For myself, making my first Ribbon Skirt was an important step in reclaiming my Indigenous heritage. It is more that merely sewing a skirt and attaching ribbons to it.
It is indeed a spiritual connection from beginning to end. From listening to what the design on the material should be, to choosing the ribbon colours, the cutting and fitting and finally sewing it all together.
Alterations….
Even after my skirt was finished and I experienced a new sense of pride and purpose when I wore it, I found I had to go back to the sewing machine.
I had missed something. Now not everyone adds this item, however, in my case, I really needed to add a couple of pockets along the side seams. Invisible pockets.
Why pockets?
For me, I needed to add some of my medicine bundle right inside my skirt. I always carry a rock in my pants pockets and have for many, many years.
Along with keys, perhaps some change, and a pair of nail clippers, I found I really needed those pockets.
But why a rock in the pocket? For me it is that gentle reminder every time I put my hand inside and touch the stone is to keep myself grounded. Humbled, and close to the earth. I need that rock close at all times. Even in a time of stress, touching the stone brings peace.
May/June, 2023 Workshops
Knowing how important a seemingly simple ribbon skirt can be, this spring 12 individuals who have never received a ribbon skirt yet, are invited to join us for free workshops to make their own. All materials will be supplied.
May 23 & 30
June 6 & 13
Location: St James Anglican Church, 191 Hotchkiss Street, Gravenhurst. Times are 1-3pm. Come and have soup first, good conversation, teachings, and learning to sew your own skirt.
If you do not yet have your first ribbon skirt and would like to be included in this workshop, email: muskokafriendshipcentre@gmail.com
Members of Muskoka Indigenous Friendship Centre will be given first priority.
Ribbon Skirt material available to choose from for 2023 workshop
Join us…
Even if you have a ribbon skirt and you would like to make another one, you are welcome to join us if you bring your own material and ribbons. We’ll provide the rest of the equipment.
Win a Ribbon Skirt Kit !!
You have a chance to win this Strawberry Medicine Ribbon Skirt Kit by TheRibbonSkirtProject by buying tickets which will be drawn on Saturday, May 6 at our AGM.
These workshops are made possible by a grant from:
Our group consisted of Ojibwe, Metis, Cherokee, and Non-Indigenous Allies/Friends.
Our first Ribbon Skirt makers of 2018
This was an enjoyable, and yes, at times challenging project. None of the ladies had sewn on a machine before besides myself. Took in 8 machines and within minutes, none were working properly. Bent needles, tensions adjusted, jammed threads, and lots of laughter.
However, over the next few weeks, each woman was able to complete their own ribbon skirt and learned some new skills along the way.
On the last Saturday of January annually, the Muskoka Indigenous Friends Cultural Centre is responsible for maintaining one of the fire pits at the Bracebridge Fire & Ice Festival. Not just to keep the fire going, but to also provide an interactive FREE activity for families.
We offer a Popcorn Popping experience. An indigenous food item over the fire!! A great way to strike up conversation about our food and ways.
Volunteers help…
prepare over 500 packages of popcorn. Because after the Bracebridge Fire & Ice Festival, we go to Gravenhurst for their Winter Festival on Family Day weekend in February.
Each 18 x 18 package of folded heavy duty aluminum foil required:
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons popcorn kernels
pinch of salt
Then carefully folded until the day(s) of the event(s).
Relaxing by the fire….
Thanks to some Muskoka chairs, folks are able to sit, get warm, talk, and yes, pop some popcorn.
What a great day for everyone–
We will see you in Bracebridge and Gravenhurst during these special winter festivities.
As the colder temperatures settle in along with the snow, many of us turn to our winter comfort foods. That includes a wide variety of soups and stews.
Today we are focusing on a soup that was served up recently at the weekly gathering in Gravenhurst.
This soup was such a crowd pleaser that most had 2 or more helpings. No soup leftover to take home, that was for sure!
It was so simple to prepare too. Here is the recipe so you can make it at home too.
Instant Pot Cabbage Soup
An easy soup to make with few ingredients. Comfort food as good as it gets.
