A Disproportionate Contribution

Indigenous Involvement in the World Wars

"When I served overseas I was a Canadian. When I came home I was an Indian.”

Indigenous involvement in the World Wars has often been overlooked in Canadian history. In many ways, this has to do with the fact that there were no segregated First Nations units, meaning their contributions can fade into the larger non-Indigenous narrative. Yet, this oversight is disrespectful to those men and women who served, especially considering that they did so in a time when Indigenous people were not considered Canadian citizens (a status only granted in 1960) and oftentimes they lost their Treaty and status rights when enlisting in the First World War. Beyond that, upon returning home, veterans were released into Indian Agent custody and, after the First World War, did not receive any benefits; after the Second World War, they received no or lesser benefits in comparison to non-Indigenous veterans. Indeed, many First Nations communities lost resources in the wake of the wars so that the Government could fulfill their promises to non-Indigenous veterans. In 1919, the Soldier Settlement Board “acquired over 85,000 acres of reserve land in Western Canada for non-Aboriginal soldier settlement.” All this, while still having to fight for autonomy and the right to govern their own lives.

Black and white photograph, in newsprint. Ten indigenous men stand at attention in two rows. They are all dressed in army uniforms. — Newspaper Photograph of "Indian Braves"

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The title of the newspaper photograph reads: "Inidan (Indian - sic) Braves to Fight for Canada and the Empire".
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Black and white photograph. Three men are photographed. The men on the left and right are standing, wearing heavy clothing and wide-brimmed hats. In the centre, a young man is seated and dressed in army uniform. — Mike Foxhead with Friends

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Left to right: Son of Sorrell Horse; Mike Foxhead; Riding Grey Horses.

Foxhead served with 191st Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and was killed overseas.
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A typed letter from an Indian Agent to Ottawa detailing local indigenous contributions to the First World War and memorial efforts. — Indian Agent Letter

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A letter from a Gleichen, Alberta Indian Agent dated 2 January 1919 details the indigenous men from the local Blackfoot Reserve who enlisted and served. He also provides information about the men who would help with memorial efforts following the war, notably under the supervision of a "competent man." The typed letter is transcribed below.
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Colour photograph. Among a list of names carved in stone on the Menin Gate, Mike Foxhead is in the centre of the photograph. A wood cross adorned with a poppy and his name and band are stuck in a crack close by; so is a yellow flower. — Mike Foxhead on the Menin Gate

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Mike Foxhead is commemorated on the Menin Gate. During a 2005 Aboriginal Spiritual Journey sponsored by the Canadian Government, Clarence Wolfleg marked the spot with a cross and a flower. The Menin Gate is located at the eastern exit of the town of Ypres (Ieper), Belgium. It marks one of the routes that Allied soldiers took to reach the front line during the defence of the Ypres Salient. Inscribed on the inner walls of the Gate are the names of 55,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died without known graves.
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Despite these injustices, over 3,500 status Indians served in the First World War, or a third of status Indian men of age; in the Second World War over 3,000 men served, and at least 72 women. These numbers do not include non-status Indians, Inuit, or Métis people, making the actual numbers of those who served unknown. The Wars offered a unique experience for First Nations people: joining the military offered new freedoms that they had been unable to partake in due to the harsh realities of living under the 1876 Indian Act and the consequent supervision of Indian Agents. The integration into the general Canadian units encouraged equality that they did not experience at home. As veteran Howard Sinclair Anderson told The Memory Project, “The Army was good to us, really and truly. There was no discrimination really that, we were right in there, as a soldier and that’s how we were treated… At least they didn’t just look at, that you’re an Indian and you’ll just, you know, they gave you, if you were good at something, they put you there.” Anderson had enlisted after the chief of George Gordon First Nations, a First World War veteran himself, had encouraged the young men to volunteer. Another veteran said, “When I served overseas I was a Canadian. When I came home I was an Indian.” This kind of treatment in the Wars and upon returning home is, in a general sense, a unique one, and yet one faced by a substantial amount of First Nations people.

Typed excerpts from a 1983 Interview with Veteran Mark Wolfleg Sr. — Wartime Experience of Veteran Mark Wolfleg Sr.

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Mark Wolfleg Sr., an Indigenous Second World War veteran, was interviewed in 1983. Please find a transcription below.
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Colour photograph. Mark Wolfleg Sr. is kneeling beside a Commonwealth War Graves headstone, one arm around the top. He wears a Legion blazer and cap. — Mark Wolfleg Sr. at a War Cemetery

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Mark Wolfleg Sr. visits a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery after the war.
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Black and white photograph. A portrait of a young Mark Wolfleg Sr., taken during the war. He is shown in uniform from the chest up, and the picture has a geometric border around it and the abbreviation CAA. The crest and text "49th Loyal Edmonton Regiment — Mark Wolfleg Sr. during the Second World War

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A portrait of Mark Wolfleg Sr. taken during the Second World War.
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Due to the large number of those who served, and the close-knit relational ties in First Nation communities, the stories of individual, familial and community connections of those who served in First and Second World Wars are numerous. In some instances, like that of Chief Joe Dreaver from Mistawasis Cree Band, that meant serving in both wars, joined in the Second World War by his son and several of his daughters. For others, like the Anderson family from George Gordon First Nation, that meant fathers and sons serving, such as David Anderson serving in the First War, and Howard Anderson serving in the Second. For many other communities, there were truly large examples of service. Six Nations Grand River Reserve had substantial amounts of people serving in both wars, including Brigadier Oliver Milton Martin, who achieved the highest rank held by an Indigenous person, fighting in the First War and training recruits in the Second. For Siksika First Nation, there was more of a community story. Mike Foxhead was evidently the only one who fought in the First War, though not the only to enlist; many more, including Mark Wolfleg Sr. and Gordon Yellowfly, served in the Second World War. The Foxhead family and the Wolfleg family are connected through marriage, and the tales of courage and bravery in battle, of spiritual practices and community support are woven throughout their stories.