CA-K138Indigenous peoples & reconciliation

Francis Pegahmagabow, soldier and rights advocate

Francis Pegahmagabow in 1945, at a conference in Ottawa, photographed by Marius Barbeau. Francis Pegahmagabow 1945 · Marius Barbeau · Photo source · Photo licence: Public domain. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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Francis Pegahmagabow, an Ojibwe Nishnaabe of Wasauksing First Nation, was a highly decorated First World War sniper and scout who received the Military Medal and two bars for bravery. Facing discrimination under the Indian Act after the war, he became a political leader in his community and nationally, fighting for treaty rights from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Scope & context

His war service and advocacy, not a full biography or the wider history of Indigenous military service.

Sources behind this record

Francis Pegahmagabow (1889-1952) National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Historical importance; plaque text