War for the Woods follows a new generation’s campaign to protect Vancouver…
s-yéwyáw: Awaken
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
Ecko Aleck of the Nlaka'pamux Nation (Lytton, BC,) Alfonso Salinas of the shíshálh Nation (Sunshine Coast, BC,) and Charlene SanJenko of Splatsin of the Secwépemc Nation (Shuswap, BC,) are learning and documenting the traditional cultural teachings and legacies of their Elders, including the impacts of genocide resulting from Canada’s Indian Residential School (IRS) system.
Calling the audience’s attention to the filmmaking process of narrative collaboration between an Indigenous and settler team, this character-driven documentary connects the transformative stories of three Indigenous multimedia changemakers and their four Elders.
Infused by Indigenous ceremony, s-yéwyáw: Awaken walks alongside the process of intergenerational healing.
"We are still learning how to hear Indigenous peoples. Canadians as a whole deal with Indigenous communities as abstractions, statistics, and the center-pieces of political and legal debates. s-yéwyáw: Awaken is real, insightful and powerful. It compels people to listen, to appreciate the power and depth of Indigenous loss, and to celebrate the strength of Indigenous resilience." Kenneth Coates, Chair, School of Indigenous Governance, Applied Science and Management, Yukon University, Author, A Global History of Indigenous Peoples: Struggle and Survival
"The collaborative nature of the film foregrounds the practice of being an active listener, of stepping back, taking in people's stories, and engaging with them to create a best path forward. Three participants directly receive sage advice in ss-yéwyáw: Awaken, but one senses how knowledge will pass on to many more empathetic ears as viewers immerse themselves in these teachings." Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
"This is an intimate and moving exploration of Indigenous resilience and healing while being attentive to the issues of intergenerational trauma experienced by First Nations in Canada. Inviting viewers into the spiritually infused landscapes and traditional homelands of the Nlaka'pamux, shíshálh, and Secwépemc First Nations, s-yéwyáw: Awaken accompanies the journeys of Indigenous peoples to heal, love, and build better futures for themselves and their communities. The film is both thorough yet accessible to a wide range of education levels and can be enjoyed by audiences outside of formal educational contexts." Blaire Morseau, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies & American Indian and Indigenous Studies, Michigan State University, Author, As Sacred to Us: Simon Pokagon's Birch Bark Stories in their Contexts
"s-yéwyáw: Awaken is a beautiful film about Indigenous healing and resurgence. Following the stories of those separated from their families by residential schools, those adopted out from their communities during the Sixties Scoop, and those affected by intergenerational trauma, the filmmakers make space for voices of testimony, resilience, recovery, and return. At the center of the film - structured around the formation of a new Canoe Family - are Elders who share both difficult histories and instruction for those younger generations who seek to learn culture and return to their Nation's traditions. It is a film about teaching and learning, modeling care, thoughtful protocol, and deliberate restoration through these journeys of reconnection." Joanna Hearne, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, University of Oklahoma, Author, Smoke Signals: Native Cinema Rising
"s-yéwyáw: Awaken is quiet in its tone, but ferocious in its heart...With its focus on renewal and healing, s-yéwyáw: Awaken draws the viewer into the connection that humanity has with the environment and asks them to reconnect with spiritual realm." Steve Norton, Screenfish
"In s-yéwyáw: Awaken the intergenerational traumas of three First Nations are told in firsthand accounts by Elders to explain all that was taken through the residential school policy and the struggles to survive. From the next generations, the reclaiming of pride, song and prayers is realized through the big dream of creating a canoe family to revive and awaken the culture of these Indigenous coastal First Nations. This film invites the viewer to join as generations engage in their healing journey." Angelique EagleWoman, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate, Director, Native American Law and Sovereignty Institute, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
"This inspirational film weaves a spellbinding story of the restorative decolonial efforts undertaken by young Indigenous leaders and elders on their journey to healing, empowerment, re-connection and Indigenous sovereignty. This film is a true example of collaborative cinematography that deals with heavy legacy of residential schooling and traumas of colonial violence." Olga Ulturgasheva, Siberian Eveny, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Manchester
"Documenting three individuals reconnecting with their community, s-yéwyáw: Awaken wonderfully captures survivance in the face of overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system. With stunning community-based visuals, this documentary is an excellent teaching tool that is sure to prompt larger conversation both within and outside the classroom." Daniel Sims, Tsay Keh Dene, Associate Professor of First Nations Studies, University of Northern British Columbia
"Very much a team effort, the film emphasizes that film-making itself is part of the cultural work." Liam Lacey, Original Cin
"Memorable...Gorgeous imagery...Lyrically compelling music." Charlie Smith, Pancouver
"s-yéwyáw: Awaken offers viewers an engaging intergenerational account of the power of storytelling straight from the voices of Indigenous knowledge keepers. Viewers can travel alongside younger members of Native communities as they learn about the art and craft of canoe making and water navigation as a form of reconciliation, truth telling, and ultimately an approach to healing due to the legacies of colonial violence." Kiara Vigil, Associate Professor of American Studies, Amherst College, Author, Indigenous Intellectuals: Sovereignty, Citizenship, and the American Imagination, 1880-1930
Citation
Main credits
Marshall, Liz (film director)
Marshall, Liz (film producer)
Marshall, Liz (screenwriter)
Aleck, Ecko (film producer)
Aleck, Ecko (screenwriter)
Other credits
Editing, Eddie O.; music, Ecko Aleck; cinematography, Eva Anandi Brownstein [and 3 others].
Distributor subjects
No distributor subjects provided.Keywords
00:00:00.534 --> 00:00:06.006
[♪♪♪]
00:00:44.311 --> 00:00:46.647
-Good morning.
-Good morning!
00:00:50.317 --> 00:00:53.621
[Alfonso] Hello. Oh, hi!
00:00:53.754 --> 00:00:56.099
[woman] How are you?
Let me give you a hug.
00:00:56.123 --> 00:00:58.091
Just hang on.
00:01:01.494 --> 00:01:04.197
-Hello?
-Hello!
00:01:06.066 --> 00:01:07.701
[Alfonso] Good morning.
00:01:15.643 --> 00:01:21.815
[♪♪♪]
00:01:33.160 --> 00:01:34.771
[indistinct conversation
carrying]
00:01:34.795 --> 00:01:36.606
...You know, like...
00:01:36.630 --> 00:01:40.300
So it would be nice
if it would be a little bit...
00:01:41.201 --> 00:01:43.346
[man] Try once again.
00:01:43.370 --> 00:01:45.338
Good morning.
00:01:53.380 --> 00:01:55.759
Imagine for a moment...
00:01:55.783 --> 00:02:00.120
that you are carrying
an armload of bricks.
00:02:00.521 --> 00:02:06.527
You know that they represent
innovation and evolution.
00:02:07.528 --> 00:02:08.672
You also know
00:02:08.696 --> 00:02:10.774
they are broken
00:02:10.798 --> 00:02:11.541
to the point
00:02:11.565 --> 00:02:15.703
that they will never
fit together again.
00:02:17.270 --> 00:02:19.248
Yet here we are...
00:02:19.272 --> 00:02:21.408
carrying these bricks.
00:02:22.510 --> 00:02:24.745
They're extremely heavy.
00:02:27.815 --> 00:02:29.358
Clinging to them
00:02:29.382 --> 00:02:32.128
with a desperation
and uncertainty
00:02:32.152 --> 00:02:34.354
because it's all
we've known to do.
00:02:37.925 --> 00:02:41.237
Imagine for a moment
00:02:41.261 --> 00:02:45.733
that you let the bricks
fall to the ground.
00:02:54.241 --> 00:02:58.579
To walk away from the bricks
is to decolonize.
00:02:59.412 --> 00:03:02.792
To turn to
and to follow the rhythms,
00:03:02.816 --> 00:03:04.427
the flow...
00:03:04.451 --> 00:03:06.696
to listen and to feel
00:03:06.720 --> 00:03:08.856
is to Indigenize.
00:03:09.723 --> 00:03:12.468
The shattering of systems
00:03:12.492 --> 00:03:15.171
creates space
00:03:15.195 --> 00:03:19.199
for the natural ways
of knowing to rise.
00:03:20.568 --> 00:03:25.238
[singing a traditional song]
00:03:30.778 --> 00:03:33.947
We sit together in a sacred way.
00:03:35.282 --> 00:03:37.493
[singing a traditional song]
00:03:37.518 --> 00:03:40.821
You are welcomed with open arms.
00:03:44.224 --> 00:03:47.360
[singing a traditional song]
00:03:56.369 --> 00:03:57.547
[Alfonso] Okay.
00:03:57.571 --> 00:04:00.750
We'll start off
our interview together
00:04:00.774 --> 00:04:01.885
with a song.
00:04:01.909 --> 00:04:02.719
[Calvin] Sure.
00:04:02.743 --> 00:04:03.987
[Alfonso]
One of our favourite songs
00:04:04.011 --> 00:04:05.655
that we like to sing together...
00:04:05.679 --> 00:04:06.723
[Calvin] Mm-hmm.
00:04:06.747 --> 00:04:09.517
[Alfonso] "Chief Dan George".
00:04:10.383 --> 00:04:14.263
[♪♪♪]
00:04:14.287 --> 00:04:20.794
[singing "Chief Dan George's
Prayer Song"]
00:04:31.672 --> 00:04:36.376
[♪♪♪]
00:04:48.321 --> 00:04:53.927
[♪♪♪]
00:05:00.768 --> 00:05:06.540
[♪♪♪]
00:05:17.050 --> 00:05:22.723
[♪♪♪]
00:05:33.534 --> 00:05:37.437
[♪♪♪]
00:05:48.081 --> 00:05:54.731
[Alfonso] What can you tell me
about gifting me my drum,
00:05:54.755 --> 00:05:56.924
and why did you do it?
00:06:00.861 --> 00:06:02.471
[Calvin]
Because all of our drums
00:06:02.495 --> 00:06:03.006
and our regalia
00:06:03.030 --> 00:06:06.342
were abolished
by the Indian Affairs,
00:06:06.366 --> 00:06:07.877
the Indian Agents.
00:06:07.901 --> 00:06:12.139
Those things were lost to us
for many, many years.
00:06:16.610 --> 00:06:17.854
So, my wife and I,
00:06:17.878 --> 00:06:19.455
we had six drums made,
00:06:19.479 --> 00:06:21.390
because we wanted to make sure
00:06:21.414 --> 00:06:23.593
that our children
and our grandchildren
00:06:23.617 --> 00:06:26.530
were going to learn
how to carry the drum,
00:06:26.554 --> 00:06:28.031
and it was going to revive
00:06:28.055 --> 00:06:31.859
the very spirit
that was taken away from us.
00:06:39.833 --> 00:06:40.476
[chuckles]
00:06:40.501 --> 00:06:43.412
Yeah, it can get
your spirit going.
00:06:43.436 --> 00:06:45.906
-Yeah.
-Your dancing feet going.
00:06:46.740 --> 00:06:48.976
Can you put that over there?
00:06:51.044 --> 00:06:52.055
So my name is--
00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:54.524
traditional name ishiwus,
00:06:54.548 --> 00:06:59.596
given to me by my Grandfather...
00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:03.667
the very instant I was born...
00:07:03.691 --> 00:07:06.193
almost 78 winters ago now.
00:07:07.861 --> 00:07:08.905
And...
00:07:08.929 --> 00:07:13.076
he proclaimed me
Hereditary Chief at that time,
00:07:13.100 --> 00:07:15.679
and only because he knew
00:07:15.703 --> 00:07:19.072
the lineage
that I was about to carry.
00:07:20.107 --> 00:07:22.519
And I've carried that name,
00:07:22.543 --> 00:07:24.420
hopefully honourably,
00:07:24.444 --> 00:07:26.890
for almost 78 winters now.
00:07:26.914 --> 00:07:28.958
So, I remainhiwus.
00:07:28.982 --> 00:07:31.885
I remain Hereditary Chief.
00:07:33.020 --> 00:07:35.989
And I want to say
welcome to you all.
00:07:38.125 --> 00:07:38.835
I'm sure you know,
00:07:38.859 --> 00:07:43.873
but by giving me
that responsibility,
00:07:43.897 --> 00:07:48.745
by gifting me something
that has impacted my life,
00:07:48.769 --> 00:07:50.647
it really has changed my life
00:07:50.671 --> 00:07:53.583
and has guided me
to where I am today.
00:07:53.607 --> 00:07:58.154
That's how I want
to present that energy.
00:07:58.178 --> 00:08:00.189
I want everyone to feel that,
00:08:00.213 --> 00:08:01.591
feel the medicine.
00:08:01.615 --> 00:08:03.893
I just-- I just...
00:08:03.917 --> 00:08:07.130
There's no words to express
my feeling about that,
00:08:07.154 --> 00:08:08.565
how proud I am,
00:08:08.589 --> 00:08:10.991
and happy that I am to see that.
00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:24.037
[Alfonso] Welcome to my Rez.