Place the olive oil in the bottom of the Instant Pot
Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the olive oil.
Plug the Instant Pot in and press the "saute" button. Saute the onion and garlic by stirring frequently until the onion is softened. This will only take a few minutes.
Shred the cabbage and finely dice the carrots.
When the onion and garlic is softened, turn the Instant Pot off.
Add the diced carrots, shredded cabbage, salt, pepper, and 6 cups of water. Stir the contents.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close. Make sure the vent valve is closed.Press the "Soup" button and let the Instant Pot do its thing. It will take some time to preheat and come to pressure. Once pressure is reached it will cook for 30 minutes. Once completed it will beep to let you know it is done.
Now you can either let it do Natural Release, which is just wait and let it depressurize naturally, or you can turn the vent valve to do Quick Release and let all the pressure and steam out quickly.
Once depressurized, open the lid and serve up the soup.
Notes
This is such an easy recipe and doesn’t require a lot of expensive ingredients. It was such a crowd pleaser at group this week that many had 2 bowls each. Try it yourself at home. It is a good source of Vitamins A, C, and K.
Wild Rice, otherwise known as Manoomin, historically and still today, plays an important role in the lives of the Ojibwe people of Turtle Island.
Oral tradition over thousands of years tells of the 7 Fire Prophecies in which the 3rd Fire Prophecy spoke of the Anishinabe finding the path to the lands prepared for them. To the place where food grows upon the water.
The Great Lakes Region is that land where food grows upon the water. The Ojibwe people came to rely on this new food source. They depended on the annual harvest and preservation of this precious and nutritious food to survive the long winters.
Today, manoomin still remains a staple of Ojibwe diets as a traditional food source. It is both culturally and spiritually important and is expected to be served at important community feasts and ceremonies. High in protein, yet low in fat and calories, wild rice has a very high nutritional value. Once the rice has been properly preserved through the harvesting process, it can also be stored for a very long time. This was important when other food sources became scarce–they still had manoomin–the food that grows on the water.
But perhaps you are new to reclaiming your culture and you don’t know how to even cook wild rice. That is why this recipe is here for you to access. It is a very simple, non stressful way to cook wild rice for the first time.
Remember, wild rice is not even a rice. It is actually an aquatic grass. So it doesn’t quite cook like white or brown rice either. In fact, you only need 1/2 cup of wild rice to feed 4 people where typical rice you need 1 cup of rice. So a little goes a long way when cooking with wild rice.
If you or family members are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, then you really should consider adding more manoomin to your diet. It is a low-glycemic food, meaning that it won’t spike your blood sugars. The Let’s Eat–Wiisinadaa program looks at ways that returning to traditional food sources can improve your overall health. Today, let’s start with wild rice–manoomin.
Grab your trusty slow cooker. Pour 1/2 cup of wild rice grains on the bottom.
Add 2 cups of water to the slow cooker
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours until the rice is "flowered" and the water has been absorbed.
Now you can use this as a side dish with your meal, or set aside to cool and use in any variety of recipes that require prepared wild rice.
Notes
Perhaps this is the easiest and no fuss way to prepare wild rice. You can have hot wild rice to serve with your meals anytime. Or, you have a recipe such as the Wild Rice Waffles that require cooked, previously cooked wild rice. Pull it out of the fridge and get cooking!Nutrition Facts: per 100 grams of cooked wild rice:
Commonly referred to as the 4 Sacred Medicines, they are:
Tobacco
Sweetgrass
Sage
Cedar
The 4 Sacred Medicines are used in everyday life and in ceremonies. All of them can be used to smudge with, although Sweetgrass, Sage, and Cedar have other uses as well.
Disclaimer:
Information presented is only a small portion of the many and extensive teachings that exist. Teachings even vary from First Nation to First Nation and from one area of the country to another. For more information, please consult with a Traditional Elder, Healer, or Medicine Person.
