Edward John Clutesi died in battle on August 29, 1944, according to a letter sent to his mother by the Canadian Forces.

He was 26 years old.

“That’s young,” said Tseshaht hereditary chief Josh Goodwill. “I’m 35 years old and I feel young. When I finally started… to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I was like 25, 26 years old. And he was there fighting big battles and fighting a war that I don’t have.” “I don’t think I can handle it at my age now. It’s a very young age for someone to come forward and put themselves in a situation like that.”

clutesi He was one of thousands of Indigenous soldiers who served in the Canadian Army in both the First and Second World Wars. He is also one of approximately 3,000 soldiers buried in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemeterythe final resting place of victims of the final stages of the Battle of Normandy.

Although Clutesi did not return home, his memory and legacy live on through stories shared by loved ones and family members working to preserve the Tseshaht language.

Goodwill is one of the hereditary chiefs of the Tseshaht First Nation, but he is also the grandson of Clutesi’s brother.

“The first stories my grandfather shared were about his older brother going to war,” he said.

“He talked about the moment he realized his brother hadn’t come home.”

His grandfather, Albert Clutesi, was in residential school at the time; Goodwill said a police car arrived at the school seeking help finding Albert and Edward’s mother.

“When they said he knew it was his brother, his brother was probably gone.”

Edward Clutesi had also attended residential school and, despite being forced to attend, decided to serve the country in times of war, a move that Goodwill said was likely inspired by his community.

“I think he thought about his family. I think he thought about his little brother, my grandfather Albert, and the life they could live if he didn’t come forward and put himself in that situation,” Goodwill said.

“I’m pretty sure he probably thought about making sure his community is safe and secure.”

Legacy

Today, Goodwill is one of several Tseshaht members working to learn and teach their traditional C̓išaaʔatḥ (Tseshaht) language.

He was inspired by his grandparents, who spoke the language, but often in secret – a lasting impact of residential school, where Indigenous children were prohibited from speaking the languages ​​of their communities.

“I felt like it was a responsibility of mine that I needed to figure out how to learn the language,” he said.

“It will take a lifelong learning journey to achieve fluency, as much fluency as possible. I am growing and learning with my three children.”

Goodwill is also planning a potlatch to celebrate his grandparents, Albert and his wife, Bernice, who recently passed away.

He said it will also be an opportunity to say goodbye to Edward Clutesi in a good way.

“This is a special occasion to celebrate and share who was and who would have been and where we are now as a community and where we are now as Tseshaht.”