00:08:30.644 --> 00:08:33.623
Have you ever been
down this way, Liz?
00:08:33.647 --> 00:08:35.015
[Liz] Never.
00:08:36.083 --> 00:08:36.893
[Alfonso] Today is, like,
00:08:36.917 --> 00:08:39.520
your chance
to get to know her...
00:08:39.820 --> 00:08:41.264
...and I'll be talking to her
00:08:41.288 --> 00:08:44.291
about what she wants me to do
with the paddles.
00:08:57.938 --> 00:09:00.073
[Liz] Okay, thank you.
00:09:06.313 --> 00:09:07.791
We saw your beautiful canoe.
00:09:07.815 --> 00:09:09.783
-[Barbara] Yeah.
-[Alfonso] Yup.
00:09:10.718 --> 00:09:14.955
[Alfonso] Have you done videos,
documentaries before, Barb?
00:09:17.958 --> 00:09:19.259
[Alfonso] Yeah?
00:09:22.663 --> 00:09:24.732
[Alfonso]
Looks like that one, too.
00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:34.310
-Thank you.
-Thank you for that.
00:10:34.334 --> 00:10:34.878
Thank you.
00:10:34.902 --> 00:10:37.213
-?úl nú msh chxw.
-?úl nú msh chxw.
00:10:37.237 --> 00:10:38.848
[Alfonso]
It'd be good to get to know
00:10:38.872 --> 00:10:39.616
how you feel about,
00:10:39.640 --> 00:10:43.152
you know, capturing
this part of the story,
00:10:43.176 --> 00:10:44.988
which is your part,
00:10:45.012 --> 00:10:47.280
as part of my inspiration.
00:10:55.155 --> 00:10:56.365
[laughing]
00:10:56.389 --> 00:10:58.067
[Alfonso] Yup!
00:10:58.091 --> 00:10:59.893
Here it comes!
00:11:10.704 --> 00:11:11.748
[Alfonso] Okay.
00:11:11.772 --> 00:11:13.173
I'm glad to hear that.
00:11:14.207 --> 00:11:17.077
[Alfonso] Because it is
very important to me.
00:11:19.680 --> 00:11:21.725
Just learning
everything about you--
00:11:21.749 --> 00:11:23.927
I know there is
so much to learn still--
00:11:23.951 --> 00:11:26.696
but just the little bit
I've learned already
00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:30.223
is a very big inspiration to me.
00:11:30.858 --> 00:11:31.367
Reading your book
00:11:31.391 --> 00:11:33.970
and hearing about
your childhood,
00:11:33.994 --> 00:11:34.437
you were even
00:11:34.461 --> 00:11:37.297
a very tough cookie
back then, too.
00:12:55.543 --> 00:12:58.311
-Wow.
-Mm-hmm.
00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:03.050
[Alfonso] Watch out, boy.
Watch out. Come on.
00:13:18.498 --> 00:13:22.912
The reason whyx wu' p' a' lich
became dear to my heart is,
00:13:22.936 --> 00:13:27.517
for me, I felt canoeing
back up our inlet
00:13:27.541 --> 00:13:30.544
would be a great part
of our healing.
00:13:32.245 --> 00:13:33.790
And I was wondering,
00:13:33.814 --> 00:13:35.491
"Where are
all of our canoes at?"
00:13:35.516 --> 00:13:38.061
And I remember
driving by her house,
00:13:38.085 --> 00:13:41.855
and she's always had a canoe
in front of her house.
00:13:42.289 --> 00:13:45.068
So, I basically just went
to visit her one day
00:13:45.092 --> 00:13:46.803
and asked her about it,
00:13:46.827 --> 00:13:49.062
and I told her my dream.
00:13:52.833 --> 00:13:53.276
I recently became
00:13:53.300 --> 00:13:56.513
the Traditional Wellness
Coordinator for my Nation,
00:13:56.537 --> 00:13:58.471
the shíshálh Nation.
00:13:59.873 --> 00:14:02.886
And my team and I
want to create a canoe family
00:14:02.910 --> 00:14:08.181
to reconnect us to the land
and to our Ancestors.
00:14:12.920 --> 00:14:14.397
So, with my job,
00:14:14.421 --> 00:14:20.236
I'm able to create that program
with the Nation,
00:14:20.260 --> 00:14:21.605
and create it
00:14:21.629 --> 00:14:26.266
withx wu' p' a' lich's
teachings.
00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:31.981
And one of the biggest teachings
is awakening the canoe,
00:14:32.005 --> 00:14:34.383
the canoes have spirit.
00:14:34.407 --> 00:14:37.621
The canoes are our caregivers.
00:14:37.645 --> 00:14:40.123
They take care of us,
00:14:40.147 --> 00:14:42.950
and we have to take care
of the canoes.
00:14:44.451 --> 00:14:47.888
The canoes and the paddles:
People.
00:14:54.595 --> 00:14:59.499
[♪♪♪]
00:15:09.309 --> 00:15:14.948
[♪♪♪]
00:15:19.587 --> 00:15:21.254
I know.
00:15:22.389 --> 00:15:24.558
It's so itchy!
00:15:25.225 --> 00:15:27.460
We're going to itch that.
00:15:35.669 --> 00:15:39.448
[Charlene] I've known
since I was four years old
00:15:39.472 --> 00:15:41.374
that I'm adopted.
00:15:42.676 --> 00:15:44.453
I've taken a lot of years
00:15:44.477 --> 00:15:46.455
to kind of put
the pieces together
00:15:46.479 --> 00:15:48.625
of where I am from...
00:15:48.649 --> 00:15:50.960
Oh, you're so pretty.
00:15:50.984 --> 00:15:53.462
How did you get
to be so pretty, hmm?
00:15:53.486 --> 00:15:56.199
...And now
all the emotional work
00:15:56.223 --> 00:15:58.167
that goes along with that.
00:15:58.191 --> 00:16:00.360
How did you get to be so pretty?
00:16:03.964 --> 00:16:07.476
[Charlene]
I live on the Sunshine Coast,
00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:09.212
and...
00:16:09.236 --> 00:16:13.650
I'm on a journey
of coming home to my whole self
00:16:13.674 --> 00:16:14.684
and...
00:16:14.708 --> 00:16:17.453
and helping others
in that journey as well.
00:16:17.477 --> 00:16:21.357
[Chief Wayne Christian]
It's about connection, eh? Hmm?
00:16:21.381 --> 00:16:22.526
You're connected to this land,
00:16:22.550 --> 00:16:25.161
you've been living here
for so long.
00:16:25.185 --> 00:16:29.623
So, it's that energy of the land
that's coming to help you.
00:16:30.691 --> 00:16:31.601
[Charlene] My team and I
00:16:31.625 --> 00:16:33.469
are working
with Chief Wayne Christian
00:16:33.493 --> 00:16:38.131
on a short film called
Coming Home for the Children.
00:16:38.699 --> 00:16:40.276
[Chief Wayne Christian]
It's the areas like this
00:16:40.300 --> 00:16:42.478
they used for fasting.
00:16:42.503 --> 00:16:44.380
We have some of these at home,
00:16:44.404 --> 00:16:46.516
where there'd be a cave
under the waterfall,
00:16:46.540 --> 00:16:49.118
and People would fast,
00:16:49.142 --> 00:16:51.254
ask for help and give gifts.
00:16:51.278 --> 00:16:51.721
[Charlene] Mm-hmm.
00:16:51.745 --> 00:16:55.258
[Chief Wayne Christian]
Yeah, it's pretty interesting.
00:16:55.282 --> 00:16:56.459
Hmm.
00:16:56.483 --> 00:16:57.527
[Charlene] On my team
00:16:57.551 --> 00:17:00.263
is my step-daughter, Willow,
00:17:00.287 --> 00:17:03.557
and Madeline,
a non-Indigenous ally.
00:17:12.566 --> 00:17:15.545
[Chief Wayne Christian] Oh...
00:17:15.569 --> 00:17:19.707
[Chief Wayne Christian
speaking in Secwepemctsín]
00:17:26.580 --> 00:17:28.224
[Chief Wayne Christian]
I introduce myself to you
00:17:28.248 --> 00:17:31.427
and the Ancestors
of this territory and this land.
00:17:31.451 --> 00:17:32.762
I ask you to continue
00:17:32.786 --> 00:17:35.298
to protect
and look out for Charlene,
00:17:35.322 --> 00:17:36.165
the crew,
00:17:36.189 --> 00:17:37.366
and all of the family,
00:17:37.390 --> 00:17:38.467
as we begin to help
00:17:38.491 --> 00:17:40.761
and go on
this journey of healing.
00:17:41.662 --> 00:17:42.506
We ask the blessing
00:17:42.530 --> 00:17:46.309
of the sacred life blood
of all living things:
00:17:46.333 --> 00:17:47.176
the water,
00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:48.745
all that we're connected to,
00:17:48.769 --> 00:17:50.346
the trees--
00:17:50.370 --> 00:17:51.414
they give us breath.
00:17:51.438 --> 00:17:55.685
Also, we ask that you continue
to look after us,
00:17:55.709 --> 00:17:57.320
clear that path for us
to the front,
00:17:57.344 --> 00:18:00.056
to the right, to the left,
behind, above and below,
00:18:00.080 --> 00:18:02.191
but most importantly,
from within.
00:18:02.215 --> 00:18:03.292
That you remove
00:18:03.316 --> 00:18:04.694
any physical, mental, emotional,
00:18:04.718 --> 00:18:06.696
or spiritual obstacles
in our way
00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:08.789
and in the way of our equipment.
00:18:20.300 --> 00:18:21.711
[announcer] I am very honoured
00:18:21.735 --> 00:18:22.345
to introduce
00:18:22.369 --> 00:18:23.547
the special guest speakers
for this evening--
00:18:23.571 --> 00:18:27.483
Charlene SanJenko
and her reGEN Impact Media team.
00:18:27.508 --> 00:18:29.753
Let's give Charlene and her team
some love!
00:18:29.777 --> 00:18:31.579
[cheering and applause]
00:18:35.783 --> 00:18:36.359
We're honoured
00:18:36.383 --> 00:18:38.494
to have Chief Wayne Christian
join us this evening.
00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:39.596
He's a former tribal Chief
00:18:39.620 --> 00:18:42.198
who led his community
for seven terms.
00:18:42.222 --> 00:18:43.099
[cheering]
00:18:43.123 --> 00:18:44.367
He's a '60s Scoop survivor.
00:18:44.391 --> 00:18:47.504
Let's welcome
Chief Wayne and Charlene!
00:18:47.528 --> 00:18:49.229
[cheering and applause]
00:18:51.665 --> 00:18:52.842
I was gifted a paddle
00:18:52.866 --> 00:18:59.182
that was crafted and carved
by an Indigenous artist.
00:18:59.206 --> 00:19:02.118
And when I received the gift,
00:19:02.142 --> 00:19:05.822
I had a visceral experience.
00:19:05.846 --> 00:19:07.223
And I say now
00:19:07.247 --> 00:19:12.319
that my Ancestors
were reaching out to me.
00:19:13.186 --> 00:19:14.631
It woke up something in me
00:19:14.655 --> 00:19:16.299
that I think I always knew,
00:19:16.323 --> 00:19:19.259
but I didn't know
what to do with.
00:19:21.328 --> 00:19:21.838
And so, Charlene and I
00:19:21.862 --> 00:19:25.542
have been on this journey
of reconnecting,
00:19:25.566 --> 00:19:28.411
but also talking about
our stories
00:19:28.435 --> 00:19:31.447
because we're part
of that '60s Scoop.
00:19:31.471 --> 00:19:33.683
She was a lot younger
when she went in,
00:19:33.707 --> 00:19:35.685
and I was a little older.
00:19:35.709 --> 00:19:38.287
And so, we're trying
to find a way
00:19:38.311 --> 00:19:39.422
to reach out
00:19:39.446 --> 00:19:42.626
to literally the thousands
of our People
00:19:42.650 --> 00:19:44.761
that have been
through that process
00:19:44.785 --> 00:19:46.920
that are struggling.
00:19:47.855 --> 00:19:48.497
And the children
00:19:48.522 --> 00:19:50.858
have called us forward
to do this work.
00:19:55.295 --> 00:19:58.431
[singing a traditional song]
00:20:10.310 --> 00:20:13.480
[singing a traditional song]
00:20:40.407 --> 00:20:43.319
[Ecko]
There is a teaching we carry,
00:20:43.343 --> 00:20:47.490
that we don't choose
the path we want,
00:20:47.515 --> 00:20:47.857
but over time,
00:20:47.881 --> 00:20:52.295
the gifts in the form
of what we refer to as medicine
00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.487
will reveal itself to us.
00:20:59.793 --> 00:21:03.773
I find myself walking
the baby stages of learning
00:21:03.797 --> 00:21:08.602
to become a medicine woman
of many mediums.
