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Forgotten Warriors

Directed by Loretta Todd
Canada, 1997 (documentary, 51 minutes, colour / black and white, English)
Also known as "Guerriers oubliés"
Forgotten Warriors
Image: © National Film Board of Canada

Film Description:
"Although they could not be conscripted, when World War II was declared, thousands of Canadian Aboriginal men and women enlisted and fought alongside their non-Native countrymen. While they fought for freedom for others, ironically the Aboriginal soldiers were not allowed equality in their own country. As a reward for fighting, the Canadian Soldier Veteran's Settlement Act allowed returning soldiers to buy land at a cheap price. However, many of the Aboriginal soldiers were never offered nor told about the land entitlement. Some returned home to find the government had seized parts of their own reserve land to compensate non-Native war veterans. Whole First Nations communities still mourn the loss of the thousands of acres of prime land they were forced to surrender. With narrator Gordon Tootoosis providing an historical overview, Aboriginal veterans poignantly share their unforgettable war memories and their healing process. We join them as they travel back to Europe to perform a sacred circle for friends left behind, but not forgotten, in foreign grave sites."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by: Loretta Todd
Produced by: Carol Geddes, Michael Doxtater, Jerry Krepakevich, Graydon McCrea
Narrator: Gordon Tootoosis
Film Editing: Shirley Claydon, Gerald K. Wilson
Music: Wesley Lowe, Russell Wallace
Production Company: National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada
(sources)

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