Chanie Wenjack (1954-1966) National Historic Person
© Courtesy of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund
Chanie Wenjack was designated as a national historic person in 2025.
Historical importance: student at Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School, the story of his life and death following his escape from the institution is representative of the experiences of thousands of children incarcerated in the Indian residential school system.
Commemorative plaque: no plaque installedFootnote 1
Chanie Wenjack (1954-1966)
Chanie Wenjack was an Anishinaabe boy from Marten Falls First Nation in northern Ontario who lived for three years at the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School (CJIRS) near Kenora. His life as a student and his death following his escape from the institution are representative of the experiences of thousands of children incarcerated in the Indian residential school system who were driven by loneliness, abuse, and desperation to run away and try to find their way home. He is unique among the thousands of children who escaped, however, because the story of his life and death was amplified at the time through official procedures and national news coverage.
Chanie Wenjack was born on 19 January 1954 and grew up at Ogoki Post, part of the Marten Falls First Nation in northern Ontario. He spent the first nine years of his life in his community with his family, learning to hunt, fish, and trap alongside his father, playing with siblings and cousins who had not yet left the community for residential school, and being raised according to the gentle parenting philosophies central to Anishinaabe culture. As there was no day school in the community, Chanie and his siblings were sent to CJIRS near Kenora, more than 600 kilometres from Ogoki Post. Opened in 1929, CJIRS was a Presbyterian-run and federally-funded residential school. By the 1960s, as the Canadian government shifted from an assimilation to an integration model of Indigenous education, CJIRS served as a boarding residence for the 150 Indigenous children who lived there while attending nearby public schools. Wenjack lived at CJIRS and attended the Rabbit Lake Public School.
On 16 October 1966, Wenjack and two friends ran away from CJIRS, wearing only light cotton clothing. The three boys walked 31 kilometres that day and stayed the night at the home of a stranger, who fed them and let them sleep on the floor. The next day, they made their way to the uncle of the two other boys. On 19 October, the uncle took his nephews to his trapline, while Wenjack continued towards Ogoki Post, still very far away. Carrying only a glass jar containing matches, Wenjack walked along the Canadian National Railway line for 19 more kilometres, while the weather turned to freezing rain and then snow. On 23 October, his body was found on the side of the tracks by a train engineer. Wenjack’s family requested that his body be returned to Ogoki Post, and while the Department of Indian Affairs initially refused, in the end several of Wenjack’s sisters and his mother accompanied his body back home. Chanie Wenjack was buried on 27 October 1966. He was 12 years old.
The events surrounding Wenjack’s death sparked a coroner’s inquest and a departmental investigation into conditions at CJIRS. Wenjack’s sister Pearl spoke of and shared his story early on. In recent years, Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and organizations have shared the story of Chanie Wenjack’s life and death to educate Canadians about the history and legacies of residential schools.
“Our brother Chanie’s story is just one of 150,000 residential school stories. Honouring Chanie’s story means honouring all the children who were taken from their families, communities, languages, and traditions. Our family is deeply proud that he is being recognized as a national historic person, ensuring that his legacy remains in the Canadian consciousness and that he, along with the thousands of Indigenous children who never made it home, will never be forgotten. May this recognition serve as a call for continued learning, reflection, and meaningful action toward justice and healing."
“Throughout history, the names of countless residential school victims were erased alongside their culture and identities. While Chanie Wenjack’s story is but one among many, his name endures, standing as a poignant reminder of the innumerable children whose names and experiences remain lost to time. His legacy compels us to acknowledge the silenced voices and to reckon with the ongoing impact of this tragic chapter in history."
“I'm pleased that a student's class project—to nominate a person, place, or event of national historic significance—has led to Chanie Wenjack's designation. His story powerfully demonstrates the deep harms caused by Canada's residential school system, and his designation is an important step in helping to advance reconciliation efforts."
This press backgrounder was prepared at the time of the Ministerial announcement in 2025.
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
- Date modified :