November 8 is Indigenous Veterans Day. Indigenous Peoples have worked within and alongside Canadian forces for over two hundred years. Today, we recognize the immeasurable contributions of past and present Indigenous service members to safeguarding Canada and populations worldwide. Check out this book list to learn more.
The Scout: Tommy Prince by David A. Robertson
Searching down a wooded path for a well-hit baseball turns into an encounter between Pamela and a veteran soldier standing in front of a monument. Pamela is curious, and the veteran is happy to regale her with the story of Tommy Prince, an expert marksman and tracker renowned for his daring and bravery in World War II and the Korean War. Ages 9-11.
Tecumseh by James Laxer
Hundreds of years after his death, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh is still considered one of the greatest leaders of North America's First Peoples. This richly illustrated biography tells the story of his remarkable life, culminating in the War of 1812. Ages 9-12.
Walking the Medicine Wheel: Healing Trauma & PTSD by David R. Kopacz
Psychiatrist and holistic and integrative physician David Kopacz and Indigenous visionary Joseph Rael create a healing path to help veterans suffering from trauma and PTSD come home. Even when out of the war zone, combat readiness persists in the veterans' nervous system. This book uses the circular pathway of the medicine wheel to re-train that nervous system.
The Canadian Rangers: A Living History by P. Whitney Lackenbauer
The Canadian Rangers stand sentinel in the farthest reaches of our country. This dedicated group of citizen soldiers has quietly served as Canada's eyes, ears, and voices in isolated coastal and northern communities for over six decades. Drawing on official records, interviews, and participation in Ranger exercises, Lackenbauer argues that the organization offers a way for Canada to "show the flag" from coast to coast to coast.
From the Tundra to the Trenches by Eddy Weetaltuk
An autobiography of Inuit Eddy Weetaltuk, who left his home in James Bay, enlisted in the Canadian Forces and went off to fight in the Korean War.
Code Talker by Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila
The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. During WWII, the Japanese cracked every code the United States used. But when the Marines turned to their Navajo recruits to develop and implement a secret military language, they created the only unbroken code in modern warfare.
For King and Kanata by Timothy C. Winegard
Winegard reveals how national and international forces directly influenced the more than 4,000 status Indians who voluntarily served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force between 1914 and 1919 — a per capita percentage equal to that of Euro-Canadians —and how subsequent administrative policies profoundly affected their experiences at home, on the battlefield, and as returning veterans.
Sounding Thunder: The Stories of Francis Pegahmagabow by Brian D. McInnes
Stories from the life of Ojibwe Francis Pegahmagabow, who became Canada's most decorated Indigenous soldier during the First World War and then settled in Wasauksing, Ontario, where he served his community as both chief and councillor and belonged to the Brotherhood of Canadian Indians.
