Technolandy

Day 41 (of 2026/27) Indigenous Veterans Day as well as Remembrance Day coming up…

Here is the link to our Indigenous Veterans Day asynchronous assembly that goes live on Friday November 6th at 8am (pacific coast time): https://youtu.be/RW2-VEoFAr8

.
I have another asynchronous assembly also planned for Remembrance Day – in BC we acknowledge this on the day before Remembrance Day, as schools are closed on November 11th.
.
Why a unique assembly for Indigenous Veterans? Well, November 8 is a day set aside to recognize the contributions, courage and sacrifices of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people who have served in Canada’s military.
.
It’s also an opportunity to learn a little more about a part of Canadian history that hasn’t always received the attention or recognition it deserves.
.
Indigenous Veterans Day – Remembering Those Who Served
As part of our Partners In Education assembly, we took time to recognize Indigenous Veterans Day (November 8) and honour the First Nations, Métis and Inuit people who have served in Canada’s military.
We began by recognizing the Coast Salish Anthem before exploring why Indigenous Veterans Day is observed separately from Remembrance Day. Indigenous peoples volunteered in significant numbers to serve Canada in the First World War, Second World War and Korean War, often overcoming enormous barriers to enlist. Some travelled great distances from their communities, faced language and cultural barriers, and experienced institutional racism. Perhaps one of the most difficult contradictions in this history is that thousands volunteered to defend Canada before Indigenous peoples were granted Canadian citizenship in 1960.
Unfortunately, the unequal treatment didn’t end when veterans returned home. Many Indigenous veterans did not receive the same benefits, opportunities or recognition as their non-Indigenous counterparts. Their courage and sacrifice were not always matched by the country they had served.
We also explored the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument in Ottawa, considering how monuments represent history, whose stories are included, and what perspectives might still be missing.
Here in qathet, we recognize the Tla’amin people and their longstanding relationship with, and responsibility to, these lands and waters. Indigenous history is not simply something to study in the past; it is living history, connected to the communities and people around us today.
Remembering Indigenous veterans means more than acknowledging their military service. It means recognizing the barriers they overcame, the inequities they experienced, their contributions to their communities, and the importance of ensuring their stories are shared with future generations.
As educators, we have a responsibility to make sure these stories are part of the history we teach and the understanding we help young people develop. November 8 is an opportunity to remember, recognize and continue learning.

.
.

Education shouldn’t just reproduce the stories, perspectives and knowledge that already have the loudest voices. It should help us discover what we’re missing.