Murray Sinclair's acceptance speech for an award in honor of his role as chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissio | dG1fckNxYUlBcllDa3c
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Quite frankly, most of Canada did not know anything about residential schools.
00:08Even those who knew about the schools being in existence,
00:11they didn't have any idea of what happened in those schools.
00:15We were treated like a herd of animals.
00:18I saw children shivering in their beds because of the thin blankets.
00:23I saw girls forced to eat their own vomit.
00:26I saw children gagging on their food because they didn't like it,
00:31and they'd swallow it in fear of the nun's mighty hand.
00:35I lost my innocence.
00:38I lost my dignity.
00:40I lost my pride.
00:43I was beaten.
00:45I was told that I was stupid, dumb, lazy, ugly,
00:51that I was a savage.
00:54I didn't learn anything. I didn't learn anything in that school.
00:58We have found documents in the Archives of Canada
01:02in which military officials encourage the Department of Indian Affairs
01:06to ensure that more and more children are placed in residential schools
01:10because, the documents say, if we have their kids,
01:15they will be less inclined to go to war against us.
01:19I hope from this that we can send a message to create that process of hope for our children and our grandchildren.
01:45to be able to save their girls is a natural language.
01:47For me, the beste in our past, the nature's beauty will be less effective.
01:51For me, my son, I will request you for my kids.
01:53And, I want to give up my kids and for my kids,
01:55in this case for a quick moment,
01:57I'll give up my kids a little bit of my parents,
02:00a little bit of my friends,
02:01an answer to my kids.
02:03I'll give up my kids a little bit of my kids a little bit of my birthday website.
02:05We have to improve my kids and a little bit of my kids.