–akis“nuk First NationSPECIAL VETERAN’S EDITION 2018

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved: and now we lie

In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe

To you, from failing hands, we throw

The torch: be yours to hold it high

If ye break faith with us who die,

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields

To all Ktunaxa Citizens

Many years ago I received some of these fol-

lowing pages and I am reminded throughout

the years how brave these men and women

were for signing up to put their lives on the

line for us.

We owe our veterans to stop for a moment

and look at our lives as Ktunaxa citizens.

I owe these veterans the respect to bring this

forward to all of our Ktunaxa citizens, espe-

cially our youth.

Taxas

Elder; Kyuxa Kikist (Emilia Danyluck)

Lest we forget

Frank Sam shares his memories of service submitted by Mary Jimmy

F rank Martin Sam, born October

17, 1925 at Columbia Lake

Band: he served under the

name of Frank Bernard Martin.

Frank’s parents were Martin Sam &

Rose Moore. Frank was baptized by a

Roman Catholic Priest on October

20, 1925 on Columbia Lake.

At the age of five, in September

1931, Frank entered the St. Eugene’s

Mission School. Frank attended the

school for eleven years & left school

in

June 1942, Frank went back to Co-

lumbia Lake for awhile, then went to

work for the Douglas Lake Cattle

Company for approximately six

months in 1942.

On May 30, 1943, Frank voluntarily

enlisted in the Army. He took his basic

training in Vernon for six weeks. He

then went to Courtenay, BC for

about three months. (1943). Frank

then went back to Vernon to the Bat-

tle Drill School.

On May 6, he

was shipped to

Deburd, Nova

Sc ot ia f o r

transfer over-

seas onto the

“Empress of

Scotland” ship.

(He recalls Se-

bastian Mike

travelling with him). Frank arrived in

Greenwich, Scotland, then went on

to Richamond, England, to the

”Ketrid Center Army Camp” From

there, Frank went to Normandy,

France where he served with the

Queen’s own Cameron Islanders, 2nd

Division. (Infantry Division).

On the front line, Frank was wounded

on August 14, 1944 and was out of

action for approximately 12 days. He

was sent to England for repairs on his

left arm.

Frank says, “This is hard to talk

about…”

On September 18, 1944, Frank was

wounded again on his right leg. He

was in the hospital for 19 months and

indicated that he almost lost his leg.

Frank transferred home on the Lady

Nelson Hospital Ship to Halifax, Nova

Scotia, then on a hospital train to

Vancouver, B.C. Frank received an

Honorable Discharge on May 31,

1946. Frank returned to Columbia

Lake.

Frank states, “ Army life was good &

bad, but for a 17 year old kid, it was

a pretty lonely life… my thoughts of

the army are very sad, especially the

front lines. Memories that I will never

forget. Often asked, why did I go?

There was no work, no welfare, it was

the only way that I could support my

mother, by sending money home. I

feel the Indian men in the army were

used as guinea pigs, on the front lines

by the Suyapi. We had to go into the

firing lines to check on the enemy/

artillery. I asked the Sergeant why the

Indians had to be the ones to go in,

and the Sergeant said, “because the

Indians are sneaky…”

“We were in the services (Army) my

dad, Martin Sam, my brother Pierre

Martin Sam, who got killed in Vernon

while he was in training, Mathias Mar-

tin Sam, & myself, Frank Martin Sam.

At the start of my story, I mentioned

being from Columbia Lake Reserve.

After my discharge, my dad, Martin

Sam & myself transferred to the Shus-

wap Band.”

“My memories of the Army always

make me sad, many times lead to

tears, but I am proud that I was one

who fought for all the Aboriginal peo-

ple, I hope no one thinks I didn’t. I

have the holes in my body to prove

it.”

Frank Sam pictured here with his daughter Jill, October 2017.

"The war proved that the fighting spirit of my tribe was not squelched through reservation life. When duty

called, we were there, and when we were called forth to fight for the cause of civi-

lization, our people showed all the bravery of our warriors of old." - Mike Mountain

Horse, First World War veteran

The poppy is

A symbol of Remembrance and hope

Worn by millions of people

Red because of the natural colour of field poppies

In Flanders Fields

ʔuquʔk Flanders Fields ni poppies kqunawiȼuʔmi

k̓uk̓iⱡinqaps kȼik̓maⱡinxunak̓is

kitq̓aⱡk̓aʔxu ka·kmuxunaⱡaʔis; ȼ qu ʔa·kiⱡmiyit ni yik̓ȼna,

ksakiⱡ t̓aⱡuʔk, knuxun̓ hin qa ʔisiʔⱡ huⱡpaⱡniⱡni kwiⱡkikⱡiʔit

ka·kinq̓a·kiniⱡ ʔumi.

Hun̓inaⱡaʔni ʔa·kuq̓ⱡayit̓in. Qa wunikitni hu n̓inaⱡaʔni

wunmanamu,

Hu wuniⱡxuniʔti ʔa·kinmitqapk̓anuqⱡiⱡmiyit, hu wu·kati

kwatminuqka, hu ȼⱡakiⱡkaʔni ȼ hu cⱡakiⱡiⱡni, ȼ na taxa hu

sakqwaⱡaʔni ʔuquʔk Flanders fields.

Kinⱡ ȼuʔkat ku wanaqnani·maⱡnala ʔininik̓:

ȼinmitikȼisni na kyuk̓aka·t ʔa·ki·nam na ʔa·kinuqua·ku

Ninkuʔnis kinⱡ ʔiktkawiȼin.

