This Remembrance Day we recognise Aboriginal Veterans.
National Aboriginal Day is celebrated each year on June 21, while Aboriginal Veterans Day is commemorated on November 8. Canadian Aboriginal Veterans have reason to be proud of their wartime contributions. More than 7,000 Aboriginal peoples served in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War, and an unknown number of Inuit, Métis and non-status Indians also participated. One Aboriginal Veterans group estimates that 12,000 First Nations peoples served in the three wars. (Veterans Affairs, Canada)
The contributions of Aboriginal Canadians to the war effort in WW1 is briliantly brought to life in Jospeh Boyden’s first novel, Three Day Road.
You might also be intersted in the NFB film Gene Boy Came Home. This short documentary by celebrated filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin is a portrait of Eugene “Gene Boy” (pronounced Genie Boy) Benedict, from Odanak Indian Reserve (near Montreal, Quebec). At 17, he enlisted in the US Marines and was sent to the frontlines of the Vietnam War. This film is the account of his 2 years of service and his long journey back to Odanak afterwards.