David
grew up in the midst of four generations. His great-grandmother,
grandmother and father where all apart of his life. He would never
meet his maternal grandparents, and it would not be until 1965, before he
would meet his maternal family in England. Both David and I would be
sent through the Ontario public school system. It was more often
than not a difficult, confusing and isolating experience. Indians
where not apart of Canadian history, and when we were, we were depicted as
"primitives" or "savages". It impacted on our
self-esteem, ability to socialize, and gain acceptance in mainstream
society. Although David doesn't like talk about it, I remember in
the 1960s, being chased after school by a group of older boys who threw
stones at me, called me names, and mocked me with "war
whoops". Their name calling and antics hurt
more than the stones.
|