Napit hin ⱡuʔȼiʔt kqanikitȼi na kamnaⱡa ku ʔipnaⱡa

Huȼ qawuniⱡxunitaⱡaʔni kqa·nmiⱡuniʔnam, mi·ka

paq̓minuq̓yuk̓

poppies

ʔuquʔk Flanders Fields.

A POEM

BY Anne Jimmy

The beating of the drums

As it echoes throughout the land

Bid farewell to families & loved ones

Before the long journey abroad

Words of wisdom & strength

From the leaders of yesterdays’ war

Guidance from the eagle

As it spreads its wings

Now you are ready to march on!

Listening to the sounds of

A different drum

Watching out for silver wings

In the sky

Living in the darkness

Not knowing what’s ahead

Memories of loved ones so far behind

The sounds of the war

Still ringing in your ears

As you wake up to another day

Wondering where you are

Remember, we your children love you

for who you are

Ktunaxa Veterans

Anthony Fisher

March 19, 1911 - October 20, 1965

Stephen Isaac

September 4, 1917- July 16, 1957

Lucien Jimmy

December 23, 1913- December 9, 1962

Moses Jimmy

February 4, 1916- June 7, 1984

Isadore Michel

March 1, 1914

Toby Nicholas

June 15, 1912 - July 21, 1943

–akis“nuk Veterans

Herbert White (Jacob)

December 9, 1931

William Stevens

Deceased

Picture not available for the following Akisqnuk Veterans:

Abel Capilo January 8, 1926 - July 6, 1962

Abraham Michel May 17, 1919 - January 1, 1967

Maurice Isaac November 17, 1921

Ktunaxa Veterans continued

Shuswap Veterans:

Pierre Sam

M. P. Sam

Frank Sam

(Served as Frank B. Martin)

J. Eugene

L. J Stevens

P. Sylvester

Mathias Sam

Lower Kootenay Veterans:

Jimmy Pierre

Simon Stainslaw

William Swanson

Basil Isaac

W.P. Jacobs

Sam Pierre Goodman

Louis F. Stone

St. Mary’s Veterans:

Ben Francis

Nick Francis

Joseph B. Andrew

Helen R. Morigeau

Edward Morigeau

Aloysius McCoy

Joseph McCoy

Clarence Sebastian

Mark Sebastian

Patrick Sebastian

Joseph Skookum

Mike Sebastian

Joseph Morigeau

Tobacco Plains Veterans:

Nicholas Gravelle

Isaac Lawrence McCoy

Xavier Eugene remembers his father

submitted by Patsy Nicholas

This interview was done with Xavier Eugene, to

the best of his recollections, about his father’s

service in the Army, his feelings, and the im-

pact the war had on his family.

Joseph was born September 8, 1899 in the

Windermere Valley, to Eugene Joseph & Mo-

rass Kinbasket. He attended the St. Eugene’s

Mission School in Cranbrook until he turned 16.

He & his second wife Cecile had 4 children:

Xavier, Rose, Theresa & Betty.

Joe enlisted in the Army on May 1, 1941 be-

cause all his friends had. He served in Canada

& overseas until he received an Active Dis-

charge on March 25, 1944.

Xavier was 6 years old when his father enlist-

ed. His mother died June 1941 & the children

went to live with their grandmother Elizabeth

Kinbasket,

After the war, Xavier feels his father did not

wish to return to the reserve & raise the chil-

dren on his own. Instead, Joe stayed in Van-

couver working as a logger. In 1947, he re-

turned to the reserve & worked in Kootenay

& Yoho National Parks until his retirement,

Although Joe never served on the front line,

he never talked about his experiences dur-

ing the war.

Xavier says that before his father left for war,

Native people were self-sufficient. Their land

had farms, orchards, gardens & root-cellars.

Even during the depression the native peo-

ple survived. There was no reason to de-

pend on Welfare. Xavier feels the war had

good & bad points- one of the bad points

being the alcohol problem.

Joseph Eugene died in the Valley & was

buried at the Shuswap Cemetery with the

Royal Canadian Legion in attendance.

We salute our veterans & think of them with fondness & respect.

An estimated 3,000 Aborigines and Torres

Strait Islanders served in the armed forces in

World War II – many in specially raised Indige-

nous units.

It is estimated that 12,000 Aboriginal people

served in the two world wars and Korea.

Less than five years after the end of the Second World War, Canada would enter the

Korean War on June 25, 1950, and several hundred Aboriginal Canadians would par-

ticipate in this conflict as well.

It was not until 1995, fifty years after the Second World War, that Indigenous Peoples

were allowed to lay wreaths at the National War Memorial.

The National Aboriginal Veterans War Memorial was unveiled in Ot-

tawa on June 21, 2001. (pictured here)

John Campbell, a patriotic native, travelled three thousand miles by

trail, canoe, and river steamer to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary

Force at Vancouver.

World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history in absolute

terms of total casualties. Over 60 million people were killed.

Average life expectancy in the trenches was about six weeks. Junior

officers and stretcher bearers were some of the people most at risk.

Disease accounted for a third of deaths during the war.

Every year on November 11, Canadians pause in a moment of silence to honour and

remember the men and women who have served, and continue to serve Canada

during times of war, conflict and peace.

In the spring of 1915, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lieuten-

ant Colonel John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies growing in battle-

scarred fields to write a now famous poem called 'In Flanders Fields'. After the First

World War, the poppy was adopted as a symbol of Remembrance.