00:21:13.541 --> 00:21:16.777
[singing a traditional song]
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:23.851
[singing a traditional song]
00:21:42.369 --> 00:21:46.674
[singing a traditional song]
00:21:52.946 --> 00:21:58.051
As a digital-media
shapeshifter...
00:21:59.820 --> 00:22:02.732
...I've been documenting
the story of my father
00:22:02.756 --> 00:22:04.825
for several years now...
00:22:10.463 --> 00:22:15.444
...to preserve
and lift his legacy
00:22:15.468 --> 00:22:16.780
for his healing,
00:22:16.804 --> 00:22:19.616
and the intergenerational
healing of myself
00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:21.542
and my children.
00:22:28.582 --> 00:22:32.853
[Terry Coyote Aleck
speaking in Nlaka'pamux]
00:22:43.096 --> 00:22:47.701
My name is Terry Aleck
from Lytton First Nation.
00:22:48.636 --> 00:22:49.613
[Ecko] Good job.
00:22:49.637 --> 00:22:50.947
[man] Go right in.
00:22:50.971 --> 00:22:52.506
[Ecko] Okay.
00:22:58.478 --> 00:23:00.981
[Terry Aleck]
"Sen7kiyap" is "Coyote".
00:23:03.150 --> 00:23:05.519
"Smuwa" is "Cougar".
00:23:07.555 --> 00:23:10.033
"sukx'ssukwx" is Grizzly Clan--
00:23:10.057 --> 00:23:13.026
our family is a Grizzly Clan.
00:23:17.565 --> 00:23:18.942
[Ecko] Can you share
00:23:18.966 --> 00:23:24.071
the first memory you have
of connecting with the land?
00:23:25.673 --> 00:23:28.576
[Terry] Come here!
00:23:29.643 --> 00:23:35.391
Fourteen Mile
with my Dad's family.
00:23:35.415 --> 00:23:36.984
[Ecko] I like this one.
00:23:37.818 --> 00:23:40.964
[Terry] Great Grandpa,
Captain Smarty Aleck.
00:23:40.988 --> 00:23:42.165
[Ecko] That's this person.
00:23:42.189 --> 00:23:44.801
Probably one of his last...
00:23:44.825 --> 00:23:46.670
last hunting trips
00:23:46.694 --> 00:23:48.605
up behind Fourteen Mile,
00:23:48.629 --> 00:23:49.706
where I grew up as a kid.
00:23:49.730 --> 00:23:55.969
And this one of him
dressed up in regalia.
00:23:58.606 --> 00:24:00.183
[Ecko] And these are
all your siblings.
00:24:00.207 --> 00:24:01.551
My siblings.
00:24:01.575 --> 00:24:03.887
There's me in the pink shirt.
00:24:03.911 --> 00:24:07.090
[Ecko] You look so young!
00:24:07.114 --> 00:24:08.916
[Terry] Yeah.
00:24:09.650 --> 00:24:13.963
And there's the house
I grew up in,
00:24:13.987 --> 00:24:14.664
and the haystack
00:24:14.688 --> 00:24:18.626
was just beyond reach
of the house there.
00:24:20.027 --> 00:24:21.705
A fun place to play.
00:24:21.729 --> 00:24:22.939
[Ecko] Yeah.
00:24:22.963 --> 00:24:23.973
Three Musketeers.
00:24:23.997 --> 00:24:26.042
[Terry] Mm-hmm.
Three Musketeers.
00:24:26.066 --> 00:24:31.114
Fourteen Mile was a really
safe haven to be a kid.
00:24:31.138 --> 00:24:31.715
Yeah.
00:24:31.739 --> 00:24:34.017
-And my other Grandparents?
-Mm-hmm?
00:24:34.041 --> 00:24:38.988
Ten miles south of Lytton.
Kanaka Bar Reserve.
00:24:39.012 --> 00:24:41.891
As kids, we had--
00:24:41.915 --> 00:24:42.692
oh, my god--
00:24:42.716 --> 00:24:46.119
a mountainside to run and play.
00:24:46.854 --> 00:24:48.865
-Mother dearest.
-Yeah, yeah.
00:24:48.889 --> 00:24:49.465
Mm-hmm.
00:24:49.489 --> 00:24:53.036
Brave little warrior,
that woman.
00:24:53.060 --> 00:24:56.172
She was tough,
even though she was tiny.
00:24:56.196 --> 00:24:59.208
And that's her
when I was a baby.
00:24:59.232 --> 00:25:00.977
[Ecko] Yup.
00:25:01.001 --> 00:25:02.646
[Terry] Ah, so happy.
00:25:02.670 --> 00:25:04.213
-Look at her!
-Yup.
00:25:04.237 --> 00:25:05.782
[Ecko] And look at--
look at...
00:25:05.806 --> 00:25:06.583
This is awesome.
00:25:06.607 --> 00:25:09.085
So, you have
the look on her face
00:25:09.109 --> 00:25:10.687
with you as a baby,
00:25:10.711 --> 00:25:15.115
and then this is you with me
as a baby.
00:25:16.183 --> 00:25:17.651
[Terry] Yup.
00:25:18.952 --> 00:25:20.664
Baby beside baby!
00:25:20.688 --> 00:25:21.731
[laughing]
00:25:21.755 --> 00:25:24.768
[Terry] Her firstborn
and you're my firstborn.
00:25:24.792 --> 00:25:26.193
[Ecko] Yup.
00:25:30.297 --> 00:25:32.041
[Terry] I'm at peace.
00:25:32.065 --> 00:25:33.510
[Ecko] At peace?
00:25:33.534 --> 00:25:34.578
[Terry] Peace.
00:25:34.602 --> 00:25:35.836
[Ecko] Oh.
00:25:36.069 --> 00:25:39.516
So, yeah, I'm at peace now.
00:25:39.540 --> 00:25:40.941
[exhales]
00:26:06.133 --> 00:26:07.911
[♪♪♪]
00:26:07.935 --> 00:26:14.751
[Charlene] We're going to visit
the community that I...
00:26:14.775 --> 00:26:15.719
grew up in,
00:26:15.743 --> 00:26:17.787
which was a very...
00:26:17.811 --> 00:26:20.690
very White community.
00:26:20.714 --> 00:26:23.026
And...
00:26:23.050 --> 00:26:26.563
I guess the astonishing thing is
00:26:26.587 --> 00:26:27.263
it's...
00:26:27.287 --> 00:26:32.268
it's not very far
from my home Nation,
00:26:32.292 --> 00:26:33.703
but I just didn't...
00:26:33.727 --> 00:26:37.731
I didn't think that
I was from somewhere so close.
00:26:41.001 --> 00:26:46.149
I think I intuitively knew
I was different
00:26:46.173 --> 00:26:48.184
from about grade six on,
00:26:48.208 --> 00:26:52.055
but I couldn't put
the pieces together,
00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:53.590
or maybe I wasn't ready to,
00:26:53.614 --> 00:26:59.820
until I started to kind of
watch for clues in my 40s.
00:27:01.088 --> 00:27:03.066
And then it was just...
00:27:03.090 --> 00:27:05.935
not long before
my 50th birthday
00:27:05.959 --> 00:27:07.003
that I...
00:27:07.027 --> 00:27:09.906
that I started
to go through the paperwork
00:27:09.930 --> 00:27:12.199
and actually prove my status.
00:27:23.210 --> 00:27:23.920
I'm coming here
00:27:23.944 --> 00:27:30.259
to release some pieces
from my childhood
00:27:30.283 --> 00:27:33.286
that I don't need
to carry anymore.
00:27:34.121 --> 00:27:37.033
I can only speak
for myself personally,
00:27:37.057 --> 00:27:40.637
but if we can't...
00:27:40.661 --> 00:27:41.738
if we can't forgive
00:27:41.762 --> 00:27:45.842
the atrocities
that have happened to us,
00:27:45.866 --> 00:27:49.002
that heaviness
will just stick with us.
00:27:49.937 --> 00:27:50.413
And I had--
00:27:50.437 --> 00:27:53.783
I had
a very privileged upbringing.
00:27:53.807 --> 00:27:56.019
I had a great family.
00:27:56.043 --> 00:28:00.089
So, any heaviness
that I carry
00:28:00.113 --> 00:28:02.692
is minuscule
00:28:02.716 --> 00:28:05.853
to the heaviness
that I can only imagine.
00:28:12.159 --> 00:28:13.002
If you look across,
00:28:13.026 --> 00:28:15.338
you can kind of see
two small houses,
00:28:15.362 --> 00:28:19.242
and we're the second house
just beside a big hedge now.
00:28:19.266 --> 00:28:20.109
When I was growing up,
00:28:20.133 --> 00:28:21.945
the hedge was not
that much taller than me,
00:28:21.969 --> 00:28:26.339
but now the hedge looks like
it's about 25, 30 feet tall.
00:28:33.981 --> 00:28:35.358
When I was young,
00:28:35.382 --> 00:28:38.862
I had lots of part-time jobs.
00:28:38.886 --> 00:28:42.899
I was probably 10, 11, 12.
00:28:42.923 --> 00:28:45.869
I used to pick asparagus.
00:28:45.893 --> 00:28:49.939
I used to plant and hoe
00:28:49.963 --> 00:28:54.377
and cap and pick watermelon
and cantaloupe.
00:28:54.401 --> 00:28:59.182
And I raised enough money
to buy my own horse
00:28:59.206 --> 00:29:02.185
when I was about 13, maybe.
00:29:02.209 --> 00:29:04.821
And I only had enough money
to buy the horse.
00:29:04.845 --> 00:29:07.214
I didn't have enough money
for the saddle.
00:29:15.288 --> 00:29:19.226
Sometimes, you don't fully
understand what's missing.
00:29:20.027 --> 00:29:22.405
You don't really
fully understand the void
00:29:22.429 --> 00:29:25.108
until it starts
to get filled in,
00:29:25.132 --> 00:29:27.835
that emptiness or the void.
00:29:37.978 --> 00:29:40.456
[Madeline] I have yet to see
the inside of your home yet.
00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:41.858
[Willow]
I was just thinking that.
00:29:41.882 --> 00:29:43.292
[Madeline] I'm very excited.
00:29:43.316 --> 00:29:43.827
[Willow] Cool.
00:29:43.851 --> 00:29:45.094
[Chief Wayne Christian]
Yeah, come on in.
00:29:45.118 --> 00:29:45.895
[Willow] All right.
00:29:45.919 --> 00:29:46.863
We'll let Maddie
get set up in there.
00:29:46.887 --> 00:29:47.897
[Madeline] Yeah,
I would love to have you two
00:29:47.921 --> 00:29:49.265
at just those chairs
that you're at right now.
00:29:49.289 --> 00:29:50.166
That would be great.
00:29:50.190 --> 00:29:51.768
[Chief Wayne Christian]
This is cool.
00:29:51.792 --> 00:29:54.003
I'm going through
some old stuff, literally.
00:29:54.027 --> 00:29:55.438
[Madeline] I'm just going
to float behind you
00:29:55.462 --> 00:29:57.273
and wait to see what happens.
00:29:57.297 --> 00:29:59.075
-Yeah.
-Okay. Perfect.
00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:00.877
And... action!
00:30:00.901 --> 00:30:01.477
Action!
00:30:01.502 --> 00:30:04.872
All right.
Let's see what you've got.
00:30:06.473 --> 00:30:08.275
Yeah. I can see...
00:30:09.910 --> 00:30:13.322
This is sort of the call
to join and start the process.
00:30:13.346 --> 00:30:15.458
Right? So, really old-time.
00:30:15.482 --> 00:30:18.061
Really, the messaging
really was our children,
00:30:18.085 --> 00:30:20.196
our survival,
our responsibility.
00:30:20.220 --> 00:30:20.530
Mm-hmm.
00:30:20.554 --> 00:30:22.098
[Chief Wayne Christian]
We did that kind of a campaign,
00:30:22.122 --> 00:30:24.467
and it was really
quite a media blitz.
00:30:24.491 --> 00:30:25.368
It's the whole...
00:30:25.392 --> 00:30:27.270
[Willow] Mm-hmm.
So much captured.
00:30:27.294 --> 00:30:28.171
Hey, I mean, it was a huge deal.
00:30:28.195 --> 00:30:29.939
[Chief Wayne Christian]
Yeah, there was so much of it
00:30:29.963 --> 00:30:30.940
that was in the news back then
00:30:30.964 --> 00:30:31.975
because this was unheard of.
00:30:31.999 --> 00:30:33.342
Indians didn't do this stuff.
00:30:33.366 --> 00:30:35.545
Children of chaos, huh?
00:30:35.569 --> 00:30:36.345
[Willow] Hmm.
00:30:36.369 --> 00:30:37.814
[Chief Wayne Christian]
See, this is the one
00:30:37.838 --> 00:30:39.482
when we marched
to Grace McCarthy's,
00:30:39.507 --> 00:30:41.585
the Minister's house
at that time.
