Francis Pegahmagabow

One of the most highly decorated Indigenous people during the First World War, Corporal Francis Pegahmagabow is an decorated soldier and an advocate for Indigenous rights in Canada during a time where Indigenous groups across Canada faced discrimination and exclusion, even from the Canadian Forces.

Pegahmagabow was born on what is now known as the Shawanaga First Nation reserve in Nobel, Ontario. As a child, Pegahmagabow was taught traditional First Nations values, skills and techniques such as hunting and fishing, while practicing both Roman Catholicism and traditional Anishinaabe spirituality. When Pegahmagabow was 12 years old, he began working on local lumber camps and fishing stations before deciding to go to school at the age of 21 in 1911. As his band council refused to pay for the board fees, Pegahmagabow would eventually get the help from Parry Sound Crown attorney, Walter Lockwood Haight to attend school with financial aid in 1912.

When the war started in 1914, minorities and ethnic groups such as the First Nations groups were deemed undesirable for the Canadian Forces. Treaty First Nations individuals like Pegahmagabow were exempt from military service, however, Pegahmagabow was determined to serve as soon as the call went out in 1941 despite discriminatory laws and regulations.

At the recruitment office, he was deemed physically fit and became one of the first Canadians to sign up for the 23rd Regiment (Northern Pioneers) overseas contingent in August 1914. Later on during his deployment to France in February 1915, he also become one of the first to join the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion with over 20,000 troops.

His 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion saw heavy battles as soon as it left for France, fighting at Ypres where mustard gas was used for the first time in combat. During the subsequent battles, Pegahmagabow distinguished himself as a capable and deadly sniper, with over 378 kills accredited to him. When the war was over, Pegahmagabow became of the most highly decorated Indigenous soldiers throughout all of Canadian history.

Following his combat years, Pegahmagabow returned to Parry Island in 1919. However, despite being considered a war hero, Pegahmagabow still faced harsh discrimination and oppression at the time as he was a member of the Indigenous community. Pegahmagabow later served in his Band Council, becoming an activist for Indigenous rights, up until his passing on the 5th of August, 1952 at the age of 64.

His work is significant as he overcame injustice to advocate for his rights as a proud Indigenous Canadian. Decades later, his story continues to inspire changemakers from coast to coast to coast.

Sources & Citations

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/francis-pegahmagabow

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/aboriginal-veterans/native-soldiers/peaceful

https://www.cbc.ca/2017/canadathestoryofus/the-deadliest-sniper-of-wwi-was-francis-pegahmagabow-an-ojibwa-soldier-1.4083644