Sayachapis and Indian Island

On my way to Tofino I offered a ride to a native American man called Sayachapis (Matthew Williams by his colonial given name). This ride was the beginning of a unique encounter and an unforgettable travel experience. During the drive, Sayachapis offered me to stay on his own little island near Tofino, called Indian island. I finally ended up staying for two days on Indian Island, enjoying the most beautiful nature and listening to Sayachapis stories of cougars and bears by candlelight, not always being able to distinguish between fiction and reality. Two days without electricity and running water during which I learned a lot about the situation of native Americans in the past and in the present and about the human condition in general. I realized that we Europeans had initiated a cultural and human disaster which one could consider as the biggest genocide in human history. The Americas were populated by millions of people before the white men or "mumathnee" as Sayachapis would call them had set foot on this beautiful and culturally rich continent. Sayachapis has written poems and fiction stories in which he deals with everything that he has gone through and he offered me one of his poem books in which he tries to cope with the daily abuse and violence (physical, sexual, emotional and psychological), confinement and torture he was exposed to during his years of childhood and adolescence in a Catholic residential school, "with God on their side". "Fucking nuns and priests, dress-wearing fagots, all black and white". Two years ago, Sayachapis lost his 27 year old son who lived with him on the island and to whom he seems to have been very close. He is full of stories, dealing with a bitter past (the one of his people and the one of his own life), lots of swearing and anger but as well lots of humor, laughing, jokes, new ideas for the future, a big imagination and wise thoughts and lores. His house is full of chimes that remind him every time he runs into them that he is "fucking alive". "20 years ago, people were afraid of me." He has worked a lot on himself, no more alcohol, less hate, less anger, lots of writing, talking. Today everybody in Tofino knows "Matthew". His image has changed, he seems kind and funny. The old man collects toys, he has hundreds of them. As a child he never had any toys. Sayachapis means "the one who has been elevated over all others". For him it signifies that he has to stand up and speak the truth. When I left, he told me: "If you happen to know any widows back in Europe or if you come across any along your trail, send them over to Indian Island, I could need a woman on my side" :) My stay on Indian Island was definitely one of the peaks of my Canadian experience. It came totally unexpected and unplanned and it left me deeply marked and touched.

Just to underline that Sayachapis accounts are not complete fiction:

http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/02/22/Williams/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/clergy_sex3.htm

He finally ended up getting money for compensation but what does it change...

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