Handmade Remembrance Day poppies proudly worn by aboriginal veterans

When navy veteran Joy Ward-Dockrey attends Remembrance Dayceremonies in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday, she plans to proudly weartwo poppies to show her respect.

One will be the traditional red-and-black plastic flower made forthe Royal Canadian Legion.The other will be a similarly coloured beaded poppy by anaboriginal artisan to mark Ward-Dockrey's service as an aboriginalveteran.

Ward-Dockrey, who is Cree, says such handmade beaded or wovenpoppies worn by some First Nation and Metis people are an importantsymbol.

"They come from the heart of our people," said Ward-Dockrey, an official with the Canadian Aboriginal Veterans and Serving Members Association.

"We are not trying to stand out and say we are better. It issomething we do for ourselves as aboriginal people to respect whathappened to us and our healing journey."

The federal government says more than 7,000 aboriginal soldiersserved in theFirst and Second World Wars and the Korean War, along with anunknown number of Inuit, Metis and non-status native Canadians.

[These poppies] come from the heart of our people- Aboriginalnavy veteran Joy Ward-Dockrey

Since then, aboriginal Canadianshave served in Canada's Armed Forces inpeace time, during overseas peacekeeping missions and in conflictssuch as Afghanistan.

The poppy is an international symbol of remembrance that wasinspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields" written in 1915 byLt.-Col. John McCrae, a Canadian surgeon who served in Belgium andFrance. He died later in the war.

The Royal Canadian Legion website says it was granted trademarkcopyright of the poppy symbol in Canada in 1948.

The organization isresponsible for making poppies available across the country everyyear and uses donations to help veterans and their families.About 19 million plastic poppies were distributed last year.

Officials were not available for comment on the handmadepoppies, but have suggested to other media that they are not aproblem as long as they are not manufactured for commercialpurposes.

'The intent is perfect'

Richard Blackwolf, president of the Canadian Aboriginal Veterans,said the handmade poppies are not mass-produced.

Blackwolf, who is Metis and served in the navy, said artists orgroups have used small donations for such poppies to help aboriginalveterans.

The handmade poppies are so beautiful and distinct that peoplecome up to veterans to ask about them or how they can get one, hesaid.

"I am always proud to wear the beaded poppies and I get manycompliments on them.

"They are something that is unique to the people who make them.The intent is perfect, because it is of the people, for the people,by the people."