00:30:41.609 --> 00:30:43.853
[Willow]
Wow. I didn't realize the scale,
00:30:43.877 --> 00:30:44.487
but seeing that picture,
00:30:44.512 --> 00:30:46.222
it just shows you
the actual scale of the...
00:30:46.246 --> 00:30:47.490
[Chief Wayne Christian]
Yeah, it was...
00:30:47.515 --> 00:30:48.391
quite, quite humongous.
00:30:48.415 --> 00:30:49.258
[Willow] It's pretty amazing.
00:30:49.282 --> 00:30:51.394
[Chief Wayne Christian]
To really understand this,
00:30:51.418 --> 00:30:54.363
in 1979,
00:30:54.387 --> 00:30:56.399
I was elected Chief.
00:30:56.423 --> 00:30:58.502
Then a young mother came to me.
00:30:58.526 --> 00:30:59.268
She and her boys
00:30:59.292 --> 00:31:01.929
were going to be removed
from her home.
00:31:02.495 --> 00:31:03.973
And around our Council Table,
00:31:03.997 --> 00:31:05.441
we began to have the discussion
00:31:05.465 --> 00:31:08.545
about children, you know,
being put into care.
00:31:08.569 --> 00:31:12.381
And each one of us at the table
were former children in care.
00:31:12.405 --> 00:31:13.249
[Willow] Hmm.
00:31:13.273 --> 00:31:16.385
And so, then we started
to do some research,
00:31:16.409 --> 00:31:20.289
and of our community
of 350 approximately,
00:31:20.313 --> 00:31:23.392
we had over
a hundred children removed,
00:31:23.416 --> 00:31:26.129
so every family
in our community
00:31:26.153 --> 00:31:29.332
had been affected
by the Child Welfare System,
00:31:29.356 --> 00:31:31.167
Child Welfare Removal System,
00:31:31.191 --> 00:31:31.601
And that's what
00:31:31.625 --> 00:31:33.136
the Indian Child Caravan
was all about--
00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:35.872
organizing our People
at the community level
00:31:35.896 --> 00:31:38.007
to do four things.
00:31:38.031 --> 00:31:41.911
First, recognition
of our jurisdiction.
00:31:41.935 --> 00:31:43.913
Return of our children.
00:31:43.937 --> 00:31:46.616
Jointly plan
for those children in care.
00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:47.416
And the fourth thing is
00:31:47.440 --> 00:31:49.052
we would go
to the federal government
00:31:49.076 --> 00:31:49.452
for resources,
00:31:49.476 --> 00:31:51.420
because it was always
about the feds and province
00:31:51.444 --> 00:31:53.322
arguing about
who had jurisdiction,
00:31:53.346 --> 00:31:55.525
and we said, "No.
Neither one of you do.
00:31:55.549 --> 00:31:57.126
We have inherent jurisdiction."
00:31:57.150 --> 00:31:59.563
So, that's the context
from this work
00:31:59.587 --> 00:32:01.565
and what this is all about.
00:32:01.589 --> 00:32:03.166
So, this is the copy
00:32:03.190 --> 00:32:07.170
of the agreement we signed
with the province.
00:32:07.194 --> 00:32:07.671
[Willow] Wow.
00:32:07.695 --> 00:32:09.438
That's when we,
if you can see it,
00:32:09.462 --> 00:32:10.239
she actually--
00:32:10.263 --> 00:32:12.275
the Minister
and the Deputy Premier--
00:32:12.299 --> 00:32:14.611
actually wrote this out.
00:32:14.635 --> 00:32:16.980
It's her handwriting.
00:32:17.004 --> 00:32:17.681
You know, and it said,
00:32:17.705 --> 00:32:19.182
"The Minister of Human Resources
00:32:19.206 --> 00:32:19.583
agrees to respect
00:32:19.607 --> 00:32:21.685
the authority of
the Spallumcheen Band Council
00:32:21.709 --> 00:32:23.953
to assume
responsibility and control
00:32:23.977 --> 00:32:26.189
over their own children.
00:32:26.213 --> 00:32:28.057
The Minister of Human Resources
00:32:28.081 --> 00:32:29.025
further agrees
00:32:29.049 --> 00:32:29.492
to the desirability
00:32:29.517 --> 00:32:33.963
of returning Indian children
of the Spallumcheen Band
00:32:33.987 --> 00:32:36.099
presently in care."
00:32:36.123 --> 00:32:38.358
[Willow] Wow.
00:32:41.061 --> 00:32:43.631
[traditional drumming]
00:32:46.299 --> 00:32:48.111
Since 1980 to 2022,
00:32:48.135 --> 00:32:51.681
we've had over 500-some children
born into the community.
00:32:51.705 --> 00:32:54.107
We know who every child is.
00:32:54.642 --> 00:32:57.110
No other community
can say that.
00:32:59.212 --> 00:33:01.481
[traditional drumming]
00:33:15.996 --> 00:33:19.242
[Charlene] Our film,
Coming Home for the Children,
00:33:19.266 --> 00:33:20.243
is really a story
00:33:20.267 --> 00:33:25.138
about returning home
as an adult adoptee.
00:33:27.741 --> 00:33:30.486
And in this process,
00:33:30.511 --> 00:33:34.047
the healing is happening
as we film.
00:33:44.525 --> 00:33:48.004
This is allowing Chief Wayne
00:33:48.028 --> 00:33:50.139
space to express
00:33:50.163 --> 00:33:53.442
what he feels
he needs to express
00:33:53.466 --> 00:33:55.044
in a community centre
00:33:55.068 --> 00:33:58.238
that he was responsible
for building...
00:34:00.307 --> 00:34:01.017
...that I'm not sure
00:34:01.041 --> 00:34:06.055
he's ever had a moment
to let it sink in.
00:34:06.079 --> 00:34:06.723
Yeah.
00:34:06.747 --> 00:34:09.759
It's kind of strange
being in here all by myself.
00:34:09.783 --> 00:34:11.060
[Charlene]
It's kind of neat, though.
00:34:11.084 --> 00:34:13.386
-It's kind of neat.
-It's kind of cool.
00:34:13.721 --> 00:34:17.224
[Charlene]
I'm going to back up.
00:34:17.691 --> 00:34:18.602
So, I think this morning
00:34:18.626 --> 00:34:23.039
is just slowing down enough
in ceremony
00:34:23.063 --> 00:34:30.237
to really feel the centre
of this community.
00:34:34.542 --> 00:34:36.052
When he first met me,
00:34:36.076 --> 00:34:37.420
he just kept saying to me,
00:34:37.444 --> 00:34:39.388
"I'm so proud of you."
00:34:39.412 --> 00:34:44.093
And I just want
to be able to say that to him
00:34:44.117 --> 00:34:46.353
and to have him really feel it.
00:34:52.092 --> 00:34:57.707
[♪♪♪]
00:34:57.731 --> 00:35:00.100
[singing]
00:35:10.243 --> 00:35:14.648
[♪♪♪]
00:35:23.791 --> 00:35:26.393
The four sacred directions.
00:35:27.394 --> 00:35:29.506
Creator, Grandmothers,
Grandfathers, Father Sun,
00:35:29.530 --> 00:35:31.131
Mother Earth.
00:35:32.399 --> 00:35:34.511
I call back all those things
00:35:34.535 --> 00:35:37.638
that were taken from us
at this time.
00:35:39.406 --> 00:35:40.383
All the songs,
00:35:40.407 --> 00:35:43.219
all the ceremonies...
00:35:43.243 --> 00:35:45.488
all the name places,
00:35:45.513 --> 00:35:47.815
our language, Secwepemctsin.
00:35:48.248 --> 00:35:50.727
The love we have for each other,
we call that back.
00:35:50.751 --> 00:35:53.129
All those things
that were taken from us,
00:35:53.153 --> 00:35:55.222
we call that back.
00:35:55.823 --> 00:35:58.358
We welcome little ones.
00:35:59.827 --> 00:36:03.864
The spirit of the children.
00:36:05.566 --> 00:36:07.777
I ask that we continue
00:36:07.801 --> 00:36:10.413
to clear that path for them
in a good way:
00:36:10.437 --> 00:36:11.881
to the front, to the right,
to the left,
00:36:11.905 --> 00:36:14.250
behind, above, and below,
00:36:14.274 --> 00:36:16.577
but most importantly,
from within.
00:36:19.479 --> 00:36:22.516
All of my relatives.
00:36:24.184 --> 00:36:27.764
[singing a traditional song]
00:36:27.788 --> 00:36:29.432
[Charlene]
This will be the building
00:36:29.456 --> 00:36:30.600
that I come home to
00:36:30.624 --> 00:36:33.402
when I do
my community ceremony--
00:36:33.426 --> 00:36:36.496
when I'm ready
for that to happen.
00:36:38.832 --> 00:36:40.577
So, being in there,
00:36:40.601 --> 00:36:42.746
just with my team,
00:36:42.770 --> 00:36:44.213
you know, my family,
00:36:44.237 --> 00:36:45.549
and Chief Wayne,
00:36:45.573 --> 00:36:48.585
was a good start.
00:36:48.609 --> 00:36:50.544
It was a good first step.
00:36:57.484 --> 00:37:02.690
[♪♪♪]
00:37:04.992 --> 00:37:08.204
[Alfonso]
Good morning,x wu' p' a' lich'.
00:37:08.228 --> 00:37:10.540
It is good to be here
with you today,
00:37:10.564 --> 00:37:12.375
and I'm very excited
00:37:12.399 --> 00:37:14.544
for you to share some of your...
00:37:14.568 --> 00:37:16.746
you know, some of your stories,
00:37:16.770 --> 00:37:18.839
your experiences in life.
00:38:07.420 --> 00:38:08.331
My goal is to reach out
00:38:08.355 --> 00:38:10.800
to different Nations
of canoe families
00:38:10.824 --> 00:38:12.802
to share their teachings,
00:38:12.826 --> 00:38:14.470
so that in the summertime,
00:38:14.494 --> 00:38:15.672
we'll have our own team
00:38:15.696 --> 00:38:18.431
that we could
take these kids out.
00:38:47.995 --> 00:38:48.437
I agree.
00:38:48.461 --> 00:38:52.876
I feel like I got a lot
that I need to prove still,
00:38:52.900 --> 00:38:56.780
but there's a lot of passion
in what I want to do.
00:38:56.804 --> 00:39:00.674
My dreams, my vision is endless.
00:39:33.974 --> 00:39:36.009
Okay...
00:39:37.678 --> 00:39:38.387
You told me,
00:39:38.411 --> 00:39:40.690
"You need to do
a canoe-awakening ceremony
00:39:40.714 --> 00:39:44.017
before you take the canoe out."
00:39:44.785 --> 00:39:47.764
And so I asked you
if you could teach us.
00:39:47.788 --> 00:39:48.898
Teach us--
me and the youth--
00:39:48.922 --> 00:39:51.124
because I've never
done one before.
00:40:07.040 --> 00:40:08.985
So, that's
where you remember it from,
00:40:09.009 --> 00:40:10.944
when you were a child?
00:40:14.047 --> 00:40:16.793
So, what I would like...
00:40:16.817 --> 00:40:18.528
if you're okay with it,
00:40:18.552 --> 00:40:21.497
is to do
the canoe-awakening ceremony.
00:40:21.522 --> 00:40:26.503
I'm planning on doing one
for the community next spring
00:40:26.527 --> 00:40:27.837
and would love for you
00:40:27.861 --> 00:40:31.198
to be there
and share your teachings.
00:40:39.740 --> 00:40:41.551
You are always in my prayers,
00:40:41.575 --> 00:40:43.086
but I feel like
you have the strength
00:40:43.110 --> 00:40:46.790
because you have surprised me
so many times already.
00:40:46.814 --> 00:40:48.782
Hmm.
00:41:05.733 --> 00:41:07.711
[Calvin] I was born
in my Grandfather's home,
00:41:07.735 --> 00:41:11.748
and I got to spend a lot of time
with my Grandparents,
00:41:11.772 --> 00:41:13.016
especially my Grandmother,
00:41:13.040 --> 00:41:17.086
who taught me at that time
about medicines.
00:41:17.110 --> 00:41:20.814
She taught me about culture.
00:41:25.719 --> 00:41:28.565
And then, as I grew older,
00:41:28.589 --> 00:41:30.066
my Uncles and my Aunties
00:41:30.090 --> 00:41:34.595
all played a role
in who I was going to become.
00:41:36.496 --> 00:41:40.209
Little did I know
that I was being taught.
00:41:40.233 --> 00:41:44.705
I was being groomed
to be a Chief.
00:42:30.017 --> 00:42:32.261
The first time for Emberly, eh?
00:42:32.285 --> 00:42:33.262
[Alfonso] Yup.
00:42:33.286 --> 00:42:35.322
Up the inlet?
00:42:35.956 --> 00:42:37.901
[Alfonso]
I mean, this far up, yeah.
00:42:37.925 --> 00:42:38.902
Yeah.
00:42:38.926 --> 00:42:40.804
[Emberly] It's my first time!
