National Indigenous Veterans Day is November 8 of each year. Many folks ask why Indigenous Veterans Day is separate from Remembrance Day. This special day to honour Indigenous soldiers began in 1994. In an email statement, Veterans Affairs Canada states that despite their long service, many First Nation, Métis, and Inuit veterans faced racism and systemic barriers on their return to civilian life. It was not until 1995 that Indigenous Peoples were allowed to lay Remembrance Day wreaths at the National War Memorial to remember and honour their dead comrades.

“Indigenous folks who served in the wars, were forced to overcome many challenges to serve in uniform, from learning a new language and adapting to cultural differences, to having to travel great distances from their remote communities just to enlist. The challenges they faced often extended to their post-service life. Many Indigenous war Veterans would not receive equal treatment compared to other Canadian Veterans.

Canada expropriated hundreds of thousands of acres of reserve lands during this era. Some of their land was also taken and given to non-Indigenous people as part of a program that granted farmland to returning Veterans. The government typically denied this reestablishment program to Indigenous Veterans and treated them unfairly in other ways.

Rock Your Mocs was founded in 2011 by Jessica Jaylyn Atsye (Laguna Pueblo, NM U.S.A.) and beginning 2013, collaboratively, has been annually organized and produced by Native American event producer Melissa Sanchez(Acoma/Laguna Pueblos NM U.S.A.)

Established 2011, Rock Your Mocs, is a worldwide Indigenous Peoples social media unity event held annually. People wear their moccasins wherever their day takes them, and many take a photo, or create a video/story, and upload to social media with the hashtag #rockyourmocs. This creates an online photo album for the world to see and enjoy while simultaneously uniting Indigenous Peoples through their unique, and collective, tribal culture and heritage. Additionally, individuals, organizations, casino's, schools, museums, and Nations are taking the initiative to create their own independent events, both cultural and contemporary, throughout the world. (from rocyourmocs.org).

Roc Your Mocs week will be held from November 10 – 16, 2024, with the official day being November 15, 2024.

Are you an educator planning a Remembrance Day Ceremony for your school? The Legion has valuable new resources for you.