Traditional Tobacco plant seedling
Tobacco
Tobacco is the first plant that Creator gave to the Indigenous people. It is the main one that stimulates the other plant spirits. Tobacco is always first. It is used as an offering for everything and in every ceremony. It is a way to say “Miigwetch, Maarsii, Nia:wen, Thank You” at all times.
Another expression commonly said when referring to Tobacco is: “Always through tobacco”.
Traditional tobacco was given to us so that we can communicate with the spirit world. It opens up the door to allow that communication to take place. When we make an offering of tobacco, we communicate our thoughts and feelings through the tobacco as we pray for ourselves, our family, relatives, and others.
Tobacco has a special relationship to other plants; it is said to be the main activator of all the plant spirits. Tobacco is always offered before picking medicines. When you offer tobacco to a plant and explain why you are there, that plant will let all the plants in the area know why you are coming to pick them.
When you seek the help and advice of an Elder, Healer, or Medicine Person, and give your offering of tobacco, they know that a request may be made as tobacco is so sacred.
We express our gratitude for the help the spirits give us through our offering of tobacco. It is put down as an offering of thanks to the First Family, the natural world, after a fast. Traditional people make an offering of tobacco each day when the sun comes up.
Traditional tobacco is still grown in some communities.
Sage
Sage is used to prepare people for ceremonies and teachings. Because it is more medicinal and stronger than sweetgrass, it tends to be used more often in ceremonies.
Sage is used for releasing what is troubling the mind and for removing negative energy.
It is also used for cleansing homes and sacred items. It also has other medicinal uses.
There is male sage and female sage the female sage is used by women. This medicine is often referred to as the “women’s medicine”. It is quite commonly the medicine used at public ceremonies.
Cedar
Like sage and sweetgrass, cedar is used to purify the home.
It also has many restorative medicinal uses. Cedar baths are refreshing. Cedar tea is full of vitamin C.
When cedar is put in the fire with tobacco, it crackles. When it does this, it is calling the attention of the spirits to the offering that is being made.
Cedar is used in fasting and sweat lodge ceremonies as a form of protection; cedar branches cover the floor of the sweat lodge and a circle of cedar surrounds the faster’s lodge.
Sweetgrass
Sweetgrass is the sacred hair of Mother Earth. Its sweet aroma reminds people of the gentleness, love, and kindness she has for the people.
When sweetgrass is used in a healing circle it has a calming effect.
Like sage and cedar, sweetgrass is used for smudging and purification. It is also referred to as the “men’s medicine”.
Once you learn to recognize its distinct vanilla like odor, a drive with open windows down a country road will never be the same. You will know when you are passing through sweetgrass lands.
Taking Care Of The Medicines
You take care of these sacred medicines by keeping them in a dry place. Then can be stored in paper bags or wooden boxes.
If you have been using drugs or alcohol, Healers say you should wait four to seven days before touching the medicines.
Restoring Sacred Plants In Our Community
The Muskoka Indigenous Friends Cultural Centre through a seed sharing initiative and plant sales is trying to assist local Indigenous members who are trying to set up personal or community use Sacred Medicine Gardens. Trying to bring the medicines home closer to the people.
The 7 Grandfather Teachings have so long been a part of Indigenous culture that no one remembers a time when they weren’t a part of our teachings.
Although there are variations of the animals used to represent and even in how the teaching is presented, the same 7 elements are common.
disclaimer:
Information presented is only a small portion of the many and extensive teachings that exist. Teachings even vary from First Nation to First Nation and from one area of the country to another. For more information, please consult with a Traditional Elder, Healer, or Medicine Person.
These 7 guiding principles have been adopted by many Indigenous communities and organizations to be used as a moral stepping stone and a cultural foundation. A basic teaching place to start teaching the morals, values, structures, ceremonial practices, and spiritual beliefs of the group.
Each community adapts the teachings to suit their community values, however, they share the same concepts of abiding by a moral respect for all living things.
