ay-asastîwa kithâskiwin
ispî awasimî awâsisak
î-miskawihcik wâtihkânihk
oskaniwâwa î-asastîthiki.
ᐊᔭᓴᐢᑏᐘ ᑭᖭᐢᑭᐏᐣ
ᐃᐢᐲ ᐊᐘᓯᒦ ᐊᐚᓯᓴᐠ
ᐄ ᒥᐢᑲᐏᐦᒋᐠ ᐚᑎᐦᑳᓂᕽ
ᐅᐢᑲᓂᐚᐘ ᐄ ᐊᓴᐢᑏᖨᑭ᙮
Lies pile up
as more children
are found in graves
their bones in piles on top of each other.
Image: @timspikedavis
scatteredthoughtscartoons.com
2 Responses
The poem ‘asatītwa is very touching.
The poem has a double meaning for asastīwa. It describes the doublespeak given by government and church officials when inquiries were made about children. Never a straight answer, so therein, lies the double tragedy of the children who were dehumanized by the way they were buried by the people for whom many parents trusted.