Rita Jane Many Guns- I was Terrified of Her and I was Scared
I am Monoot’taki, Rita Many Guns. First of all, I just want to share when I first went to residential school, I didn’t know a word of English. And I used to be so scared to talk when the supervisors were around. I.. I never, I never spoke or said anything when they’re around cause if you get caught speaking your language you get into trouble, so it took a long time to for me to start learning to speak English.
Where I was taught, I was in Miss King’s classroom and there, that too… it’s from when I couldn’t speak English, we were being taught to say the colors and I couldn’t say yellow. “Yiyo” was what I said. Somehow, she, Miss King, I don’t know she noticed me, that I couldn’t pronounce yellow. She came my right to my desk telling me to say yellow but I couldn’t say it all I couldn’t say “umm”… [pause, speaker emotional].
I tried really hard to say yellow but I think because I was scared, I couldn’t say it. It seemed it just got worse. And I don’t know she must’ve been frustrated, or I don’t know. She started shaking me. And of course, I was terrified of her and I was scared, [pause, speaker emotional]. And I hated to go class and when I entered into Miss King’s classroom, I knew what was going to happen. That one day I think she was so frustrated with me because I couldn’t say she made me get up in front of the class to try say yellow but it just made it worse [pause, speaker emotional].
– Monoot’taki, Rita Jane Many Guns
Notes:
Oral interview with Monoot’taki, Rita Jane Many Guns. Conducted, translated, and transcribed by Gwendora Bear Chief. Old Sun Community College, May 6, 2022.
