Indigenous Veterans Day service slated for Niagara-on-the-Lake park

Niagara Parks will host the fifth annual Valour & Victory, in honour of National Indigenous Veterans Day, a public ceremony held at the Landscape of Nations Memorial in Queenston Heights Park on Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The service recognizes the contributions and sacrifices made by Six Nations and Native Allies who helped secure victory at the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812

This year’s event commemorates the seventh anniversary of the unveiling of the Landscape of Nations Memorial in 2016, marking a significant milestone for its presence in Niagara.

The number seven is symbolic in Haudenosaunee culture and is reflected in the Landscape of Nations memorial, with seven steel arches symbolizing a longhouse, and seven earthen mounds representing nature and signifying the Indigenous nations involved in the Battle of Queenston Heights and the War of 1812.

The service will include remarks from Niagara Parks Chair April Jeffs and Tim Johnson, Senior Advisor, Heritage and Legacy at Niagara Parks, who co-chaired the Working Group responsible for the Landscape of Nations memorial, alongside Dr. Richard Merritt.

The Historical Address will be delivered by Historian and Six Nations lawyer Paul Williams, who spoke at the original ground-breaking ceremony for the memorial in 2015.

In addition to formal remarks, the event will include an Honour Song by Phil Davis, Longstanding Cultural Community Member, wreath laying and traditional honouring held around a ceremonial fire.

This event aligns with Niagara Parks’ ongoing commitment to reconciliation, education and the preservation of Indigenous history throughout the entire 56-kilometre Niagara River corridor.