Coming together to commemorate important contributions of Indigenous veterans

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY — Fort William Chief Michele Solomon appreciated seeing information about veterans from her community, including Private Xavier Michon, in the Indigenous Veterans of Treaty #3 Exhibit at the Indigenous Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 8 at Lakehead University.

“The creators and the curators of this have done a beautiful job to bring awareness, knowledge, and respect to these people that are our ancestors who have served in the military,” Chief Solomon says. “I knew Xavier Michon and he played a significant role within the (Thunder Bay Indigenous) Friendship Centre locally here and I was not aware of his contributions to the military.”

Chief Solomon says it is important for people to not only recognize the contributions of the Indigenous veterans but also the experiences they had when they returned home after serving with the military.

“How on returning to learn that you no longer are status, so the vulnerable place they would have been placed in when they returned because they’re no longer being acknowledged through the Indian Act,” Chief Solomon says. “The Indian Act played a real central role in governing and overseeing our communities back then. We may take it lightly today, but at that time, the rules that were made by the Indian agent were very prominent and they were taken seriously.”

Lakehead University and Confederation College hosted the Indigenous Veterans of Treaty #3 Exhibit and the Native Veterans Association of Northwestern Ontario Exhibit on their campuses in Thunder Bay from Nov. 6-11 to commemorate the important contributions of Indigenous veterans in World War I and II and other conflicts and peacekeeping missions around the world.

“We are honoured to host the Indigenous veterans exhibit and bring this opportunity to our campus and the broader communities we serve,” says Gillian Siddall, president and vice-chancellor at Lakehead University. “Through storytelling, we will continue to pass on our knowledge of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit soldiers who served with distinction and bravery, while also facing considerable challenges by giving their lives in service.”

“For Confederation College, it is truly a privilege to host this exhibit honouring the bravery and sacrifices of Indigenous veterans,” says Michelle Salo, president at Confederation College. “Their stories of courage and resilience are an integral part of our shared history. Through this exhibit, we aim to educate and inspire our community. We are committed to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the significant contributions made by First Nations, Métis and Inuit soldiers.”

David Thompson, research developer and project manager for the Native Veterans Association of Northwestern Ontario, a Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek citizen and veteran with the Canadian Rangers, says he travelled with the late Red Rock Indian Band veteran Charles “Willy” John to interview veterans in different communities in the 1980s and to collect photos for the exhibit.

“One part of his dream when he formed the organization was to create a historical book that could be used in school curriculum to teach about the Anishinabe military heritage,” Thompson says. “So we amassed a lot of pictures and stories, but we had difficulty trying to secure funding to get (it) published in book form.”

Thompson says they eventually hired four Lakehead University students, three from Treaty #3 communities and one from a Treaty #9 community, to create a website through funding from Industry Canada for the old photographs and other historical material they had collected.

“They did a wonderful job and they actually got nominated for a national award for their work,” Thompson says.

Thompson says he looks forward to the development of the Indigenous Veterans of Northwestern Ontario travelling exhibit that was announced during the Indigenous Veterans Day ceremony.

“Once it’s ready, up and going, it can start visiting the communities throughout northwestern Ontario and communities in Treaty 9, Treaty 5, Treaty 3 and Robinson Superior 1850,” Thompson says. “So that’s really exciting.”