Honouring Indigenous Remembrance Day: Remembering Courage, Service, and Sacrifice November 8, 2025 Shaina Tranquilino
Indigenous Peoples have a long and powerful history of service, defending their homelands and values across generations. Indigenous Remembrance Day is a time to honour First Nations, Inuit, and Métis veterans and active service members who bravely served in conflicts around the world — often without recognition and in the face of systemic barriers.
Although not always widely known, this day stands as a vital act of remembrance and respect. In Canada, Indigenous Veterans Day is observed on November 8, acknowledging the thousands of Indigenous soldiers who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and in peacekeeping missions. Many enlisted despite not having the same rights as other citizens and returned home to continued discrimination, restricted benefits, and limited access to veteran services.
In other regions, similar commemorative days exist, each rooted in the same purpose: to honour Indigenous defenders of their homelands, both past and present.
A History of Service
Indigenous peoples have defended and protected their lands long before modern militaries existed. Their contributions in global conflicts include:
Expert tracking, navigation, and communication skills, particularly in dense terrain
Bravery in frontline combat
Critical roles in reconnaissance and logistics
Serving as scouts, snipers, and code talkers, including Navajo Code Talkers in WWII
Many enlisted from remote communities, traveled long distances to join the military, and served alongside soldiers who often knew little about their cultures or histories.
Despite their sacrifices, Indigenous veterans frequently returned home to lost status, exclusion from compensation programs, and limited access to land or education benefits granted to other veterans. Indigenous Remembrance Day seeks to correct this historical silence and reaffirm their rightful place in memory.
How We Can Honour Indigenous Veterans Today
Honouring this day is not just an act of remembrance — it is a step toward reconciliation, education, and shared respect.
Here are meaningful ways to recognize Indigenous Remembrance Day:
1. Learn the history
Take time to explore resources about Indigenous contributions to military service. Share those stories with others, especially young people.
2. Attend local ceremonies or virtual events
Many communities now host Indigenous-led remembrance ceremonies. Showing up in solidarity matters.
3. Acknowledge traditional territories
Begin gatherings or posts with land acknowledgments, recognizing the First Peoples who have cared for the land for millennia.
4. Support Indigenous veterans and organizations
Donate or volunteer with groups that support Indigenous veterans and advocate for equitable access to services and recognition.
5. Listen to Elders and veteran voices
Stories passed down through generations carry wisdom, courage, and truth. Give space for those voices to be heard.
6. Wear a pin or display a symbol
The Indigenous Veterans pin or the silver feather (in Canada) can be worn to show support and spark conversation.
7. Commit to reconciliation
Understanding past sacrifices is part of acknowledging continuing responsibilities — including supporting Indigenous rights, culture, and self-determination.
A Day of Respect, Reflection, and Gratitude
Indigenous Remembrance Day is an opportunity to recognize extraordinary courage and service — not only on the battlefield but in the long journey to justice, equality, and acknowledgment.
By remembering and honouring Indigenous veterans and service members, we help ensure their stories are never forgotten. We help write a more truthful history. And we take one more step toward a future built on respect, partnership, and healing.
Lest we forget. May we always remember.