00:42:40.828 --> 00:42:42.295
[laughs]
00:42:47.768 --> 00:42:48.211
If you go and visit
00:42:48.235 --> 00:42:51.047
all of the sites
that are discovered,
00:42:51.071 --> 00:42:51.681
you've got to think
00:42:51.705 --> 00:42:56.820
that there were more than
30-, 40,000 of our People
00:42:56.844 --> 00:42:59.847
spread throughout
all of this land, right?
00:43:01.048 --> 00:43:02.025
They chose to live
00:43:02.049 --> 00:43:06.730
in small pieces of land
like this...
00:43:06.754 --> 00:43:10.634
because of the food source
from the ocean,
00:43:10.658 --> 00:43:12.268
from the land,
00:43:12.292 --> 00:43:14.971
the medicines,
00:43:14.995 --> 00:43:18.241
the run of salmon,
00:43:18.265 --> 00:43:21.001
and just really enjoying life,
you know?
00:43:25.873 --> 00:43:28.251
Oh, yeah.
00:43:28.275 --> 00:43:30.053
Yeah.
00:43:30.077 --> 00:43:32.946
This is a special kind
of moss, eh?
00:43:46.927 --> 00:43:48.228
[Emberly] Huh?
00:44:17.024 --> 00:44:20.904
[Calvin] So, by the time
I was 18 or 19,
00:44:20.928 --> 00:44:23.430
my father passed away
as a Chief.
00:44:25.866 --> 00:44:27.176
And lo and behold,
00:44:27.200 --> 00:44:32.272
I was stepping into his shoes
by the time I was 18.
00:44:33.774 --> 00:44:34.884
At 19, I was ready.
00:44:34.908 --> 00:44:37.878
I was ready to be a leader.
00:44:42.883 --> 00:44:43.292
So, in my 20s,
00:44:43.316 --> 00:44:49.022
I became the youngest
Chief in Canada at that time.
00:44:51.224 --> 00:44:55.672
And...
00:44:55.696 --> 00:44:58.307
I guess that was my destiny.
00:44:58.331 --> 00:45:00.209
So, as I stepped into the role,
00:45:00.233 --> 00:45:02.746
I found myself undertaking
00:45:02.770 --> 00:45:06.940
the challenges
that my father had left me...
00:45:08.408 --> 00:45:15.148
...which was the struggle
for justice, independence.
00:45:19.386 --> 00:45:21.955
And that was huge.
00:45:25.092 --> 00:45:27.294
That was a huge undertaking.
00:45:27.895 --> 00:45:31.331
Excuse me,
as I'm remembering it now...
00:45:33.734 --> 00:45:36.436
[Alfonso] Thank you
for sharing that, Papa.
00:45:38.939 --> 00:45:39.716
[man] So, to give you
00:45:39.740 --> 00:45:41.117
a little bit of background
on our Chief,
00:45:41.141 --> 00:45:44.253
he is the first Chief
in Canadian history
00:45:44.277 --> 00:45:47.123
to host a political
talk show on TV.
00:45:47.147 --> 00:45:48.391
Are you rolling?
00:45:48.415 --> 00:45:50.193
Okay, sir!
00:45:50.217 --> 00:45:51.260
Thank you.
00:45:51.284 --> 00:45:54.021
[Calvin] Great.
00:45:55.288 --> 00:45:57.366
Well, thank you, Justin,
for being on my show.
00:45:57.390 --> 00:45:59.769
It's a pleasure
to be here, Calvin.
00:45:59.793 --> 00:46:00.203
[Calvin] Yeah.
00:46:00.227 --> 00:46:02.906
I just have to give you
a little bit of history.
00:46:02.930 --> 00:46:06.275
We're from a little village
that's just 30 miles from here.
00:46:06.299 --> 00:46:08.377
And Sechelt
and the shíshálh Nation,
00:46:08.401 --> 00:46:09.946
as you probably are aware,
00:46:09.970 --> 00:46:12.949
are the first
self-governing band in Canada.
00:46:12.973 --> 00:46:15.519
We fought long and hard
to get to where we are,
00:46:15.543 --> 00:46:19.055
and it's been over,
well, almost 40 years.
00:46:19.079 --> 00:46:20.524
I was a very young Chief then,
00:46:20.548 --> 00:46:23.226
and as a matter of fact,
I got to meet your Dad.
00:46:23.250 --> 00:46:26.362
And the last time
we met with Chrétien,
00:46:26.386 --> 00:46:27.430
he gave us some advice.
00:46:27.454 --> 00:46:29.833
He said,
"Develop your People
00:46:29.857 --> 00:46:31.467
and develop your land."
00:46:31.491 --> 00:46:32.335
Yeah.
00:46:32.359 --> 00:46:35.471
[Calvin]
I reminded Justin Trudeau
00:46:35.495 --> 00:46:39.142
our goal is jurisdiction
00:46:39.166 --> 00:46:41.969
and getting
all of our land back.
00:46:43.937 --> 00:46:47.016
We're going to be
in total control
00:46:47.040 --> 00:46:49.877
and in authority
of all of our land.
00:46:51.478 --> 00:46:52.188
All the taxes,
00:46:52.212 --> 00:46:56.483
all the resources in our land
belong to us.
00:46:59.119 --> 00:47:00.296
And we are going to be
00:47:00.320 --> 00:47:03.390
a proud, dignified People
once again.
00:47:06.493 --> 00:47:12.408
[Alfonso] I know the traumas
of colonialism and genocide.
00:47:12.432 --> 00:47:13.276
It doesn't just go away,
00:47:13.300 --> 00:47:16.870
it takes more than
a lifetime to heal from that.
00:47:24.845 --> 00:47:29.583
[♪♪♪]
00:47:33.286 --> 00:47:35.331
My next question,
00:47:35.355 --> 00:47:36.365
a tough question.
00:47:36.389 --> 00:47:38.602
[Calvin] Mm-hmm?
00:47:38.626 --> 00:47:39.503
[Alfonso] What can you share
00:47:39.527 --> 00:47:42.262
about the residential school
that was here?
00:47:44.264 --> 00:47:46.375
[Calvin] St. Augustine's
was built in 1904.
00:47:46.399 --> 00:47:52.139
We were surrounded
by the residential school.
00:47:53.306 --> 00:47:56.620
You know, remember
children up in the third floor
00:47:56.644 --> 00:48:00.056
would be looking out
down onto the village,
00:48:00.080 --> 00:48:03.426
watching their Elders
conducting themselves,
00:48:03.450 --> 00:48:04.427
smoking fish,
00:48:04.451 --> 00:48:05.595
and that kind of thing.
00:48:05.619 --> 00:48:09.332
And they weren't allowed
to go down and participate
00:48:09.356 --> 00:48:12.993
because they were locked up
in a residential school.
00:48:16.229 --> 00:48:18.542
The residential school...
00:48:18.566 --> 00:48:22.570
our People burnt it down
in the '70s.
00:48:23.236 --> 00:48:24.447
The young People did.
00:48:24.471 --> 00:48:26.916
And I know the ones that did it.
00:48:26.940 --> 00:48:29.318
They were old chums of mine...
00:48:29.342 --> 00:48:30.319
who are long gone now.
00:48:30.343 --> 00:48:35.224
They didn't survive
what they had endured,
00:48:35.248 --> 00:48:37.384
whereas I survived.
00:48:37.951 --> 00:48:38.895
But the reason
why they burnt it down
00:48:38.919 --> 00:48:43.390
was to get rid of that memory
of what had happened to them.
00:48:44.157 --> 00:48:47.571
That was a message
to the older ones
00:48:47.595 --> 00:48:50.330
that we need
to revive our culture.
00:48:59.973 --> 00:49:03.953
[Alfonso] What is your message
with this film that we're doing?
00:49:03.977 --> 00:49:06.379
What do you want people to know?
00:49:12.520 --> 00:49:13.496
[Calvin] I see our young People
00:49:13.521 --> 00:49:17.133
are starting to walk
with their heads held high,
00:49:17.157 --> 00:49:19.068
with their drumming
and their singing,
00:49:19.092 --> 00:49:21.428
and their pride is coming back.
00:49:24.431 --> 00:49:26.943
The dignity
that was taken away from us
00:49:26.967 --> 00:49:29.436
is being revived.
00:49:34.107 --> 00:49:36.485
I'm just so happy
00:49:36.510 --> 00:49:39.547
that I'm still here
to witness that.
00:50:13.113 --> 00:50:16.550
[singing a traditional song]
00:50:37.538 --> 00:50:41.441
[singing a traditional song]
00:50:54.187 --> 00:50:56.690
Thank you guys
for joining me today.
00:50:58.425 --> 00:50:59.302
One of the things
00:50:59.326 --> 00:51:03.507
that I have chosen
to take responsibility of
00:51:03.531 --> 00:51:06.776
is taking care of the Longhouse.
00:51:06.800 --> 00:51:12.472
Not only keeping it clean
but lighting up the fire...
00:51:13.440 --> 00:51:16.485
...which, for me, I believe,
00:51:16.510 --> 00:51:18.454
awakens the Longhouse.
00:51:18.478 --> 00:51:20.223
Allowing the smoke
00:51:20.247 --> 00:51:23.693
to spread out
through the Longhouse--
00:51:23.717 --> 00:51:27.130
the corners, the crevices--
00:51:27.154 --> 00:51:29.690
to cleanse the Longhouse.
00:51:34.662 --> 00:51:36.573
This House is very much alive.
00:51:36.597 --> 00:51:40.109
We have a lot
of Ancestor spirits
00:51:40.133 --> 00:51:41.110
that come here
00:51:41.134 --> 00:51:43.212
with the work that we do.
00:51:43.236 --> 00:51:44.113
I like to connect
00:51:44.137 --> 00:51:48.451
and just let them know
that I'm here.
00:51:48.475 --> 00:51:50.277
So, I share my song.
00:51:50.844 --> 00:51:54.624
I'm calling upon them...
00:51:54.648 --> 00:51:56.349
just to connect.
00:51:57.384 --> 00:51:59.486
I think it's important that way.
00:52:05.125 --> 00:52:05.802
This morning, last night,
00:52:05.826 --> 00:52:09.238
I was a little bit nervous
and excited.
00:52:09.262 --> 00:52:13.400
But yeah, now I feel
a little bit more calm.
00:52:14.267 --> 00:52:17.871
Now it's just wait
for Ecko to get here.
00:52:18.405 --> 00:52:21.274
Wait for everyone else
to get here.
00:52:30.684 --> 00:52:32.152
I think so.
00:52:32.520 --> 00:52:34.588
Never have too many blankies.
00:52:46.199 --> 00:52:46.743
Beautiful.
00:52:46.767 --> 00:52:48.144
I do have a run of show
here for you
00:52:48.168 --> 00:52:49.412
so that you can kind of...
00:52:49.436 --> 00:52:50.871
-Yeah.
-Thanks.
00:52:53.941 --> 00:52:56.485
[Ecko] This beautiful space
00:52:56.510 --> 00:52:58.822
is where I identify
00:52:58.846 --> 00:53:01.925
as the place
that gave me my wings to fly
00:53:01.949 --> 00:53:05.719
in the work that I'm now doing
out in the world.
00:53:08.856 --> 00:53:10.734
We hold gratitude
00:53:10.758 --> 00:53:13.537
for the opportunity...
00:53:13.561 --> 00:53:16.172
to share good medicine today
00:53:16.196 --> 00:53:17.440
through the gifts
00:53:17.464 --> 00:53:20.744
that myself and my brother
have been given,
00:53:20.768 --> 00:53:22.779
and...
00:53:22.803 --> 00:53:26.716
it's almost like
the fire has been stoked,
00:53:26.740 --> 00:53:29.786
and for us
to step into our roles
00:53:29.810 --> 00:53:32.455
and return to community today
00:53:32.479 --> 00:53:34.447
is a beautiful thing.
00:53:45.593 --> 00:53:48.672
Thought you were going to be
first in line?
00:53:48.696 --> 00:53:50.497
[laughing]
00:54:04.512 --> 00:54:06.747
[indistinct conversations]
00:54:12.520 --> 00:54:14.397
[Alfonso]
Well, welcome, everyone.
00:54:14.421 --> 00:54:17.701
?imash ?imash ewk mes syiya.
00:54:17.725 --> 00:54:20.728
Welcome
all my friends and relatives.
00:54:21.394 --> 00:54:22.739
Kwamanchi chen skwish.
00:54:22.763 --> 00:54:24.908
"Kwamanchi"
is my traditional name,
00:54:24.932 --> 00:54:25.842
Spanish Chief,
00:54:25.866 --> 00:54:29.336
and my Aztec and Mayan ancestry.
00:54:29.703 --> 00:54:34.417
Today, we are going
down a path together
00:54:34.441 --> 00:54:35.819
as a production group,
00:54:35.843 --> 00:54:36.986
as a family,
00:54:37.010 --> 00:54:39.022
taking teachings
from one another,
00:54:39.046 --> 00:54:41.048
from our Elders as well.