One Origin Story
According to the story, long ago, a messenger was sent to see how the Neshnabék were living. The messenger discovered that the Neshnabék were living their life in a negative way, which impacted their thoughts, decisions, and actions. Some had hate for others, displayed disrespectful actions, were afraid, told lies, and cheated. Others revealed pride or were full of shame. During his journey, the messenger came across a child. This child was chosen to be taught by the Seven Grandfathers to live a good life. He was taught the lessons of:
Love
Respect
Bravery
Truth
Honesty
Humility
Wisdom
Before departing from the Seven Grandfathers, they told him,
“Each of these teachings must be used with the rest. You cannot have Wisdom without Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth. You cannot be Honest if you are only using one of the other teachings. To leave out one teaching would be embracing the opposite of what the teaching means.”
The Seven Grandfathers each instructed the child with a principle. It was then up to the child to forget them, or to put them to use.
Today, each of us represents the child. We must faithfully apply the teachings of our Seven Grandfathers to our own lives. We must place our trust in the Creator. We must also never forget to be sincere in our actions, character, and words.
There is no right order to present these teachings as they are all intertwined:
Humility – Dbaadendiziwin
Humility is to know that we are a part of creation. We must always consider ourselves equal to one another. We are not better or worse than anyone else, we are equal.
Humility comes in many forms, including, compassion, calmness, meekness, gentleness, and patience. We must be thoughtful, reflective, and aware of the balance and equality with all of life, including humans, plants, and animals. Life live selflessly and not selfishly. Respect your place and carry your pride with your people and praise the accomplishments of all. Do not become arrogant and self-important.
Humility is represented by the wolf. The wolf lives for the betterment of his pack and the ultimate shame for a wolf is to be cast out of the pack.
Bravery – Aakwa’ode’ewin
Facing a problem with integrity is a true demonstration of bravery. Doing what is right even when the consequences may be unpleasant. It takes courage to face life and difficulties while standing tall during adversity. It means not trying to wiggle out of something just because the “i” isn’t dotted, or the “t” isn’t crossed. It is facing something with responsibility and doing what is right.
Bravery can also mean to defend what you believe in and what is right for your community, family, and yourself. Have conviction in your decisions, your thinking, and your speaking. All of these actions together will lead to ceaseless bravery.
Bravery is represented by the bear. The mother bear has the courage and strength to face her hears and challenges while protecting her young. The bear also shows us how to live a balanced life with rest, survival, and play.
Honesty – Gwekwaadziwin
Honesty begins within yourself. We must allow truth to be our guide. Being honest with yourself will allow you to be honest with others. Recognize and accept who you are. Accept and use the gifts that you have been given. Do not seek to deceive yourself of others. Walking with integrity is to know honesty.
Facing a difficult situation is to be brave. Courage is the act of doing the right thing. Honesty is also able to say the right thing, first to yourself and then to others. Do not deceive yourself or others. Be honest with yourself. Recognize and accept who you are. We must give full value to both the efforts of our own and others. When we walk through life with integrity, it is then that we know honesty. Be truthful and trustworthy. Remember to accept and act on truth through straightforward and appropriate communication.
Honesty is represented by either the raven or the sabe. They both understand who they are and how to walk in their life.
“Sabe reminds us to be ourselves and not someone we are not. An honest person is said to walk tall like Kitchi-Sabe… Like Kitchi-Sabe, Raven accepts himself and knows how to use his gift. He does not seek the power, speed or beauty of others. He uses what he has been given to survive and thrive. So must you.”
The Seven Sacred Teachings of White Buffalo Calf Woman, by: David Bouchard & Dr. Joseph Martin
Wisdom – Nbwaakaawin
Wisdom is given to us by Creator to be used for good. We must remember to listen and use the wisdom that has been provided by our Elders, Tribal leadership, and our Spiritual leaders. We must always remember that Wisdom comes in all shapes, sizes, forms, and ages.
To know and cherish wisdom is to cherish knowledge or intelligence also. The mixture of these teachings, combined with life experiences, is what is referred to as wisdom. We must use sound judgment along with our ability to separate inner qualities and relationships. We must use a good sense and course of action to form a positive attitude.
Use your giftings wisely and live your life by them. Recognize your differences and those of others in a kind and respectful way. Continuously observe the life of all things around you. Listen with clarity and a sound mind. Respect your own limitations and those of all of your surroundings. Allow yourself to learn and live by your wisdom.
