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CA-K156Indigenous peoples & reconciliation

Indigenous soldiers in the First World War

The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument in Confederation Park, Ottawa, photographed in 2019.
The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument in Confederation Park, Ottawa, photographed in 2019. Anciens combattants autochtones - 01 · Jeangagnon · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. 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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During the First World War, Indigenous people volunteered in significant numbers, even though many were denied the right to vote; it was the first time Canada’s forces integrated a substantial number of Indigenous men as individual soldiers. As veterans, they were an active force behind the League of Indians of Canada, the first organization to give their communities a national voice.

Scope & context

Indigenous service in the First World War as a whole, not individual soldiers (see CA-K138) or later wars.

Sources behind this record

1