00:54:42.415 --> 00:54:43.392
So, I feel like this is
00:54:43.416 --> 00:54:45.261
an amazing journey
that we're on.
00:54:45.285 --> 00:54:46.930
But there's also a vision.
00:54:46.954 --> 00:54:50.891
The vision is to get
a canoe family started.
00:54:51.692 --> 00:54:54.538
The government put us
here in Sechelt--
00:54:54.562 --> 00:54:56.640
a beautiful place--
00:54:56.664 --> 00:54:59.676
but we come from the Motherland,
00:54:59.700 --> 00:55:02.646
which is still Mother Nature--
00:55:02.670 --> 00:55:06.840
and that's where we need
to go for our healing.
00:55:07.875 --> 00:55:11.320
So, I'd like to share a song,
00:55:11.344 --> 00:55:13.080
a song that I've composed.
00:55:14.782 --> 00:55:16.526
The song came up
00:55:16.550 --> 00:55:19.763
before we did
our first ground penetration,
00:55:19.787 --> 00:55:25.058
scanning of the unmarked graves
of the residential school.
00:55:25.593 --> 00:55:28.772
I was just sitting
at work one day,
00:55:28.796 --> 00:55:32.509
planning, programming,
00:55:32.533 --> 00:55:36.336
and I just started singing.
00:55:37.037 --> 00:55:39.315
I kind of liked the song,
00:55:39.339 --> 00:55:42.318
but it just got so catchy,
I couldn't stop singing it.
00:55:42.342 --> 00:55:48.057
I wanted to teach
those children the song--
00:55:48.081 --> 00:55:53.329
a song that they wouldn't
be allowed to sing.
00:55:53.353 --> 00:55:56.790
[singing]
00:56:22.516 --> 00:56:25.653
[singing]
00:56:32.793 --> 00:56:38.465
[♪♪♪]
00:56:45.673 --> 00:56:50.110
[♪♪♪]
00:56:56.584 --> 00:57:00.888
[♪♪♪]
00:57:13.100 --> 00:57:17.413
[♪♪♪]
00:57:17.437 --> 00:57:17.947
[Terry] Okay.
00:57:17.971 --> 00:57:20.974
[Ecko] Can already
feel myself wanting to cry.
00:57:29.049 --> 00:57:31.094
Can you share your experience
00:57:31.118 --> 00:57:35.464
of being taken away
to residential school?
00:57:35.488 --> 00:57:37.691
Yeah.
00:57:39.226 --> 00:57:42.062
So, the summer I turned seven...
00:57:46.734 --> 00:57:49.937
...we were playing outside.
00:57:51.539 --> 00:57:53.850
You know, we could see the road,
00:57:53.874 --> 00:57:55.451
the highway,
00:57:55.475 --> 00:57:56.686
from the house.
00:57:56.710 --> 00:57:58.021
And all of a sudden,
00:57:58.045 --> 00:58:02.191
we could hear these cars
coming up the driveway,
00:58:02.215 --> 00:58:03.660
and one was a cop car--
00:58:03.684 --> 00:58:04.227
because we recognized
00:58:04.251 --> 00:58:08.055
the red light
in the centre of the top.
00:58:08.889 --> 00:58:09.232
And Mom said,
00:58:09.256 --> 00:58:11.835
"All right, you kids,
go hide in the woodshed--
00:58:11.859 --> 00:58:12.602
all of you--
00:58:12.626 --> 00:58:14.604
and don't say nothing.
00:58:14.628 --> 00:58:15.739
Nothing!"
00:58:15.763 --> 00:58:18.775
And we just held our breath.
00:58:18.799 --> 00:58:19.943
And...
00:58:19.967 --> 00:58:21.010
we could hear the RCMP
00:58:21.034 --> 00:58:24.204
bang, bang, banging on the door.
00:58:24.505 --> 00:58:30.486
"We know you have
school-age kids in the house!
00:58:30.511 --> 00:58:34.181
If you don't release them,
we'll take you to jail."
00:58:36.717 --> 00:58:39.553
And Mom opens the kitchen door.
00:58:39.820 --> 00:58:44.033
She goes, "Terry, John Daniel,
come in."
00:58:44.057 --> 00:58:47.904
And so, the other kids
stayed in the woodshed.
00:58:47.928 --> 00:58:52.900
And so John Daniel and I
went into the house.
00:58:56.036 --> 00:58:59.907
She said, "You two have to go.
00:59:00.841 --> 00:59:05.789
Go with the RCMP
and the other car,
00:59:05.813 --> 00:59:07.557
but you need to pack
some clothes.
00:59:07.581 --> 00:59:09.659
You're going to be gone
for a while."
00:59:09.683 --> 00:59:15.155
And we didn't know
what was going to happen.
00:59:16.557 --> 00:59:19.836
Then...
00:59:19.860 --> 00:59:21.137
one by one,
00:59:21.161 --> 00:59:23.039
each of us...
00:59:23.063 --> 00:59:24.574
had to get our hair cut.
00:59:24.598 --> 00:59:25.174
Like, literally,
00:59:25.198 --> 00:59:28.978
they just shaved us
right in the waiting room.
00:59:29.002 --> 00:59:34.274
Just literally
until it was just little stubs.
00:59:34.675 --> 00:59:42.325
And then they sprinkled us
with white powder head to toe,
00:59:42.349 --> 00:59:43.660
and said,
00:59:43.684 --> 00:59:49.265
"Okay, now we're going
to take you to your dormitory."
00:59:49.289 --> 00:59:54.161
So, this is all new lingo
as a seven-year-old kid.
00:59:56.997 --> 00:59:59.767
I don't know
how we survived, really.
01:00:01.635 --> 01:00:03.312
You know, what kept us going.
01:00:03.336 --> 01:00:06.206
[Ecko] Yeah.
01:00:07.107 --> 01:00:08.609
Okay...
01:00:09.943 --> 01:00:11.588
September, October, November
01:00:11.612 --> 01:00:17.727
is when our supervisor,
Derek Clark, showed up.
01:00:17.751 --> 01:00:21.865
And he had a black and white TV,
01:00:21.889 --> 01:00:22.866
that big,
01:00:22.890 --> 01:00:25.025
sitting on top of his desk.
01:00:25.826 --> 01:00:28.061
And then, nighttime.
01:00:29.997 --> 01:00:34.034
We could hear the door open
in the dorm...
01:00:34.735 --> 01:00:38.739
...and Clark
would pick a student.
01:00:39.907 --> 01:00:41.150
Go into his room and...
01:00:41.174 --> 01:00:46.146
We never knew, at first,
what was going on.
01:00:47.280 --> 01:00:49.158
He was grooming...
01:00:49.182 --> 01:00:51.160
grooming us...
01:00:51.184 --> 01:00:54.030
and...
01:00:54.054 --> 01:00:57.133
I don't know how many boys
in that dorm
01:00:57.157 --> 01:00:59.335
were being taken into his room,
01:00:59.359 --> 01:01:04.297
but I found myself being picked
and taken to that room.
01:01:04.998 --> 01:01:08.377
And he would turn that TV up.
01:01:08.401 --> 01:01:12.239
Literally, turn it up, crank it.
01:01:16.844 --> 01:01:19.188
And that happened...
01:01:19.212 --> 01:01:24.928
until I left that school...
01:01:24.952 --> 01:01:25.962
not realizing
01:01:25.986 --> 01:01:26.930
that other boys
01:01:26.954 --> 01:01:29.933
were getting the same...
01:01:29.957 --> 01:01:31.801
the same abuse.
01:01:31.825 --> 01:01:34.103
And...
01:01:34.127 --> 01:01:37.064
-I've got to drink.
-Yeah.
01:01:49.376 --> 01:01:51.354
The more the...
01:01:51.378 --> 01:01:56.092
abuse started happening to me...
01:01:56.116 --> 01:01:58.327
the more I started to withdraw.
01:01:58.351 --> 01:02:01.021
So, grade five was a blur.
01:02:01.855 --> 01:02:05.702
Grade six was...
01:02:05.726 --> 01:02:07.904
an even worse year for me.
01:02:07.928 --> 01:02:08.304
[Ecko] Mm-hmm.
01:02:08.328 --> 01:02:11.875
Dad showed up
at the end of the school year,
01:02:11.899 --> 01:02:15.845
and he goes,
"I'm taking the kids away.
01:02:15.869 --> 01:02:18.371
I'm moving you to Seattle."
01:02:19.406 --> 01:02:21.918
Seattle?
01:02:21.942 --> 01:02:25.154
I guess Dad...
01:02:25.178 --> 01:02:28.248
gave our address to Derek Clark.
01:02:29.282 --> 01:02:32.862
So, for two more years,
I was living in Seattle,
01:02:32.886 --> 01:02:35.188
and he was still abusing me.
01:02:39.192 --> 01:02:41.370
You know,
I thought, as a teenager,
01:02:41.394 --> 01:02:44.273
that...
01:02:44.297 --> 01:02:45.274
that would stop,
01:02:45.298 --> 01:02:47.267
and it didn't.
01:02:53.473 --> 01:02:59.179
[♪♪♪]
01:03:02.349 --> 01:03:07.030
[♪♪♪]
01:03:07.054 --> 01:03:11.424
[singing]
01:03:13.060 --> 01:03:14.771
♪ Hope and persistence ♪
01:03:14.795 --> 01:03:15.772
♪ Guidance provided ♪
01:03:15.796 --> 01:03:18.041
♪ Though at first
we might resist it ♪
01:03:18.065 --> 01:03:19.342
♪ Gifted with vision ♪
01:03:19.366 --> 01:03:20.443
♪ On a mission ♪
01:03:20.467 --> 01:03:21.811
♪ Reconciliation ♪
01:03:21.835 --> 01:03:23.179
♪ Peace between our Nations ♪
01:03:23.203 --> 01:03:25.348
♪ Connection to the Land
and ourselves ♪
01:03:25.372 --> 01:03:27.216
♪ Is the final destination ♪
01:03:27.240 --> 01:03:29.285
♪ There's a dark history
we hold ♪
01:03:29.309 --> 01:03:31.387
♪ The children
of our Grandparents ♪
01:03:31.411 --> 01:03:32.455
♪ Ripped from their homes ♪
01:03:32.479 --> 01:03:36.125
♪ Whipped on the wrist
for speaking their language ♪
01:03:36.149 --> 01:03:37.360
♪ Cage and stone structures ♪
01:03:37.384 --> 01:03:40.163
♪ Forced to pray
to the priests who rape them ♪
01:03:40.187 --> 01:03:42.065
♪ Thrown a colonial name ♪
01:03:42.089 --> 01:03:44.100
♪ Raised with hatred
for the system ♪
01:03:44.124 --> 01:03:47.070
♪ Mom and Dad
were provided firewater ♪
01:03:47.094 --> 01:03:49.830
♪ And the culture faded ♪
01:03:52.099 --> 01:03:57.270
[♪♪♪]
01:03:57.838 --> 01:04:01.084
♪ Broken homes
not broken spirits ♪
01:04:01.108 --> 01:04:04.353
♪ We are the resistance ♪
01:04:04.377 --> 01:04:06.022
[♪♪♪]
01:04:06.046 --> 01:04:10.493
♪ Lost but not wandering far ♪
01:04:10.518 --> 01:04:14.097
[Terry] So, when I came out
of the treatment centre,
01:04:14.121 --> 01:04:15.098
and right away,
01:04:15.122 --> 01:04:16.966
I knew
we had a family therapist,
01:04:16.990 --> 01:04:18.501
and I went knocking
on her door.
01:04:18.526 --> 01:04:23.172
On that day
that I went to see her,
01:04:23.196 --> 01:04:25.975
all social workers,
up and down BC,
01:04:25.999 --> 01:04:31.515
received a memo
from two RCMP investigators.
01:04:31.539 --> 01:04:32.481
And on the top it said,
01:04:32.506 --> 01:04:36.019
"Please,
somebody must know somebody
01:04:36.043 --> 01:04:39.388
to disclose about Derek Clark.
01:04:39.412 --> 01:04:41.625
He's still abusing kids
in Vancouver,
01:04:41.649 --> 01:04:44.451
as well as abusing Elders."
01:04:45.553 --> 01:04:47.263
I look at that memo,
01:04:47.287 --> 01:04:50.991
and I read it, and I said,
"Call them. Let's do it."
01:04:51.892 --> 01:04:54.538
And so, we called them,
01:04:54.562 --> 01:04:57.306
and they were so grateful.
01:04:57.330 --> 01:05:00.309
They said,
"We'll be up tomorrow.
01:05:00.333 --> 01:05:04.413
Get ready to share
your painful experiences,
01:05:04.437 --> 01:05:08.518
and we'll be
as compassionate as possible.
01:05:08.542 --> 01:05:10.654
If you want your therapist
to be with you,
01:05:10.678 --> 01:05:12.656
she can be with you."
01:05:12.680 --> 01:05:15.616
I said, "No, I can do it."