Wisdom is represented by the beaver because he uses his natural gift wisely for his survival. The beaver also alters his environment in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way for the benefit of his family.
Truth – Debwewin
Truth is having the knowledge of our cultural teachings. It gives us the ability to act without regret. We must understand, speak, and feel the truth, while also honoring its power.
Truth should not lead us to deceptions. We know who we are in our heart. By knowing that, we also know the truth. Our emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual gifts will guide each one of us in our journey. Truth understands the importance of both the journey and the destination. Truth is to know all of these things.
Apply faith and trust in your teachings. Show honor and sincerity in all that you say and do. Understand your place in this life and apply that understanding in the way that you walk. Be true to yourself and all other things.
Truth is represented by the turtle as he was here during the creation of Earth and carries the teachings of life on his back. The turtle lives life in a slow and meticulous manner because he understands the importance of both the journey and the destination.
Respect – Mnaadendimowin
To have respect is to honour all of creation. There should be no part of creation that should be excluded from the honour we are to give. Do not be wasteful and be mindful of the balance of life for all living things. Share and give away what you do not need. Treat others they way you would like to be treated. Do not be hurtful to yourself or others.
We demonstrate respect by realizing the value of all people and things. Show courteous consideration and appreciation. We must give respect if we wish to be respected. We honour the traditional roles that we fill and the teaching we have been given. We honour our families and others, as well as ourselves. We are not to bring harm to anyone or anything. Respect if not just an action, but a heart-grown feeling.
Respect is represented by the buffalo. The buffalo gives every part of his being to sustain the human way of living, not because he is of less value, but because he respects the balance and needs of others.
Love – Zaagidiwin
Knowing love is to know peace. Love must be unconditional. For one to love and accept themselves is to live at peace with the Creator and in harmony with all of creation. View your inner-self from the perspective of all the teachings. This is to know love and to love yourself deeply. Then you will discover peace with yourself, the balance of life, all things, and with Creator.
To love others can be hard. However, when people are weak, that is when they need love the most. Love is strong affection for another. This love can form between friends and family. Love is also an attachment that is based upon devotion, admiration, tenderness, and kindness for all things around you. Love knows no bounds. We must accept love sincerely and give it away freely.
Love is represented by the eagle. He has the strength to carry all of the teachings. The eagle has the ability to fly the highest and closest to Creator. The eagle also has the eyesight to see all the ways of being from great distances. The eagle’s teaching of love can be found in the core of all the teachings, therefore, an eagle feather is considered the highest honour and a sacred gift.
For many of us and our varied traumatized pasts, the question is not always first–“Who am I?”. Rather, more often, it is the self-identification of realizing “who I am not”.
Growing up and still even today, I am often met with the response from others of, “why don’t you just think and act like the rest of us?!” Years ago I realized the answer–
Because I am not like “them”. First of all, I am like me. But a big part of life’s journey can be about trying to figure out exactly who and what that “me” is. So, on this medicine wheel of life, I started with: RESIST–Who I am not.
Realizing who I am not–leads naturally to the next one. RECLAIM–Where have I come from? For myself, it sent me on my journey to discover who my ancestors truly were. My father before his death when I was 9 years old had always made sure that I clearly understood that I was Metis. I was Indigenous. He had told me some stories, but over the years, without him around, some of those stories were fading in my mind. I needed to correct this, so I began my journey of asking–Where have I come from?
I started on Ancestry researching. I am so glad I made this step on my WALK. I discovered more about my ancestors and why I think, do, and act the way I do in society. It goes back to RESIST–Who I am not. By discovering the people in my past, I was able to ascertain even more about who I am not. This led to answers of who I am. And isn’t that a common question? Who am I?
For me, it was discovering that I am the descendant of Chipakijikokwe (Marie Louise Riel) and that I come from a line of rebels and people who advocate for their communities and fight for justice and equality. To me personally, this was a huge discovery and explained so much to me.
