For Humanity: The Contributions of Indigenous Veterans is a tribute to my father and my four late uncles who served in the Canadian Armed Forces. The brothers are status Indians who grew up on the Couchiching Indian reserve next to Fort Frances, Ontario. After their eldest sibling Rudolph had been killed in action, the younger brothers followed in his path of leaving the reserve to fight Canada’s battles. Why? If you were to ask the brothers, they fought with the desire to protect the humanity of all, as their brother once did.
In return, Canada denied the humanity of the brothers and their family members, forcing them to leave behind the cultures, traditions, and worldviews unique to them as Indigenous peoples. The brothers who returned did not return as Canadian citizens, they were discharged as status Indians who were denied veteran’s benefits, the right to vote, and the ability to gather with their fellow comrades in the bar rooms. While Rudolph was tasked with using the Ojibway language as code, his siblings were forced to attend residential school where they were not allowed to speak their language. This is a common reality for Indigenous veterans.
I invite viewers to engage with both the portraits and the legislation, enacted by Canada, that violently tried to assimilate Indigenous peoples, including veterans.
Arnold McPherson. Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), 1952-1955. Injured in action while serving in Korea.
Dennis McPherson. Royal Canadian Navy, 1962-1965.
Earl McPherson. Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), 1956-1959. Peacekeeping in Germany.
Leo McPherson. Royal Winnipeg Regiment. 1943. Severely injured in action in World War Two.
Rudolph McPherson. Royal Winnipeg Regiment, 1943-1944. Killed in action in World War Two at Calais, France.
As part of an unrelated project, I was offered the opportunity to base a coin off of Rudolph McPherson's image. Rudolph was killed in action a week before the Battle of the Scheldt.