01:05:17.585 --> 01:05:23.090
I was in there hours, hours,
and I had them in tears.
01:05:23.456 --> 01:05:27.504
The grief and the hurt
and all those memories
01:05:27.528 --> 01:05:30.039
just came...
01:05:30.063 --> 01:05:33.433
came to the surface
again and again.
01:05:35.168 --> 01:05:36.913
And so, that was done.
01:05:36.937 --> 01:05:40.383
And lo and behold...
01:05:40.407 --> 01:05:43.920
the social worker
from the tribal council
01:05:43.944 --> 01:05:45.454
approaches me and he goes,
01:05:45.478 --> 01:05:47.557
"What do you say we sue
the federal government
01:05:47.581 --> 01:05:52.461
and the Anglican Church
and the RCMP and all of that?"
01:05:52.485 --> 01:05:54.254
"Let's do it!"
01:05:55.523 --> 01:05:57.466
I was like, "Can we do that?"
01:05:57.490 --> 01:05:59.335
And he goes, "Yeah!"
01:05:59.359 --> 01:06:00.604
Anyway, so...
01:06:00.628 --> 01:06:06.299
we had Elders sitting outside
the courtroom, blessing us.
01:06:07.601 --> 01:06:09.045
Prayers every day
01:06:09.069 --> 01:06:11.471
before we went
into the courtroom.
01:06:17.711 --> 01:06:20.289
The government lawyers
01:06:20.313 --> 01:06:21.357
had the gumption
01:06:21.381 --> 01:06:24.618
to come to our home
in Stein Valley.
01:06:26.053 --> 01:06:28.589
Knocking on the door
in their suits.
01:06:29.289 --> 01:06:32.035
And they said,
01:06:32.059 --> 01:06:33.402
"Sorry to bother you...
01:06:33.426 --> 01:06:34.437
but...
01:06:34.461 --> 01:06:35.539
we want to settle this
01:06:35.563 --> 01:06:38.542
out of the court with you
right now."
01:06:38.566 --> 01:06:41.277
They put up a cheque
in front of my face--
01:06:41.301 --> 01:06:43.470
half a million dollars.
01:06:44.137 --> 01:06:45.982
I said, "Wow!
01:06:46.006 --> 01:06:48.051
Ah, shit, that's...
01:06:48.075 --> 01:06:49.710
That's big.
01:06:50.544 --> 01:06:52.989
Uh, man...
01:06:53.013 --> 01:06:55.258
my lawyer's
going to be really happy
01:06:55.282 --> 01:06:55.659
when I call him
01:06:55.683 --> 01:07:01.998
and say you came to my home
and tried to buy me out,
01:07:02.022 --> 01:07:03.299
you stupid asshole."
01:07:03.323 --> 01:07:04.333
Ripped it,
01:07:04.357 --> 01:07:05.535
threw it in their face.
01:07:05.559 --> 01:07:07.504
"Get the fuck out of here."
01:07:07.528 --> 01:07:10.397
And slammed the door.
01:07:12.165 --> 01:07:14.077
So...
01:07:14.101 --> 01:07:18.782
May 31st...
01:07:18.806 --> 01:07:20.808
2003.
01:07:23.043 --> 01:07:26.289
Judge...
01:07:26.313 --> 01:07:27.715
"Mr. Aleck."
01:07:28.749 --> 01:07:30.751
"Yes, Your Honour?"
01:07:31.652 --> 01:07:32.696
"We're bearing witness
01:07:32.720 --> 01:07:37.466
to a precedent-setting
court case
01:07:37.490 --> 01:07:38.602
that's going to be a model
01:07:38.626 --> 01:07:43.196
for other residential school
survivors across Canada.
01:07:44.565 --> 01:07:50.346
People are going to know
about this court case
01:07:50.370 --> 01:07:54.150
because there are
other cases pending,
01:07:54.174 --> 01:07:55.652
and...
01:07:55.676 --> 01:07:59.455
yours is going to be
precedent-setting.
01:07:59.479 --> 01:08:01.414
You won."
01:08:04.384 --> 01:08:05.795
"Your Honour?"
01:08:05.819 --> 01:08:07.721
"You won.
01:08:08.255 --> 01:08:12.192
Is there anything else
you want from the court?"
01:08:12.826 --> 01:08:15.204
"Your Honour,
01:08:15.228 --> 01:08:18.675
I would love an apology letter
01:08:18.699 --> 01:08:21.277
from the Prime Minister
of Canada.
01:08:21.301 --> 01:08:25.472
If you can do that,
then we're good."
01:08:26.874 --> 01:08:31.755
"Apology letter
from Prime Minister of Canada.
01:08:31.779 --> 01:08:33.514
Done."
01:08:35.115 --> 01:08:36.650
[exhales]
01:08:37.651 --> 01:08:40.263
Wow...
01:08:40.287 --> 01:08:41.889
Wow.
01:08:43.857 --> 01:08:46.193
We did it.
01:08:47.194 --> 01:08:49.329
I get it now.
01:08:55.335 --> 01:08:58.247
Both you and Mom...
01:08:58.271 --> 01:08:59.749
literally did whatever it took
01:08:59.773 --> 01:09:01.518
to get to the end
of that court case,
01:09:01.542 --> 01:09:04.177
and then our family fell apart.
01:09:09.683 --> 01:09:16.700
I want to thank you
for the strength that you used
01:09:16.724 --> 01:09:20.704
to do everything you could
to create a safe home.
01:09:20.728 --> 01:09:22.539
It wasn't safe from anger,
01:09:22.563 --> 01:09:24.808
but it was safe
from drugs and alcohol
01:09:24.832 --> 01:09:30.771
and all of the other things
that you experienced.
01:09:31.872 --> 01:09:36.419
So, thank you for doing
what you could
01:09:36.443 --> 01:09:38.345
with what you had.
01:09:40.714 --> 01:09:43.693
You crawled,
01:09:43.717 --> 01:09:45.294
so I could walk,
01:09:45.318 --> 01:09:48.288
so my children can now run.
01:09:56.930 --> 01:10:00.577
I'm grateful to see
the whole picture
01:10:00.601 --> 01:10:03.403
and to walk through the timeline
with you.
01:10:04.471 --> 01:10:07.283
And...
01:10:07.307 --> 01:10:09.285
to...
01:10:09.309 --> 01:10:10.920
co-create these opportunities
01:10:10.944 --> 01:10:12.922
to keep sharing your story,
01:10:12.946 --> 01:10:16.425
because there is
layers and layers
01:10:16.449 --> 01:10:18.294
and generations of healing
01:10:18.318 --> 01:10:21.497
that are happening every time
we get to sit down and do this.
01:10:21.522 --> 01:10:22.899
[Terry] Mm-hmm.
01:10:22.923 --> 01:10:24.324
Yeah.
01:10:30.230 --> 01:10:33.901
[singing a traditional song]
01:10:36.970 --> 01:10:40.340
[drumming and singing]
01:10:47.748 --> 01:10:51.284
[drumming and singing]
01:10:59.993 --> 01:11:02.563
[drumming and singing]
01:11:10.303 --> 01:11:11.615
-Okay.
-Mm-hmm.
01:11:11.639 --> 01:11:14.642
Yeah, we can just rest it down.
01:11:17.945 --> 01:11:19.889
How big are you thinking?
01:11:19.913 --> 01:11:20.957
Yup.
01:11:20.981 --> 01:11:22.025
That space?
01:11:22.049 --> 01:11:24.484
That's a good size.
01:11:26.053 --> 01:11:28.264
-Um...
-Mm-hmm.
01:11:28.288 --> 01:11:29.799
I've been learning...
01:11:29.823 --> 01:11:31.668
and leaning into trusting.
01:11:31.692 --> 01:11:32.001
Mm-hmm...
01:11:32.025 --> 01:11:34.662
My process as an artist
is very, very different.
01:11:35.829 --> 01:11:38.775
Quite often, at this point,
01:11:38.799 --> 01:11:42.546
I can see the design already
on your skin,
01:11:42.570 --> 01:11:44.280
and it's almost like my job
01:11:44.304 --> 01:11:46.816
is to just help
breathe life into it.
01:11:46.840 --> 01:11:48.709
[Terry] Thank you.
01:11:53.313 --> 01:11:54.791
It seems really appropriate
01:11:54.815 --> 01:11:56.292
to do this
01:11:56.316 --> 01:11:58.294
in front of a camera,
01:11:58.318 --> 01:11:59.362
in front of people
01:11:59.386 --> 01:12:00.429
that are capturing
01:12:00.453 --> 01:12:02.756
our life story and our journey.
01:12:06.459 --> 01:12:07.504
I appreciate it.
01:12:07.528 --> 01:12:15.444
It just makes it
that much more rich...
01:12:15.468 --> 01:12:18.338
to be tattooed
by my own daughter.
01:13:14.562 --> 01:13:17.674
I can't even imagine
what you went through.
01:13:17.698 --> 01:13:20.510
-[Ecko laughs]
-[Terry] Wow.
01:13:20.534 --> 01:13:21.978
[Ecko] It was, um...
01:13:22.002 --> 01:13:23.513
[Terry] Painful.
01:13:23.537 --> 01:13:25.806
[Ecko] Yeah.
01:13:41.989 --> 01:13:44.758
[speaking Nlaka'pamux]
01:13:46.927 --> 01:13:49.939
For the spirituality
of all people
01:13:49.963 --> 01:13:51.808
from all walks of life.
01:13:51.832 --> 01:13:58.872
To wake up to our own power
and strength from within.
01:14:03.544 --> 01:14:07.147
Thank you
for a strong, beating heart.
01:14:08.215 --> 01:14:11.719
Eyes to see the good
in all people.
01:14:11.919 --> 01:14:15.923
Ears to hear the messages
from our Ancestors.
01:14:18.592 --> 01:14:21.629
Mouth to speak only good words.
01:14:23.564 --> 01:14:26.810
Creator...
01:14:26.834 --> 01:14:30.571
we thank you for all life.
01:14:32.740 --> 01:14:33.149
The tiniest animal
01:14:33.173 --> 01:14:39.246
that crawls to the spirits
we can't see sometimes.
01:14:42.049 --> 01:14:43.059
For all the food
01:14:43.083 --> 01:14:45.862
that comes from you,
Sacred Mother Earth.
01:14:45.886 --> 01:14:48.255
We thank you.
01:14:49.757 --> 01:14:53.169
We thank you
for all of the plant medicine,
01:14:53.193 --> 01:14:55.772
all the fruits,
all the vegetables--
01:14:55.796 --> 01:14:57.565
all of it.
01:14:58.899 --> 01:15:01.969
Creator,
you've gifted us so much.
01:15:03.771 --> 01:15:04.548
I hope and pray
01:15:04.572 --> 01:15:06.482
that we continually thank you
01:15:06.507 --> 01:15:08.585
for...
01:15:08.609 --> 01:15:09.753
all that we have,
01:15:09.777 --> 01:15:11.712
all that we are.
01:15:13.080 --> 01:15:15.649
[speaking Nlaka'pamux]
01:15:18.986 --> 01:15:22.623
[drumming and singing]
01:15:38.906 --> 01:15:41.675
[drumming and singing]
01:15:47.681 --> 01:15:48.892
[Chief Wayne Christian]
We're at a time
01:15:48.916 --> 01:15:50.994
where there's
a fast-moving river
01:15:51.018 --> 01:15:52.562
happening right now,
01:15:52.586 --> 01:15:54.531
very fast.
01:15:54.555 --> 01:15:56.666
We're afraid to get into it,
01:15:56.690 --> 01:15:58.167
but that's what we need to do.
01:15:58.191 --> 01:15:59.936
We need to let go
01:15:59.960 --> 01:16:01.895
and go into that river.
01:16:06.700 --> 01:16:07.944
And as that river is moving,
01:16:07.968 --> 01:16:11.104
we look around us
and see who is with us.
01:16:12.840 --> 01:16:13.917
It is no longer about
01:16:13.941 --> 01:16:16.553
being a lone wolf
doing things on our own.
01:16:16.577 --> 01:16:19.079
We have to do it together.
01:16:22.983 --> 01:16:23.727
[Calvin] If the young ones
01:16:23.751 --> 01:16:27.196
are paddling on the water
in their journey,
01:16:27.220 --> 01:16:30.099
they should listen
for those songs.
01:16:30.123 --> 01:16:35.872
Those songs will come in
off the breeze of the ocean.
01:16:35.896 --> 01:16:36.573
Those songs will come off
01:16:36.597 --> 01:16:40.668
through whispering winds
that come through the trees.
01:16:42.836 --> 01:16:45.873
It's a journey
of going back into time.
01:16:52.880 --> 01:16:56.826
[Barbara] Mother Earth,
we're nothing without Her,
01:16:56.850 --> 01:17:02.098
and we have done a pitiful job
of looking after Her.
01:17:02.122 --> 01:17:05.859
We need to quit
pulling Her apart.