My journey of discovery, did take well over a year, however, was shorter than I’ve seen others on their journey of reclaiming. It is after all, the elusive chase of white man papers to prove mine and your identity. So if your journey is riddled with stones in your path and burnt churches, lost records, misrepresentation of ancestors’ identities, what can you do? You know in your heart the truth, but the paper can’t be found….
Local Indigenous Cultural Centres
Indigenous Cultural Centres are a place to start helping you on that healing journey of discovery. At the Muskoka Indigenous Friends Cultural Centre we have helped some find those elusive missing papers. Then their journey of RECLAIM can begin. Restoring what was taken away.
From there, the next question becomes–CONSTRUCT-Where am I going? To finally, ACT-What are my responsibilities?
But first…..
Indigenous Cultural Centres are a place to come in and sit on the sidelines for a while if that is what you need to do.
Perhaps it is to come in and grab a cup of soup and just listen to the conversation. A place where your silence is not looked at as anything but normal.
Because, we understand. We know what you need. You need the time and place to just feel safe, and then to feel trust.
Once trust is built within the community, then members of the Muskoka Indigenous Friends Cultural Centre can move forward on deeper paths of healing and action.
Indigenous Cultural Centres recognize that everyone is going at their own pace and on their own journey. Even though our canoes may all be in the same lake we are not all in the same canoe. It is okay to pass your paddle to help out someone in the next canoe, but it is not okay to get into their canoe or have them climb into yours. Why?
Because the simple answer is, the canoe will tip. Either theirs or yours. And then you are of no help to yourself or others. But by passing a paddle of assistance, demonstrating how to paddle, how to move forward–that is the real help. Our purpose as an Indigenous Cultural Centre is to show you a path, but remembering that the steps taken must be your own. Your journey will not be exactly the same as mine. We may share similarities, we may have huge differences, but we can both look and see that we are in the motion of WALK–We Are Like Kin.
And because of this kinship, we can be there to support each other in talking circles, cultural activities, perhaps even to help each other locate missing family members due to the great disconnection through various government policies that affected so many of us. But most of all, we accept you for who you are, right where you are at this moment in time…Aanii, Boonzhoor, She:kon, Hello, and Welcome……
National Indigenous Veterans Day is honoured every year on November 8th. However, this was not always so. In fact, this day of remembrance has only been occurring since 1994. It is a memorial day observed here in Canada to recognize the contributions of Indigenous soldiers to military service, particularly in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
This year I would like to share about one of my own Indigenous ancestors who served in World War II and never returned home. In fact, while doing research on my family, I discovered that he was killed in action just months away from the end of the war in 1945. So close to returning home to friends and family, but not quite. In fact, his death was so traumatic for my other Great Uncle, his brother, that he committed suicide because his grief was so deep. But today, we are going to focus on the life of my Métis Great Uncle Réal Joseph Serinack, Great-Great Grandson to Chipakijikokwe (Marie Louise Riel).
Serinack, Réal Joseph Trooper 1st Canadian Hussars 6th Armoured Regiment B/144165
Réal Joseph Serinack was born on May 3, 1924, in Cochrane in Northern Ontario. Réal Joseph was the son of Mary Louise McGregor and Dominique Serinack. His father, a Romanian immigrant, had served in the First World War; his mother was Métis and 1st cousin 1x removed to Louis Riel, the famous Métis leader, the founder of Manitoba.
From his mother’s first marriage, Réal had a half brother Thomas Belanger and two half sisters from his mother’s second marriage, Dolores Gerard (nee Gauthier) and Irene Montpetit (nee Gauthier). From his mother’s third marriage, Réal had a sister, Clémence Serinack and a brother, Donald Serinack.
Réal, who was raised Roman Catholic, went to school from the age of six until he was 15. Like many kids during the era, he left school to help his dad, working in his dad’s bakery.
Prior to his military career he had two civilian jobs. He worked as a delivery truck/wagon driver for his dad’s bakery, for three months. After that, his trade was listed as powerhouse operator for the Northern Ontario Power company where he worked for a yearn and a half in New Liskeard, Ontario. After the war he had dreams of becoming an electrical mechanic.
