Last week the Osoyoos Indian Band used National Indigenous Peoples Day for a special ceremony to honour a man who paid the ultimate sacrifice 78 years ago.
The band rededicated a war memorial for Cpl. Ernie Baptiste George on June 21.
The cenotaph was previously located on the St. Gregory’s church property on Nk’Mip Road where it burned to the ground under suspicious circumstances last year. The memorial was moved to the site of the OIB offices on McKinney Road, where many people gathered to pay tribute.
Baptiste George was the son of Narcisse and Victoria George. His father was chief of Nk’Mip Indian Reserve, now known as the OIB.
Baptiste George was killed in action in Italy on Dec. 13, 1944. He was 26.
In addition to the rededication ceremony, numerous other events took place in Oliver and Osoyoos on National Indigenous Peoples Day. For example, at Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre in Osoyoos, traditional dances were performed.
Local schools also took part. At Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School in Oliver, pupils participated in a salmon lifecycle obstacle course and a deer hide relay race.
National Indigenous Peoples Day is held on the summer solstice to celebrate the rich and diverse culture of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.
National Indigenous Peoples Day was announced in 1996 by Governor General Romeo LeBlanc.
In 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of National Aboriginal Solidarity Day.
