Pegahmagabow: Life-Long Warrior

by Adrian Hayes

Francis Pegahmagabow was a remarkable aboriginal leader who served his nation in time of war and his people in time of peacefighting. In wartime he volunteered to be a warrior. In peacetime he had no option. His life reveals how uncaring Canada was about those to whom this land had always been home.

A member of the Parry Island band (now Wasauksing First Nation) near Parry Sound, Ontario, Francis served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France for almost the entire duration of the First World War, primarily as a scout and sniper. Through the horrific battles and inhuman conditions of trench warfare, his actions earned him three decorations for braverythe most ever received by a Canadian aboriginal soldier. More recently, they inspired the central fictional character in Joseph Boyden's highly acclaimed novel Three Day Road.

Physically and emotionally scarred by his wartime ordeals, Francis returned to Parry Island to try to rebuild his life. He had been treated as an equal in the army, but quickly discovered things hadn't changed back in Canada. As a status Indian his life was regulated by the infamous Indian Act and by local Indian agents who seemed bent on thwarting his every effort to improve his lot.

So, Francis became a warrior once morethis time in the even longer battle to achieve the right of aboriginal Canadians to control their own destiny.

In compiling this account of Francis Pegahmagabow's remarkable life, Adrian Hayes conducted extensive research in newspapers, archives, and military records, and spoke with members of Pegahmagabow's family and others who remembered the plight and the perseverance of this warrior.

Originally published by Fox Meadow Creations, Pegahmagabow emerges again in this new Blue Butterfly Books edition, which incorporates additional material and updates some aspects of this unforgettable storyand the confusion that still surrounds it.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction

165 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ron Peters · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://tinyurl.com/mr25v3sn Francis Pegahmagabow (1891-1952) was a Canadian soldier, an Anishinaabe politician, and an activist with the Brotherhood of Canadian Indians and the National Indian Government. He was the most decorated Indigenous soldier in Canadian military history and the most effective sniper in World War One, credited with killing 378 Germans and capturing 300. Pegahmagabow and John Shiwak (1889-1917), a Newfoundland Inuk who was also a WWI sniper, inspired the characters, Xavier and Elijah, in Joseph Boyden’s (2005) novel Three Day Road. Wikipedia notes, “A life-sized bronze statue of Pegahmagabow was erected in his honour on National Aboriginal Day, June 21, 2016, in Parry Sound, near Georgian Bay.” His medals are on display in the Canadian War Museum, and the Canadian military named the 3rd Canadian Ranger Patrol Group HQ Building at CFB Borden after him. A piece of history all Canadians should know.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic story about an amazing man. Important to our Canadian and native history. It will impact me for the rest of my life

[Elaine Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this was not an exciting history of a brave man. I learned a lot about what native Americans endured. I doubt that many today could have survived without significant scares and doubt.
People can be so cruel and judgmental. Thank goodness their voices ultimately were heard .

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should be a wonderful story but very poorly written without flow.

[Rob Tesselaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Canadian should read this book and know this story. Francis Pegahmagabow was one of Canada's finest warriors, but his treatment following the war was shameful.