Kainai ceremony honours continued tradition of Blackfoot warriors

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on November 12, 2024.

Herald photo by Alexandra Noad Descendants of First World War and Second World War veterans take part in the Grand Entry during the Blood Tribe Remembrance Day ceremony on Monday in Standoff.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, as guns went silent to mark the end of First World War, many Indigenous veterans came home and were not given the same recognition as their white counterparts and some of them also lost their Indian Status, for serving their country.

It wasn’t until 1994 Indigenous Veterans were given recognition from the Canadian government for their service.

On Monday as the Kainai War Veterans Committee marked Remembrance Day in Standoff, Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox (Makiinima) said there have been Blackfoot warriors protecting their land and their people for centuries.

“Historically, our tribe has always had warriors. Way back we had to protect our lands or had to protect our people, so they were quite well trained in warfare.”

Fox added it was this spirit of protecting their land and people which made them want to sign up for the war.

The Blood Tribe has many members who have either served or are currently serving their country.

One of those is Sgt. Preston Crow Chief, who has served in Afghanistan and currently serves on the 20th Independent Field Battery in Lethbridge.

Crow Chief joined the military when he was 16-years-old and says he has sacrificed personal time and activities.

“A lot of sacrifice has been giving up time with family and friends and it’s not a big deal. But I didn’t get to play high school (baseball.) I wanted to, but I gave that up,” said Crow Chief.

In Afghanistan, Crow Chief served as a groundsman while they were on patrol, which he says meant that after hiking 14 kilometers throughout the day, he would have to stay awake to drive his partners back to camp while they slept.

Crow Shoe says during his training he would always tell people he was from the Blood Tribe, with a sense of pride.

“Whenever my training happened, I always identified from the Blood Tribe. And I had no problem telling people I’m a status Indian and which band I’m from,” said Crow Chief.

For the last 30 years the Blood Tribe has honoured the many Tribe members who have sacrificed to serve their country during Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Like most Remembrance Day ceremonies, there was speeches from significant members of the community and two-minutes of silence.

There were some cultural differences in the ceremony such as a Blackfoot rendition “Oh Canada” and the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, translated and spoken in Blackfoot.

There were also warrior and honour songs performed by drum groups Moccasin Flats and Rocky Lake, during Monday’s ceremony honouring Blackfoot warriors who served and continue to serve.