KENORA — Indigenous soldiers have been key to winning some of the greatest battles and missions in Canadian-fought wars but are often overlooked, according to Indigenous Veterans of Northwestern Ontario. The group aims to change that by sharing their stories.
“Right now, we’re just trying to get the word out that it’s in development and that we really would love to meet with community members, Indigenous veterans and veterans about the project so that they can share stories if they would like to, and help guide the creation of the exhibit,” said Kayleigh Speirs, project manager.
The goal is to document every Indigenous veteran whose origins lie in Northwestern Ontario to create a large directory capturing their service in an official manner. They will take this and create a curated travelling display to share what it means to be an Indigenous veteran.
Since they are in the information gathering stage of the project, details on exactly how it’s going to look are still forming. They do hope to incorporate oral stories from veterans themselves or family members, photos, research, documents attributed to their involvement and artifacts.
Long time Native Veterans Association of Northwestern Ontario project manager David Thompson is working with the project. He has been working to document Indigenous involvement in World Wars, the Korean War, Vietnam and Peacekeeping missions for many years. Speirs said working together will weave a fuller picture.
“It’s really exciting to have him be a part of it because this is something that is really meaningful to him,” she said.
The project is backed by a multitude of museums, schools and institutions including Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung (Manitou Mounds), The Muse Kenora, Fort Frances Museum, Thunder Bay Museum, Lakehead, Confederation College and others. Hopefully they estimate it will be a travelling to First Nation communities and these museums by Fall 2025.
They are hosting an information event in the multipurpose room at the Douglas Arts Centre presented by the Lake of the Woods Museum in Kenora, February 1.
Anyone with an interest in this project in invited to come by to chat and learn, especially veterans or families of veterans. Speirs said admission to the museum will be provided for those who come out, as well as food and refreshments.
Speirs encourages anyone who is interested but can’t make it to the event to contact them by email or through facebook.
“If you know someone, even if they can’t make it out, reach out,” she said.
You can find them on Facebook under: Indigenous Veterans of Northwestern Ontario Travelling Exhibit or email at [email protected].
Future session are planned for Thunder Bay during Voyageur Days at the Fort William Historical Park and at the Lakehead University Powwow in March.
