Childhood Memory (Video)

Dear Readers;

  While inspecting the woods just past our North field a feeling of happiness and complete security came over me.

  I have found that many people who have not visited the modern day North American Indian Reservation or as we call it" The Rez" have a very romantic notion of ,"The Noble Savage".

 

 I am from the Cree Tribe of the Canadian Plains and my ancestors did ride horses,hunt buffalo and live in tipis. We did possess a very spiritual view on Mother Earth and we were strong...brave...healthy and noble. Unfortunately due to the greed of the white man and their need for grazing their beef cows our way of life was destroyed. Our buffalo which was our main source for our food,clothing,shelter were slaughtered to near extinction. As all invaders know ,the way to destroy a people is to destroy their food. When the buffalo were destroyed  we were starving and homeless. The American and Canadian Governments  relocated  all the aboriginal tribes to the worst pieces of land and that is what is called a Reservation.

 

 The Queen Elizabeth calls us her "children" and "takes care of us". According to the government in order to assimilate us into the "white" culture they needed to reeducate the children by stealing them from the parents and placing them in "schools" called residential schools. Little was learned by the children except what it was like to be sexually abused...overworked and physically beaten. Those same children were then sent back to the "Rez" to marry and raise children. It is no wonder that our grandparents and our parents lacked the skills required to raise healthy children.

  I hold no grudges to our parents who abandoned us when their welfare checks came in and they partied until the money ran out. They did the best that they could ...with what they had.

 While my older brothers and sisters were forced to attend Residential School, I was placed in a foster home at the age of five. Here I share a little memory of freedom...neglect then true freedom.

  There is always a bigger plan that what our eyes can see.The white man murdered our buffalo and destroyed our culture. Now that has happened, how do we rebuild our future?

 Hopefully not by following the greed of a co-operate culture!

Hare Krsna.
Kokum (Cree for Grandmother) Lal