When Ken died in February 2021, we had an outpouring of messages from readers, with many telling us how much his columns meant to them. In light of that, we thought we would go back through our files and re-publish some of them. Ken would be flattered by the kind words readers expressed. We miss him as a friend and as a storyteller.

It stands on the high banks of the lake. The cenotaph has a dozen names on a brass plate — 11 men and one woman. These are people from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation who gave the ultimate sacrifice during times of war. One of the names on the plate is Albert Noskye, one of my grandfather’s brothers. I tried to find out what I could about him. All I could find was that he was 19 years old when he was killed in the Second World War. When I go for my evening walks along the lake, I will at times make my way to the memorial to give thanks; often running my fingers across his name.

Over the years, the old stone monument has taken a beating from the weather but, like the names attached to it, it is still proud and tall. On top of the granite is a beautiful marble-like eagle. One often hears of the youth on my home rez damaging everything in sight. Even after all these years, there is not one scratch on the memorial. There is no graffiti or spray paint on it. This shows respect the youth have for the true warriors of the Cree nation. In my over 30 years of covering news for the mainstream media, I have been privileged to interview many veterans — many of whom were non-Indigenous. The one thing I found that they have in common is how unselfish they were when they took up arms to defend this country. It was never about them. It was for their children, grandchildren and those yet to be born. I wondered what kind of life I would have had if he did not give his life. Would I be able to vote? Would I still need a written federal pass to leave the reserve?

There were so many regulations specifically for the North American Indian at the time that it made continued survival almost impossible. But the Cree moved forward, knocking down any barriers that stood in the way. This would not have been possible if it were not for the men and women who stepped up. I was able to sit and have tea and bannock with the last surviving member from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, and he shared the story of how the military from Edmonton came to the reserve and showed films of the actual war happening in Europe at the time. He told me how people volunteered not to defend the Canadian flag, the constitution or the Crown. They volunteered because they were shown how Mother Earth was being bombed and destroyed.

He also told me how terrified the Nazis were of the North American Indian. This fear was somewhat portrayed in the movie Inglorious Bastards with Brad Pitt. Many Canadians are not aware of the fact that treaty Indians were volunteers. No one else can claim this. Because of treaty obligations, they were not subject to conscription. Every Remembrance Day, the people of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation host a feast to honour our fallen warriors. A special plate of food is set aside for the veterans. Seven people line up and fire a rifle three times each for a 21-gun salute. The sound of gun fire echoes throughout the lake. I have been attending these ceremonies since I moved back. It’s with pride to see my last name on that plaque. It is also with pride to see our youth give thanks to our veterans. It’s their way of saying Lest We Forget.

-Ken Noskye