French city unveils plaque for Inuk war hero John Shiwak
The village of Masnières in northern France honored one of its war heroes on Friday, unveiling a plaque dedicated to Labrador Inuk John Shiwak.
Lans-Cpl. Shiwak was born in Rigolet in 1889, and is believed to have died in Masnières while fighting to liberate France in 1917. He was highly respected in his role as a sniper and was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
His great-nephew, Danny Pottle, was grateful that his relative received such an honor abroad.
“It’s a mixed bag of emotions,” Pottle said The St John’s Morning Show on Friday. “This has been a dream of ours for quite some time, and it’s an honor and we’re so happy that this is happening today.”
Pottle began advocating with his brother Barry about 20 years ago looking for ways to honor their great-uncle and other Native veterans. The connections they made included French historian Jean-Marie Labre and Canadian author and researcher France Rivet.
Together they approached the leaders of Masnières and proposed the idea of a plaque commemorating Shiwak near the place where he is believed to have died. Masnières is also home to one of the statues along the Trail of the Caribou – an ode to Newfoundland’s achievements, contributions and sacrifices during World War I.
“It just snowballed from there,” Pottle said. “They took it to the city council and the city council unanimously approved the proposal.”
The plaque is located on the outside wall of an elementary school, which stands near the spot where a German shell killed seven soldiers on November 21, 1917. There was fierce fighting in the area after Shiwak’s death and his tomb was lost.
“Shiwak was an accomplished hunter, trapper and fisherman,” the plaque reads. “He enlisted in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment on July 24, 1915. He would become one of the regiment’s most respected and effective snipers.”
The plaque is engraved in three languages: English, French and Inuttitut.
It further refers to Shiwak as “one of the unsung heroes of the Great War”.
“He was very celebrated from what I collected,” Pottle said. “[The French] were, and still are, quite intrigued that in those days a young Labrador Inuk would answer the call and come and help liberate France during the First World War. So he is quite revered, as far as I can tell, in France and all over Europe.”
Pottle was unable to make it to the ceremony – originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic – but was attended by representatives of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and Royal Canadian Legion, Newfoundland historian Frank Gogos and a few cabinet members. provincial government ministers.
While municipal leaders in Masnières were quick to pass the torch to Shiwak, Pottle said government leaders in Canada have been slower to take action on their own soil. He now hopes to see that change.
“I hope that after today’s ceremony, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Government of Canada will pick up the work and continue to help honor our Indigenous Veterans as they should be honored,” said Pottle.
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