NATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS

(Famous People, Settlement/Exploration of Canada, Sports, Transportation, People,
Government, Wealth, Military Service, Language)

Turtle Island's Indigenous Peoples have made invaluable contributions to
the mosaic of Turtle Island. Read On.......

Explorers and Traders relied on the knowledge of the First People to lead them across Turtle Island; the Explorers were given the glory of opening Canada, their names indelibly stamped in history (books, statuary); the names of the Native men and women who got them there are not mentioned.
If the great Shawnee warrior, Tecumseh had not switched sides to fight with the British, Canada, would have become the fourteenth colony of the United States; General Isaac Brock has the statue.
Up to the battle of 1812, Native allies were invaluable to the British, French, American and Spanish forces. Their superior physical skills, battle strategies and knowledge of the terrain made alliances with Native forces mandatory. After the battle of 1812, the 'noble savage' was no longer needed, and simply became 'savage' and an impediment to the manifest destiny of imperialist forces.

BIRCHBARK CANOES are most commonly associated with the Anishinaabe and Haudenausaunne Native people. They were built in a variety of sizes, a single person or made to an almost unbelievable length carrying up to fifty paddlers. They were swift, easy to handle even in rough water. After European contact, explorers could move about with relative ease. It also helped to have the Natives as scouts, and general labour, they afterall, paddled the canoes and got 'em where they needed to go, among other things!

SNOWSHOES: Despite great diversity in shape and size, snowshoes were one of the few common cultural elements adopted by most Indigenous tribes. Indigenous people developed the snowshoe originally out of hardwood frames and rawhide lacings for ease of travel during the winter months.

KAYAK in its traditional form was a boat made from a light wooden frame, usually something like driftwood and covered with watertight seal or caribou skin. The skin was made waterproof by being treated with seal or caribou oil. It is propelled by a double sided oar. Pointed at both ends the kayak can smoothly cut through the water and the water is pushed aside (this is the difference between a kayak and a canoe) because the kayak sits down under the surface of the water, whereas canoes float on top of the water.

TOBOGGAN'S originally designed in order to carry game over snow; traditional sled was made from hardwood and rawhide ties, hickory, ash and maple were also used. Inuit made their sleds from whalebone. In order words, equipment such as this was designed and made from items indigenous to the area.

MOCCASINS - also a vital form of 'transportation'. They originated with the Algonquin tribes and refer to a slipper-like shoe made of tanned deer or moose hide stitched together with sinew with a puckered u-shaped vamp over the instep. They were often adorned with extensive beadwork, quillwork or with painted designs. They were sturdy and often lined with rabbit fur or other such 'insulation' for warmth.

MUKLUKS - a creation and staple of the Inuit. They were made from sealskin, fur, reindeer or caribou hide. Immensely warm and long-lasting.

At the urging of Benjamin Franklin, the Haudenosaunee League of Nations Great Law, is what the United States Declaration of Independence is based on. The LON governs the following Five tribes:

On the right is a Five Nations territorial wampum belt. Square on far left is Mohawk: Keeper of the Eastern Door Second from Left: Oneida: Keeper of the Northern Door. Centre white heart represents the Onandaga: Keeper of the Fire. The white hearts also means that the five nations act as one unit in their loyalty to the Great Peace. To the right of the Heart, Cayuga: Keeper of the Southern Door and far right the Seneca: Keeper of the Western Door.

Overall the white beads symbolize that no evil or jealous thoughts shall enter into the minds of the leaders while in Council as they are governed by the teaching of the Great Peace. White is the symbol of peace, love, charity and equity and surrounds and guards the Five Nations (Six when the Tuscarora came later)

The Two-row wampum belt was of particular significant to the Haudenausaunne.

