Master carver Sanford Williams is well known among art circles across Canada. His carvings adorn the walls of notable institutions world over.

He not only comes from a lineage of renowned carvers, but his people B次元官网网址� the Mowachaht First Nation from Yuquot (Friendly Cove) on the west coast of Vancouver Island B次元官网网址� have a rich 4,000-year-old history. Yuquot is where Captain James CookB次元官网网址檚 arrived in 1778 and B次元官网网址榝irst contactB次元官网网址� is recorded between Europeans and Vancouver Island First Nations.

But that legacy is brought crumbling down every time Sanford faces discrimination B次元官网网址� which has been a steady reality throughout his life.

And every instance has made him relive the trauma of his time at residential school, the sexual and physical abuse he endured there and the centuries of mistreatment that his people have witnessed through colonization.

Since he was a young man, employees at retail outlets have followed him around in stores to make sure that heB次元官网网址檚 not B次元官网网址渟tealingB次元官网网址� or intoxicated.

When he is out his wife Marlana B次元官网网址� who is not First Nations B次元官网网址� servers and clerks either ignore or hassle him, and question his ability to make a purchase until Marlana drifts to his side.

Sanford is now 54, but he has never retaliated nor spoken out against the discrimination. This is a trait he says he shares with many other residential school survivors in Canada who either B次元官网网址渟hrug it offB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址渓earned to deal with it.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 know how to speak up,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that he always ended up feeling like a B次元官网网址渞eally bad person.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 a feeling that constantly follows him around mostly in cities. On the west coast of Vancouver Island, he is most comfortable with his family and friends B次元官网网址� First Nations or not B次元官网网址� without being judged.

B次元官网网址淏ut when I leave that environment, I can feel the change right away.B次元官网网址�

Sanford silently burns inside with hurt and anger at the way society treats Indigenous people. He only began venting about it, when he met Marlana, who over the years helped him articulate and speak out these feelings.

B次元官网网址淗e wonB次元官网网址檛 say anything but in his mind heB次元官网网址檚 thinking, B次元官网网址業 am not a drunk, IB次元官网网址檓 a world-class artist, why are you treating me like IB次元官网网址檓 beneath you when you donB次元官网网址檛 even know the person I am?B次元官网网址� she said.

Marlana said that as a B次元官网网址渨hite woman married to an Indigenous manB次元官网网址�, although she is not the one experiencing racism, she feels its ripple effect of it, especially when her husband is mistreated.

On social media, ignorant people take every excuse to perpetrate racism against First Nations, she said.

B次元官网网址漈hey try to find a way to explain their racism without saying that theyB次元官网网址檙e racist.B次元官网网址�

In a recent altercation on social media, Marlana received flak for defending Sanford and his family in a conversation about the poor quality of drinking water in First Nation communities. She said commentators refused to acknowledge the racism in their statements instead calling her a B次元官网网址渓iberalB次元官网网址� and adding B次元官网网址渆verything triggers you.B次元官网网址�

Both Sanford and Marlana want people to research and go back to history before they propagate stereotypes and misconceptions. But sometimes asking the crowd to research and look at the full picture also backfires. They see it as an insult as nobody likes to be told that they donB次元官网网址檛 have all the information. Those who make discriminatory remarks are ignorant about the cruelty of the past and the ongoing issues that First Nations communities continue to face.

B次元官网网址淭he problem is that too many people are touting free speech, or using that as an excuse to say hurtful things,B次元官网网址� said Sanford.

Sanford said that those who racially profile natives as drunkards, donB次元官网网址檛 realize that many Indigenous people historically resorted to alcoholism to cope with the trauma inflicted on them in residential schools. B次元官网网址�

ThereB次元官网网址檚 a need for more constructive dialogues between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, said Marlana and added that people entering these dialogues must exercise caution.

B次元官网网址淭here are a lot of First Nations people that were abused in residential school and they donB次元官网网址檛 have the communication skills. They have got it all in their mind and they want to let it out but donB次元官网网址檛 know how.B次元官网网址�

If the other side joins this conversation with fixed opinions and without the intention to listen and understand,itB次元官网网址檚 meaningless, she said.

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