How do you disappear a people?
Take away their food; it’s simple.
Remove them from their habitat,
Then grab their land; it’s quick as that.
We are experts at this now it seems.
Our greed can destroy most everything!
By killing Buffalo to starve a culture,
As settlers, we became the prairie vulture.
We write the texts our children study.
Omitting facts we’d rather bury.
Yet some kept trophies of our wanton acts,
In photos—like the Bison skulls in stacks.
Stolen children, ruined lives; our shame!
Washing ancient culture from each child’s young brain.
Survivors told grim horrifying stories:
Of classmates tortured, of hidden bodies.
Few believed their tales of chilling fright,
Preferred to think kids ran away at night.
Daily hundreds more unmarked graves revealed,
Beneath residential school grounds concealed.
We must act NOW to overcome inaction:
Implement “94 calls to action”!
Rome must NOW send its documentation;
Stop stymieing this investigation!
Our whitewashed history replete with lies,
Must reclaim the truth which it belies.
To end First Nations annihilation,
Put truth before reconciliation!
