08/11/2025
Despite a proud record of fighting alongside Canadians in every major war, Indigenous peoples were only granted full voting rights in the 1960s.
During the War of 1812, Constant Pinesi himself, Grand Chief of the Algonquins of the Ottawa Valley, led his fellow Algonquins more than 500 kilometres westward to fight as allies to the British.
Today, on Indigenous Veterans Day, we remember and thank the brave men and women of the First Nations who have come to the defence of Canada.
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On June 21, 2001, on the occasion of National Aboriginal Day (now known as National Indigenous Peoples Day), a national monument to the Indigenous Veterans was unveiled in Ottawa. The unveiling is the result of the hard work and perseverance of the National Aboriginal Veterans Association (NAVA), the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and Senator Nick Taylor.
Sculptor and painter Lloyd Pinay of the Peepeekisis First Nation in Saskatchewan designed the Monument which is reflective of all Indigenous peoples in Canada: First Nations, Métis and Inuit. Lloyd Pinay can trace his heritage to Plains Ojibway, Plains Cree and Sioux origins. His dad was a Second World War Veteran and was severely wounded towards the end of the war.
The richly symbolic sculpture represents the stories of thousands of men and women who have played a decisive role in defending the freedom of our country. It symbolizes the strength of the Indigenous peoples' beliefs as drawn from the natural world around them. The artist makes frequent use of the number four, which has spiritual importance for many Indigenous peoples. The four warriors (two men and two women), which represent the diversity of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people, are facing the four cardinal directions.
The four animal figures are spirit guides associated with qualities that are admired by Indigenous cultures: the elk, for its sharp senses, the buffalo, for its tenacity, the bear, for its healing powers and the wolf, for its family values. A triumphant eagle is perched at the top of the sculpture. It represents the Creator (known as Thunderbird), and embodies the spirit of the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
The artist has conveyed a sense of balance by representing opposites: two predators and two prey, two women and two men, two weapons and two spiritual objects — the eagle feather fan and the peace pipe. Through this work, Pinay expresses the idea that the desire for peace often lies at the root of war.
The upper portion of the piece is made of bronze. A brown patina was applied to the entire monument while certain portions had an application of a patina to give it a gold sheen. The base is a piece of diamond brown stone from a quarry in Shawinigan.
(Government of Canada - Veterans Affairs website)
Image: ATTN News
