Unveiling life size monument of the most decorated First Nation soldier
By Vince Chechock
PARRY SOUND—A community celebration, whose preparations began over a hundred years ago, took place on the Traditional Territory of Wasauksing and Shawanaga First Nations on June 21, 2016, on National Aboriginal Day.
The celebratory occasion was for the unveiling of a life size bronze monument by sculptor Tyler Fauvelle, commemorating the most decorated First Nation soldier in military history and Wasauksing/Parry Island citizen, Francis Pegahmagabow.
The event was attended by family, First Nation citizens from a number of communities and their Chief, numerous dignitaries from all levels of government, and regional and territorial Chiefs.
Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde coined the event as “reconciliation in action”, in reference to the political initiatives that are currently underway. In his address to the assembly, he identified that action as the reason why he chose to be with the people of Wasauksing, Shawanaga and Parry Sound, on a day when he could have attended any other National Aboriginal Day event.
He expressed immense pride to see all peoples coming together in celebration. Chief Bellegarde was especially moved by the very powerful singing of the National Anthem performed in Ojibway by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students from local language programs.
The National Chief also spoke to the lives and challenges that some of the veterans faced upon returning from overseas. On the battlefield they were soldiers, comrades and heroes and returned home to find that they had “become Indians again”. As veterans, they were denied veteran’s benefits. They were told to approach Indian Affairs for assistance. Some Aboriginal veterans returned home to discover that they had lost their status as Indians because of a limiting provision in the Indian Act.
Chief Bellegarde said he was at this event, with his feather bonnet, to honour those veterans and the “warrior chief”, Francis Pegahmagabow.
The sculpture project according to Tyler Fauvelle and Theresa McInnes, Francis Pegahmagabow’s grand-daughter, began conceptually about two years ago. Things really got into gear a year ago when a plaque commemorating Francis Pegamegahbow was unveiled; the commissioning of the statue was announced and a miniature model of the sculpture was presented to the public.
Dr. Brian McInnes, great grandson of Francis, said that his uncle, Duncan Pegahmagabow, claimed that his father was always saying “how we have to live together”.
Having been born in 1946, my memory of Francis Pegahmagabow is that of a five year-old. Francis, along with my grandmother would sing during mass at the Catholic Church on Parry Island.
Who would have thought that 70 years later and a hundred years after winning his military medal and two bars on the horrific battle fields of Europe, that he and the memory of him would enable him to claim another victory.
Roger Chum, the president of ONECA hopes the occasion and monument will inspire youth to “achieve good things and enable them to tell their stories”. Author Joseph Boyden, who was also in attendance, was inspired by Francis’ experiences during The Great War to write The Three Day Road.
Perhaps his greatest achievement was to inspire a number of different communities and an army of different people to come together and in the words of Perry Bellegarde, put “reconciliation into action”; perhaps an achievement worthy of another bar on Francis Pegahmagabow’s military medal.