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2019: This blog was ranked #50 in top 100 blogs about adoption. Let's make it #1...
2019: WE NEED A TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Commission in the US now for the Adoption Programs that stole generations of children... Goldwater Institute's work to dismantle ICWA is another glaring attempt at cultural genocide.
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They Called Me Number One
Like thousands of Aboriginal children in the United States, Canada,
and elsewhere in the colonized world, Xatsu'll chief Bev Sellars spent
part of her childhood as a student in a church-run residential school.
These
institutions endeavored to "civilize" Native children through Christian
teachings; forced separation from family, language, and culture; and
strict discipline. Perhaps the most symbolically potent strategy used to
alienate residential school children was addressing them by assigned
numbers only—not by the names with which they knew and understood
themselves.
In this frank and poignant memoir of her years at St.
Joseph's Mission, Sellars breaks her silence about the residential
school's lasting effects on her and her family—from substance abuse to
suicide attempts—and eloquently articulates her own path to healing. Number One
comes at a time of recognition—by governments and society at large—that
only through knowing the truth about these past injustices can we begin
to redress them.
Reviews
"Deeply personal, sorrowful and ultimately triumphal, They Called Me Number One is an important addition to the literature on residential schools, and Canada's reckoning with its colonial past."
- Winnipeg Free Press "Her
memoir provides invaluable insight into the enduring effects of a
tragic and shameful part of our collective past, and also helps to begin
the process of healing."
- Danna Hansen, Quill & Quire"Much
of what has been written about the residential schools system, however,
is so densely academic or historical that many readers simply tune it
out. But Bev Sellars' memoir, They Called Me Number One, is neither, which is what makes it so accessible."
- Tyrone Burke, Canadian Geographic
About the Author
Bev Sellars: Bev Sellars is Chief of the the Xat'sull (Soda
Creek) First Nation in Williams Lake, British Columbia. She holds a
degree in history from the University of Victoria and a law degree from
the University of British Columbia. She has served as an advisor to the
BC Treaty Commission.
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Survivors, write your stories. Write your parents stories. Write the elders stories. Do not be swayed by the colonizers to keep quiet. Tribal Nations have their own way of keeping stories alive.... Trace
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| Indian Country is under attack. Native tribes and people are fighting hard for justice. There is need for legal assistance across Indian Country, and NARF is doing as much as we can. With your help, we have fought for 48 years and we continue to fight.
It is hard to understand the extent of the attacks on Indian Country. We are sending a short series of emails this month with a few examples of attacks that are happening across Indian Country and how we are standing firm for justice.
Today, we look at recent effort to undo laws put in place to protect Native American children and families. All children deserve to be raised by loving families and communities. In the 1970s, Congress realized that state agencies and courts were disproportionately removing American Indian and Alaska Native children from their families. Often these devastating removals were due to an inability or unwillingness to understand Native cultures, where family is defined broadly and raising children is a shared responsibility. To stop these destructive practices, Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
After forty years, ICWA has proven to be largely successful and many states have passed their own ICWAs. This success, however, is now being challenged by large, well-financed opponents who are actively and aggressively seeking to undermine ICWA’s protections for Native children. We are seeing lawsuits across the United States that challenge ICWA’s protections. NARF is working with partners to defend the rights of Native children and families.
Indian Country is under attack. We need you. Please join the ranks of Modern Day Warriors. Please donate today to help Native people protect their rights. | | |
To Veronica Brown
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