Cayuga Elder, Jake Thomas holding a replica of a two row wampum belt. Also called Tékeni Teioháte, it symbolizes the relationship between Native people and white people. One purple row of beads represents the path of the Haudenausaunne's canoe which contains their customs and laws. The other row represents the path of the Whiteman's vessel, the sailing ship, which contains his customs and laws. The meaning of the parallel paths is that neither boat should out pace the other, and the paths should remain separate and parallel forever, that is, as long as the grass grows, the rivers flow, the sun shines, will each group understand their place, honour it and continue to renew their understandings and treaties.

EVERGROWING TREE BELT

This belt represents the Ever Growing Tree of Life with its branches spread to the east, west. The top to the north, roots to the south. It is the tree of peace for any nation or individual outside of the Five Nations who wishes to also obey the great laws of peace. If you are of clean mind and heart, you can rest awhile beneath its branches and listen to the great law.

Jake Thomas stands with a reproduction of the Ever Grown Tree Belt

At the time of the First, Second and Korean Wars, Native people were considered wards of the court under the Indian Act, couldn't vote, and because they were not considered full citizens of Canada were exempt from military service. Nonetheless, approximately 3,500 Native men (35% of of military-age Native population), responded quickly and in impressive numbers to join the Allied Forces in European battlefields; more than five hundred Natives gave their lives defending values that were meaningful to all Canadians.

This is all the more remarkable because a mere thirty years previously the last of the great ‘Indian’ Wars took place in the United States pitting the government against starving and divided Native people. In Canada, the 1876 Indian Act was wielded as the final coup de gras to bring Native people to their knees. Therefore, the strength of the Native response to enlisting was unexpected.

A high percentage of Native people have served in Turtle Island's wars dating from revolutionary times until today. During WW1, Canadian Native males were some of the first to enlist.
During World War II, 400 Native American men served with distinction as "code talkers" relaying battlefield messages in Athapaskan tongue, a language that Japanese intelligence was unable to decipher even though they were able to interpret every other code the American military used. Code talking was so effective that it was used until 1968. A few years ago, a movie starring Adam Beach and Nicholas Cage told the story of the Navaho Code Talkers and their major contribution to the war effort. .
SNIPERS AND SCOUTS - Native warriors called upon their traditional hunting and military fighting strategies to deadly effect. This, coupled with their time-honoured fearlessness in battle made them invaluable in many battles.
Francis Pegahmagabow ('Peggy') - Ojibwe (Parry Island, ON) - Most highly decorated Native Canadian in the First World War. Awarded Military Medal (MM) plus two bars for bravery in Belgium and France. Sniper specialist with iron nerves, patience and superb marksmanship. Served for nearly the entire war until he was wounded in 1919 and returned to Canada. Eventually became chief of the Parry Island Band and later a Councillor. A member of Canada’s Native Hall of Fame. Died on reserve in 1952. A quiet, peaceful man who rarely spoke of his wartime heroics.
Henry Northwest (Metis) - Fort Saskatchewan (French/Cree) - Sharpshooter, First world War. Excellent sniping skills with an ability to keep perfectly still for very long periods and superb camouflage techniques. Much of his time was spent in ‘No Man’s Land’, the dreaded area between opposing forces. He often slipped behind enemy lines. He earned the Military Medal (MM) in 1917 at a peak on Vimy Ridge. Award a bar to his MM. Died in battle on August 18, 1918^th three months before the war ended, killed by an enemy sniper.
Lieutenant Cameron D. Brant died leading a charge in the Second Battle of Ypres. Brant was the great-great grandson of the famed Mohawk Loyalist, Joseph Brant.
Two sons of Six Nations Cayuga Chief, Alexander George Smith served as Officers in WWI - Alexander Jr., and Charles Smith. Both were decorated. Alexander, promoted to Captain later served as Chief of the Cayuga. Charles was also promoted to Captain and returned safely to Canada at the end of the war.
All Natives who served in the Wars were denied War Veteran pensions by the Canadian government; a system of loans was set up for Native veterans, or their widows, so that they could acquire new agricultural land or improve existing farms. Returning Native veterans would be considered 'settler's under the conditions of the loans.