His hobbies included electrical work, reading, hockey (playing defence), rugby, softball (playing outfield), hunting and horseback riding. He was also very musically inclined, being able to play the violin and most stringed instruments. Furthermore, he was fluent in French, English and Michif (the language spoken by the Métis people).
Réal Joseph Serinack enlisted on March 15, 1943, at the age of 18 ¾ years in Toronto, Ontario. He was assigned to the 1st Hussars of the 6th Canadian Armed Regiment. According to his Military Specialties and Trades document, his motive for enlisting was that his father, Dominique Serinack, served in the First World War.
According to his Certificate of Medical Examination, Trooper Serinack was reported to be five feet eight inches tall and weighed 156 pounds with dark skin, brown hair and brown eyes. He had a scar over his left eye and eyebrow.
In his Personnel Selection Record, Trooper Serinack was described as having “a healthy appearance, self-assured, fairly alert, cooperative manner that suggests confidence in his ability.” It is also stated that, “This youth is an energetic aggressive type who should be suitable for combat abilities.”
After completing his basic training in Toronto, he went to Orilla, Ontario, on April 1, 1943. He was then transferred to Camp Borden on June 4, 1943. There, he was qualified as a gunner operator in group “C” on October 22. He left Canada on November 24, 1943 and arrived in the United Kingdom on December 1, 1943.
According to his letters back home, Trooper Serinack had formed a relationship with a British woman. He referred to “my girlfriend in Scotland” who wrote him letters two or three times a week. He hoped to bring her back to Canada after the war ended.
Letters from war
His letters were signed as “Ray” rather than Réal but the family members knew him as Joseph.
Trooper Serinack went over to Normandy, on June 6, 1944 with his tank regiment, the Canadian 1st Hussars, who landed at Juno beach and fought as part of the invasion of France.
According to the 1st Hussars war diaries for this day, it stated, “So we close this great day satisfied that we have accomplished all that was possible and lived up to our motto “HODIE NON CRAS”.” Hodie non cras are the words of the 1st Hussars regiment meaning, “Today not tomorrow”.
Throughout the next eight months, Trooper Serinack fought in battle after battle as the Allied forces liberated many countries from the Nazi occupation.
Trooper Serinack’s regiment was part of Operation Blockbuster” which took place from February 26 to March 3, 1945 in Germany.
According to the 1st Hussars war diaries, February 26 was cloudy and rainy during a military action against the town of Üdem, Germany. It was on the first day of the assault, 26th of February, Trooper Serinack died along with 15 other men in his regiment. Trooper Serinack was only 20 years old.
His headstone would be mistakenly engraved with the age of 23 but the military records verified his age as 20 years old from a specially-issued birth certificate. But it is easy to understand that all of these young men were aged just from being at war–so perhaps in spirit, he was older.
Réal Joseph Serinack was buried temporarily in Üdem, Germany before being moved to Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands. His headstone is located in XXIV. A. 16. His headstone was engraved with the words
“AND WHILE HE LIES IN PEACEFUL SLEEP HIS MEMORY WE SHALL ALWAYS KEEP “
His military awards include the 1939-45 Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Clasp.
Meanwhile, back in Cochrane, Ontario, my Great-Grandmother had this tombstone made to remember her son, Real Joseph Serinack, killed in action.
Credits for some of the information shared here today goes to: Isobel Pozzobon and Elexis Scott, students from All Saints H.S., Kanata, Canada for Faces to Graves courtesy of Vanessa Kirtz, a teacher at All Saints H.S. With additional research and editing provided by Kurt Johnson. Finally, myself, Great Niece of Real Joseph Serinack, Theresa (Belanger) Buker (Diligent Harvester).
Sources: Commonwealth War Graves Commission Canadian Virtual War Memorial The Gallant Hussars, A History of The 1st Hussars Regiment 1856-2004 Library and our Archives Photographs and information provided by nephew Rhéal Cousineau and great niece Theresa Buker Project 44 war diaries