01:17:07.628 --> 01:17:13.166
We're lucky that Her heart
is so big and full of love.
01:17:14.935 --> 01:17:16.312
It's every person's job
01:17:16.336 --> 01:17:20.808
to do the best they can
all the time.
01:18:06.319 --> 01:18:08.121
Here's another one for you.
01:18:10.290 --> 01:18:10.900
Clean that.
01:18:10.924 --> 01:18:13.703
I'll be
your cleaning assistant here.
01:18:13.727 --> 01:18:14.928
Good!
01:18:26.974 --> 01:18:27.817
Right?
01:18:27.841 --> 01:18:31.478
[woman] It's very satisfying
to wipe the...
01:18:35.282 --> 01:18:37.050
[woman] It's shiny.
01:18:38.886 --> 01:18:40.453
Wiping the winter off.
01:18:41.021 --> 01:18:42.098
The brushing continues.
01:18:42.122 --> 01:18:43.066
[Alfonso] We came together
01:18:43.090 --> 01:18:45.969
to do a cleaning
and a cleansing,
01:18:45.993 --> 01:18:46.836
making that connection
01:18:46.860 --> 01:18:50.406
before we go on
in the next season here.
01:18:50.430 --> 01:18:53.342
[woman] It's very satisfying
to wipe the marks off.
01:18:53.366 --> 01:18:56.737
[Alfonso] To bring them
out into the water.
01:19:08.281 --> 01:19:10.927
[Alfonso] Yeah. Even though
they're still resting,
01:19:10.951 --> 01:19:12.996
we're still
taking good care of them
01:19:13.020 --> 01:19:16.089
until we awaken them
and put them out on the water.
01:19:21.829 --> 01:19:25.766
[Liz] Thank you
for allowing us to witness.
01:19:39.446 --> 01:19:44.284
[♪♪♪]
01:19:50.991 --> 01:19:54.862
[♪♪♪]
01:20:06.540 --> 01:20:08.051
Okay, I'll put this away,
01:20:08.075 --> 01:20:10.253
and I'll go around
the other side over there
01:20:10.277 --> 01:20:13.947
and make another offering
for another tree.
01:20:22.089 --> 01:20:26.335
[♪♪♪]
01:20:26.359 --> 01:20:29.462
Thank you, Tree.
01:20:36.369 --> 01:20:41.174
[♪♪♪]
01:22:28.949 --> 01:22:33.220
[singing a traditional song]
01:22:42.362 --> 01:22:45.999
[singing and drumming]
01:22:48.736 --> 01:22:51.648
[Hollyann] You know,
traditionally, in the old days,
01:22:51.672 --> 01:22:53.316
any time the canoe would go out,
01:22:53.340 --> 01:22:55.952
they would have
a cleansing like this.
01:22:55.976 --> 01:22:56.419
And they did this
01:22:56.443 --> 01:22:58.955
to put their love
and their feelings
01:22:58.979 --> 01:22:59.623
into that canoe,
01:22:59.647 --> 01:23:02.291
and the smell of the cedar
made them strong
01:23:02.315 --> 01:23:05.285
as they went on their journey
and their paddling.
01:23:09.089 --> 01:23:11.525
[singing]
01:23:23.103 --> 01:23:26.239
[singing and drumming]
01:23:28.709 --> 01:23:31.745
Make it look beautiful!
01:23:32.012 --> 01:23:35.191
S-yewens Ilhems Sila
is sitting there being happy.
01:23:35.215 --> 01:23:36.750
[laughing]
01:23:39.086 --> 01:23:41.288
[singing and drumming]
01:23:46.760 --> 01:23:50.097
[singing and drumming]
01:23:53.033 --> 01:23:55.235
[Alfonso] Welcome, everyone.
01:23:57.037 --> 01:23:59.339
All my friends and relatives.
01:24:01.742 --> 01:24:03.352
Been looking forward
to this day
01:24:03.376 --> 01:24:05.254
of all of us coming together
01:24:05.278 --> 01:24:06.523
to...
01:24:06.547 --> 01:24:09.058
participate and practice
01:24:09.082 --> 01:24:11.060
this teaching
01:24:11.084 --> 01:24:12.729
that came from my dear Elder,
01:24:12.753 --> 01:24:15.031
xwu'p'a'lich,here,
01:24:15.055 --> 01:24:16.690
Barb Higgins.
01:24:17.558 --> 01:24:18.267
Such important teachings
01:24:18.291 --> 01:24:22.772
that we need to pass on
to the next generation,
01:24:22.796 --> 01:24:25.509
and keep it alive,
01:24:25.533 --> 01:24:26.375
because these canoes
01:24:26.399 --> 01:24:29.737
go as far back
as our own Ancestors.
01:24:31.171 --> 01:24:33.449
I want to acknowledge
our Ancestors,
01:24:33.473 --> 01:24:36.176
our identity in who we are.
01:24:36.710 --> 01:24:38.712
Being proud of that.
01:24:40.581 --> 01:24:42.592
Acknowledge
our knowledge keepers,
01:24:42.616 --> 01:24:46.253
who are able
to pass down the knowledge.
01:24:50.758 --> 01:24:53.703
Acknowledge our loved ones,
01:24:53.727 --> 01:24:56.072
who are always there
to support each other.
01:24:56.096 --> 01:25:00.433
Our children, our Elders,
everyone.
01:25:01.602 --> 01:25:02.779
Very honoured today
01:25:02.803 --> 01:25:04.814
that I was able to stand here
01:25:04.838 --> 01:25:08.217
and sing with my Grandfather,
01:25:08.241 --> 01:25:11.320
hiwusCalvin Craigan,
01:25:11.344 --> 01:25:13.280
to sing a song with him.
01:25:13.881 --> 01:25:17.426
And I wouldn't be here
without getting my drum,
01:25:17.450 --> 01:25:19.529
becoming a song carrier.
01:25:19.553 --> 01:25:22.255
So, thank you, Papa.
01:25:26.860 --> 01:25:31.741
With these teachings
passed down from my Elders,
01:25:31.765 --> 01:25:35.144
my goal is to create
a canoe family
01:25:35.168 --> 01:25:38.114
to get our Nation members
01:25:38.138 --> 01:25:40.650
to become experienced paddlers,
01:25:40.674 --> 01:25:45.388
so we can continue
to bring the canoes out
01:25:45.412 --> 01:25:47.615
and travel our inlet.
01:25:48.816 --> 01:25:51.160
It's a big dream...
01:25:51.184 --> 01:25:54.254
but I'm going to make it happen.
01:25:56.524 --> 01:25:58.859
[cheering]
01:26:04.898 --> 01:26:11.204
[♪♪♪]
01:26:19.279 --> 01:26:21.749
[drumming]
01:26:32.893 --> 01:26:36.329
[drumming]
01:26:45.606 --> 01:26:47.350
[Ecko] In the background,
01:26:47.374 --> 01:26:49.318
we hear my Aunties'
and Grandmothers'
01:26:49.342 --> 01:26:52.722
and your Aunties'
and Grandmothers' laughter,
01:26:52.746 --> 01:26:56.850
with words of encouragement
and kindness.
01:27:07.394 --> 01:27:10.631
[drumming and singing]
01:27:25.245 --> 01:27:27.891
You are embraced,
01:27:27.915 --> 01:27:29.893
nurtured,
01:27:29.917 --> 01:27:30.493
supported with
01:27:30.518 --> 01:27:32.896
thousands of Ancestors
at your back,
01:27:32.920 --> 01:27:34.263
known and unknown,
01:27:34.287 --> 01:27:36.857
guiding you on your path.
01:27:42.295 --> 01:27:46.433
[♪♪♪]
01:27:53.273 --> 01:27:57.911
[♪♪♪]
01:28:07.454 --> 01:28:12.359
[♪♪♪]
01:28:23.504 --> 01:28:29.553
[♪♪♪]
01:28:29.577 --> 01:28:32.546
[singing]
01:28:35.516 --> 01:28:36.860
♪ Hope and persistence ♪
01:28:36.884 --> 01:28:37.961
♪ Guidance provided ♪
01:28:37.985 --> 01:28:40.296
♪ Though at first
we might resist it ♪
01:28:40.320 --> 01:28:41.698
♪ Gifted with vision ♪
01:28:41.722 --> 01:28:42.666
♪ On a mission ♪
01:28:42.690 --> 01:28:43.967
♪ Reconciliation ♪
01:28:43.991 --> 01:28:45.468
♪ Peace between our Nations ♪
01:28:45.492 --> 01:28:47.737
♪ Connection to the Land
and ourselves ♪
01:28:47.761 --> 01:28:49.573
♪ Is the final destination ♪
01:28:49.597 --> 01:28:51.808
♪ There's a dark history
we hold ♪
01:28:51.832 --> 01:28:53.710
♪ The children
of our Grandparents ♪
01:28:53.734 --> 01:28:54.844
♪ Ripped from their homes ♪
01:28:54.868 --> 01:28:58.481
♪ Whipped on the wrist
for speaking their language ♪
01:28:58.506 --> 01:28:59.683
♪ Cage and stone structures ♪
01:28:59.707 --> 01:29:02.318
♪ Forced to pray
to the priests who rape them ♪
01:29:02.342 --> 01:29:04.387
♪ Thrown a colonial name ♪
01:29:04.411 --> 01:29:06.489
♪ Raised with hatred
for the system ♪
01:29:06.514 --> 01:29:09.458
♪ Mom and Dad
were provided firewater ♪
01:29:09.482 --> 01:29:11.595
♪ And the culture faded ♪
01:29:11.619 --> 01:29:13.453
♪ Faded... ♪
01:29:14.121 --> 01:29:20.036
♪ We're lost
but not wandering far ♪
01:29:20.060 --> 01:29:23.573
♪ Broken homes
not broken spirits ♪
01:29:23.597 --> 01:29:26.576
♪ We are the resistance ♪
01:29:26.600 --> 01:29:32.716
♪ We're lost
but not wandering far ♪
01:29:32.740 --> 01:29:36.119
♪ Broken homes
not broken spirits ♪
01:29:36.143 --> 01:29:40.047
♪ We are the resistance ♪
01:29:40.480 --> 01:29:44.360
♪ Generations of Natives
lost a language of the Land ♪
01:29:44.384 --> 01:29:45.061
♪ Rebranded ♪
01:29:45.085 --> 01:29:46.563
♪ And banned to reservations ♪
01:29:46.587 --> 01:29:47.897
♪ Put poison in our bodies ♪
01:29:47.921 --> 01:29:49.432
♪ And watch us lose our minds ♪
01:29:49.456 --> 01:29:51.467
♪ Many young ones
lost their lives ♪
01:29:51.491 --> 01:29:52.368
♪ Inside ♪
01:29:52.392 --> 01:29:52.802
♪ The place ♪
01:29:52.826 --> 01:29:55.705
♪ They said would teach us
to read and write ♪
01:29:55.729 --> 01:29:58.908
♪ The ones who survived
grew into broken adults ♪
01:29:58.932 --> 01:30:02.512
♪ Unable to cope
with everyday life ♪
01:30:02.536 --> 01:30:03.580
♪ Unable to parent ♪
01:30:03.604 --> 01:30:05.615
♪ From the gap
left inside them ♪
01:30:05.639 --> 01:30:07.083
♪ Endangered and angered ♪
01:30:07.107 --> 01:30:08.384
♪ Little did they know ♪
01:30:08.408 --> 01:30:10.887
♪ They were raising
a new generation ♪
01:30:10.911 --> 01:30:13.557
♪ Of babies
born to be warriors ♪
01:30:13.581 --> 01:30:16.784
♪ Protectors
and culture-connectors ♪
01:30:28.829 --> 01:30:29.806
Okay.
01:30:29.830 --> 01:30:30.907
What are we doing?
01:30:30.931 --> 01:30:33.166
-Group hug.
-Group hug.
01:30:33.901 --> 01:30:34.744
We did it!
01:30:34.768 --> 01:30:35.745
-Yeah!
-We did it!
01:30:35.769 --> 01:30:38.081
-We did it, we did it!
-Oh, my god.
01:30:38.105 --> 01:30:39.983
What a journey!
01:30:40.007 --> 01:30:41.642
Holy crow.
01:30:42.042 --> 01:30:44.420
I'm going to laugh and cry now.
01:30:44.444 --> 01:30:45.955
Now what do we do?
01:30:45.979 --> 01:30:46.623
God!
01:30:46.647 --> 01:30:48.716
Oh, my god.
What's next?
01:30:49.617 --> 01:30:51.184
I like that we're here.
01:30:57.124 --> 01:30:59.192
The dream team.
01:31:04.632 --> 01:31:07.076
Hi!
01:31:07.100 --> 01:31:09.236
[laughing]
01:31:10.003 --> 01:31:12.205
Now come the tired giggles.
01:31:13.140 --> 01:31:15.451
We don't want it to end!
01:31:15.475 --> 01:31:17.778
We don't want it to be over.
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 91 minutes
Date: 2023
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 10-12, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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