Oxford County Archives opens new memorial
As Canada prepares to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, the Oxford County Archives has opened a new memorial display honouring the life of Percy Onabigon.
Born in 1938 and a member of Long Lake #58 First Nation in northern Ontario, Onabigon was taken from his family at age eight and sent to St. Joseph’s Residential School in Thunder Bay. Living with epilepsy and partial paralysis, he was later moved between hospitals and institutions before being admitted to the Oxford Regional Centre in Woodstock, where he died of tuberculosis in 1966 at age 27.
Buried far from his family in St. Mary’s Cemetery, his relatives spent decades seeking his resting place before working with Indigenous partners, CBC, and Western University to repatriate his remains. He will soon be returned to his home community to be laid to rest alongside his sisters.
The display, The Long Road Back: Bringing Percy Home, highlights Onabigon’s story, the legacy of residential schools, and the importance of truth-telling in reconciliation. It is open to the public at the Oxford County Administration Building until Oct. 6, when a closing ceremony will include his family, First Nations members, Warden Marcus Ryan, and other dignitaries.
