When the drums of the “Veteran’s Honour Song” echoed from the walls of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek community centre on Nov. 8, it sounded like the guns of war, a reminder of what so many heard in their final moments, or still hear in their nightmares.
Indigenous Remembrance Day is observed on Nov. 8, recognizing the courage and sacrifice of First Nation, Inuit and Métis people in military service.
It is estimated that, in total, more than 12,000 Indigenous people fought on the front lines, serving in all conflicts in which Canada has been involved.
Co-hosted by the First Nation and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 215, the ceremony was a chance for healing, and to come together as a community in a culturally significant way, said Brandy Saikkonen, the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek event planner behind the ceremony.
“We get to gather together, and we get to visit each other and with the drum and the smudge, it’s what cleanses us,” she said.
Those in attendance, including the Sudbury Veteran Peer Support Network and the children from St. James Catholic Elementary School, were treated to a feast after, as is tradition for celebrations. The students were on hand to sing the national anthem in both English and Anishnabemowin, and the veterans provided a ceremonial march, the laying of the wreaths and two members, Dan Draper and Daryl Adams, offered readings.
The First Nations, Inuit and Métis have a long tradition of military service to Canada, which continues today with Indigenous people serving in Canadian Armed Forces around the world — from NATO duties in Europe to United Nations peace operations.
Though Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians have historically faced challenges in learning to live on the same land, Art Petahtegoose, Atikameksheng elder and knowledge keeper, told attendees of a time he spoke to his father, who had fought for his country.
He said he asked his father why he enlisted, and his father told him that it was a sacred covenant, that his nation had promised to build a country with their new relatives from across the salted sea, and he wished to see that promise fulfilled.
It was fulfilled by those whose names were read out at the ceremony, the names of those lost to war, whose photos lined the walls of the community centre, with poppies hung just above.
For more information about Indigenous Remembrance Day, click here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter at Sudbury.com.