A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

Now Playing: A Ghost In The Trenches – History Version by Sabaton

I got thinking today, which is never a good sign. Ghost stories are rather interesting to me, especially from the perspective of a pagan and general lover of history.

When asked, most people will probably tell you that ghosts and spirits are the same thing. Now, while I understand that, it’s not quite true in my mind. I do recognise that we have been raised with certain media that have told us that they’re the same so most people just don’t know better, and fair enough.

If asked what spirits are, aside from a type of drink to start the night off right, the best way I can answer that is it’s complicated. The category of spirit in my mind includes everything from the souls of regular people like me to lesser deities of specific geographical regions.

The way I look at it, ghosts are a type of spirit, but spirits are not necessarily ghosts. Think all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares. That same logic applies here, in that all ghosts are spirits but not all spirits are ghosts. So while technically, yes, one could call a ghost a spirit and still be correct, saying the two are exactly the same feels like the ignorance of other spirits who may not necessarily be the souls of people who passed with unfinished business in this world.

The term “ghost” is also sometimes used to describe how someone moves (e.g. “Like ghosts, they sweep across the trenches with deadly precision”, in reference to snipers killing from a distance in the history version of A Ghost In The Trenches by history themed Swedish power metal band Sabaton).

Now how do we tie this into history? The same way we tie everything into history around here: through music. I used a Sabaton song as an example earlier, that being A Ghost In The Trenches. This is one of my favourite songs of theirs, as it’s about an Indigenous Canadian soldier of the First World War, that being Francis Pegahmagabow of the Ojibwe nation.

Now, before I go any further, I feel it necessary to provide some context on Sabaton as a band, namely who they are and what they do. Sabaton is a power metal band formed under the name Aeon in the city of Falun, Sweden, in 1999. Before they found their now signature style and theme in singing about stories from military history from all over the world, they had a more “standard” power metal theme of singing about fantasy, though that only lasted for a demo and the first album they recorded in 2002, which wouldn’t be officially released until 2007 due to a change in label.

Since their official debut album Primo Victoria (2005), their music has, with the exceptions of Metalizer (2007, recorded in 2002) and some covers, centered almost exclusively on military history. They sing about a wide variety of stories from countries from all over the world, praising the actions of the heroes and battalions while condemning the existence of war itself.

Now how does this relate to a random Indigenous Canadian soldier? Well, I’m glad you asked. Ever since their album Carolus Rex (2012), as well as their album The Art of War (2008), they’ve been writing concept albums, all of them focusing on either a specific period of time, specific types of battles, or even specific individuals.

So, on The Great War (2019), the first of two albums and three EPs discussing World War I, they included a song specifically discussing the story of Pegahmagabow. Now that we’re all up to speed, let’s dive into his story.

Francis Pegahmagabow MM was an Ojibwe soldier, politician and activist. He is credited with 378 German kills and a further 300 German captures, being known as an expert marksman and scout. He was awarded the Military Medal three separate times, being one of only 39 Canadians to receive that honour. Over the course of the war, he was also promoted to sergeant major, a senior non-commissioned officer rank, and had received the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.

He also spent two separate terms as the chief of the Wasauksing First Nation, the first lasting from 1921 to 1925 and the second lasting from 1942 to 1945, and spent time as tribal councillor from 1933 to 1936, and as the supreme chief of the Native Independent Government.

So why is this something I want to bring up and talk about? It’s simple: I like history, and I believe it’s important to recognise those who came before, as well as Indigenous people who were integral to the history of their country in some way. These stories are regularly being forgotten or overlooked and it’s important that we see these people and their stories as what they are: regular people wanting to make the world a better place and becoming heroes in the process.

I am also a major proponent of learning about the stories from one’s own country, but also from all over the world. It’s one of those things that can give a much stronger understanding of the world and sense of community among people who would otherwise be separated by geographical or geopolitical borders.

Do you have a specific hero from your country’s history? Are there any interesting stories from your country that you want to share? I’d love to hear them.