After watching the video of an Indian sharing and speaking of a life changing memory; I was distraught.
Andrew Windyboy spoke of attending two boarding schools in South and North Dakota during the mid 60's to early 70's. Right away, one could see the painful emotion that struck his life at the time, and continues to haunt him. While attending boarding school he was not allowed to speak his native Indian language or act his native ways. He was picked on and laughed at constantly; he didn't know any other language. he said, " they made me wear a big red hat, and wear it all over". Tears pour down his face as he keeps sharing these moments, my jaw drops with a loss of words while listening. "I lost my voice as an Indian", he said and that he could only remember how to say his name. Its so sad that history of his language was taken by people who didn't have a care in the world for who he was as a person. Indians happen to be usually a very spiritual culture, and is so upsetting to know his connection feels disconnected, "when I talk to my spirits they don't talk English, they talk Indian", he said.
I don't understand where some peoples heads are, and how they can live with themselves treating a human being with such disrespect. These people degraded him and made him feel less of himself, to the point where all he knew was to make everyone around him happy and do as they say. He was in the moment, and that's where most people are I believe. This could be why we make our mistakes and regrets as we get older and wiser. I was always told by my father, "what you do now, will always effect your future". Your memories and life is worth more than anything someone else wants to make of you. This Indian man is in my heart forever, and seeing his tears..my heart bleeds for him.
Yes, it is hard to forget him and his words. Thankfully, Indian boarding schools were closed in the 60's in the US, though not until the 90's in Canada.
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