recruits along with an unknown number of Métis and Inuit recruits. This time, along with their excellence as snipers and scouts, the legendary Code Talkers emerged. As many Indigenous languages evolved without written systems, they presented the perfect system for a code that enemy forces could not decipher. The most famous Code Talkers include the Navajo and Choctaw in the American Armed Forces, though the Canadian Forces had a similar system using the Cree language. Charles “Checker” Tomkins, a Métis man from Grande Prairie, Alberta is one of the most well-known Canadian Code Talkers. Part of what made the Code talkers system so effective was that many military terms did not exist in Cree, so non-military words were used in their place. For example, the code word for the Spitfire plane became iskotew, meaning “fire”; pakwatastim, “wild horse” was used for the Mustang aircraft. Serving as a Code Talker was highly confidential; many died with their families never knowing what they did during their service. The Second World War also saw the service of many Indigenous women on the home front as nurses, air traffic controllers, and radio operators. Whole communities committed themselves to knitting socks for soldiers, making war materials and donating money.

Unfortunately, despite exemplary military service, the Canadian government did not improve the rights and standing of Indigenous veterans and their communities. Following the First World War, the Soldier Settlement Act of 1919 saw the government permanently giving away reserve land to non-Indigenous Veterans, along with grants and ownership of the land for farming. When Indigenous Veterans applied, they were simply told to use the land that already belonged to their communities. Furthermore, as legal wards of Canada under the Indian Act, Indigenous veterans were not permitted to receive military pensions, grants or benefits. Their children were also not exempt from attending residential schools. Following the Second World War, Indigenous veterans were also unable to receive the benefits of the Veterans Land Act of 1942, the purpose of which was to help veterans purchase land and equipment for farming.

Indigenous Veterans Day is a solemn reminder of the bravery, skill, and sacrifice of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada’s military history. Despite facing systemic discrimination and being denied the rights and recognition they deserved, Indigenous veterans served with distinction and contributed immeasurably to Canada’s war efforts. As we honour their legacy, we must also acknowledge the injustices they endured and commit to ensuring their stories are remembered and respected.