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 91裸聊视频� the Mowachaht First Nation from Yuquot (Friendly Cove) on the west coast of Vancouver Island 91裸聊视频� have a rich 4,000-year-old history. Yuquot is where Captain James Cook91裸聊视频檚 arrived in 1778 and 91裸聊视频榝irst contact91裸聊视频� is recorded between Europeans and Vancouver Island First Nations.

But that legacy is brought crumbling down every time Sanford faces discrimination 91裸聊视频� 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 he91裸聊视频檚 not 91裸聊视频渟tealing91裸聊视频� or intoxicated.

When he is out his wife Marlana 91裸聊视频� who is not First Nations 91裸聊视频� 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 91裸聊视频渟hrug it off91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频渓earned to deal with it.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 didn91裸聊视频檛 know how to speak up,91裸聊视频� he said, adding that he always ended up feeling like a 91裸聊视频渞eally bad person.91裸聊视频�

It91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频� First Nations or not 91裸聊视频� without being judged.

91裸聊视频淏ut when I leave that environment, I can feel the change right away.91裸聊视频�

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.

91裸聊视频淗e won91裸聊视频檛 say anything but in his mind he91裸聊视频檚 thinking, 91裸聊视频業 am not a drunk, I91裸聊视频檓 a world-class artist, why are you treating me like I91裸聊视频檓 beneath you when you don91裸聊视频檛 even know the person I am?91裸聊视频� she said.

Marlana said that as a 91裸聊视频渨hite woman married to an Indigenous man91裸聊视频�, 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.

91裸聊视频漈hey try to find a way to explain their racism without saying that they91裸聊视频檙e racist.91裸聊视频�

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 91裸聊视频渓iberal91裸聊视频� and adding 91裸聊视频渆verything triggers you.91裸聊视频�

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 don91裸聊视频檛 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.

91裸聊视频淭he problem is that too many people are touting free speech, or using that as an excuse to say hurtful things,91裸聊视频� said Sanford.

Sanford said that those who racially profile natives as drunkards, don91裸聊视频檛 realize that many Indigenous people historically resorted to alcoholism to cope with the trauma inflicted on them in residential schools. 91裸聊视频�

There91裸聊视频檚 a need for more constructive dialogues between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, said Marlana and added that people entering these dialogues must exercise caution.

91裸聊视频淭here are a lot of First Nations people that were abused in residential school and they don91裸聊视频檛 have the communication skills. They have got it all in their mind and they want to let it out but don91裸聊视频檛 know how.91裸聊视频�

If the other side joins this conversation with fixed opinions and without the intention to listen and understand,it91裸聊视频檚 meaningless, she said.

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