Indigenous woman says impromptu song after Pope's apology was mistaken for "O Canada"

a fist raised to the sky a woman's voice carrying over the crowd in song this was musketee's monday the first day of the papal tour moments earlier pope francis had apologized for generations of cruelty and harm but then only that voice its strength and undeniable emotion [Music] to many it sounded like oh canada the language to those who know it unmistakably cree her eyes seem to reveal so much pain the final notes building to a deep cry this wasn't part of the program and then still before the pope the woman shouts her words carrying so much passion i turned my back i said hi hi and i shook it off that's enough because i wouldn't let it hurt me anymore her name is sapiko and she says what she's saying in moscow cheese wasn't the canadian anthem at all no that's not all canada that's our village in the language of the four winds after the song i spoke the law to him the law of these lands served the spoken law we the daughters of the great spirit and our tribal sovereign members cannot be coerced into any law or treaty that is not the great law we have appointed chiefs on our territories convert yourselves accordingly her spontaneous moment of courage has been met with praise from both those who were there and the millions more who watched from afar sipiko says the pain she felt that day was shared and not hers alone when she finished she let that pain go yeah it felt powerful everybody that was hurting through this residential school everybody that shared their stories with me that's who i shook my fringes to free them from all the pain that's what i felt a deeply personal and burdening still echoing across canada and around the world heather york's west global news edmonton

Channel: Global News

Views: 21,154

Keywords: global news, Pope Francis, Pope in Canada, Pope Francis visit to Canada, Si Pih Ko, O Canada, Cree song O Canada, Cree song, Pope Francis indigenous reconciliation, Indigenous reconciliation, residential schools, Canadian residential schools, Maskwacis

Id: N5wDubbMN4o

Length: 2min 17sec (137 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 28 2022