>> Hill: WE'VE BEEN BRINGING YOU

A SERIES OF STORIES TOLD BY

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FROM

YELLOWKNIFE IN CANADA'S

NORTHWEST TERRITORY.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GLOBAL

REPORTING CENTER, THEY'RE

SHARING THEIR STORIES OF LIFE,

ADDICTION AND RECOVERY.

DONALD PRINCE IS A COUNSELOR AND

THE FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF

THE ARCTIC INDIGENOUS WELLNESS

FOUNDATION.

IN THIS FIRST PERSON STORY, HE

SHARES HIS PAST EXPERIENCES WITH

VIOLENCE, THE JUSTICE SYSTEM,

AND ADDICTION; AND HOW BEING A

FATHER AND WRITING POETRY WERE

CRUCIAL STEPS TOWARDS HIS

HEALING.

♪ ♪ ♪

>> I WALKED THROUGH THE EMPTY

CITY.

MY SOUL IS HURT AND TORN.

I'M SURROUNDED BY LONELINESS.

WHY WAS I EVEN BORN?

I WISH I COULD FIND A WAY OUT OF

THIS WORLD OF VIOLENCE.

I CRY OUT AT NIGHT AND I HEAR

ONLY THE SILENCE.

I REMEMBER I WAS ABOUT PROBABLY

TEN YEARS OLD, JUST WHEN I

STARTED SCHOOL, I STARTED

DRINKING.

THE FEELINGS OF FEAR AND

INSECURITY AND NOT FEELING A

PART OF, AND... ALL THIS OTHER

STUFF, SORT OF, WENT AWAY WHEN I

DRANK.

FIGHTS, I REMEMBER A LOT OF

FIGHTS.

MY DAD WAS A BIG GUY, SO HE WAS

ALWAYS SCREAMING AND YELLING AND

DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT, THE

COPS COMING.

REALITY, DIRTY BREATH IN HIS

FACE.

HE'S BACK IN LINE.

THOUGHTS GONE, FOOD'S COMING.

BOY, I'M SURE HUNGRY.

BEEN STANDING IN LINE FOR YEARS.

HOPE THEY DON'T SEE ME.

I USED TO GET PICKED ON IN

SCHOOL BY ALL THESE BULLIES.

THEY USED TO WAIT FOR US.

AND THE BIGGEST GUY, THEY CAME

AFTER ME AND I STABBED HIM IN

THE FACE.

I CUT HIM RIGHT FROM HIS MOUTH

RIGHT UP TO HIS EAR.

THE COPS CAME, THEY PICKED ME UP

THAT NIGHT AND THREW ME IN JAIL.

HE STANDS IN THE LINE AND HIDES

HIS FACE.

KEEPING UP TO THE OTHERS,

DOESN'T LOSE HIS PLACE.

HE STARES AT THE HOLES IN HIS

SHOES.

DIRTY PANTS, STALE SHIRT.

HEY, MOVE IT, BUDDY.

WHAT ARE YOU DREAMING ABOUT,

WINE?

ENDED UP IN JAIL AGAIN, '89, BUT

THESE COUPLE OF GUARDS, THEY

SAID, "PRINCE, WHEN IN THE HELL

ARE YOU GOING TO LEARN, WHEN

YOU'RE GOING TO SMARTEN UP," YOU

KNOW?

I SAID, "YEAH, YEAH, BUT I DON'T

KNOW WHAT THE HELL," I THOUGHT,

"I SEEMED LIKE I CAN'T.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL'S

GOING ON WITH ME."

SO ANYWAY, ONE OF THEM SAID,

"WELL, WHY DON'T YOU START

WRITING SOME OF THIS STUFF DOWN?

WRITE IT OUT."

AND I THOUGHT, "OKAY."

SO, I WENT BACK AND I STARTED

WRITING, AND I WROTE ABOUT HOW I

FELT ABOUT LOVE AND ABOUT HATE

AND ABOUT ANGER AND WISHING FOR

A BETTER LIFE AND WISHING FOR A

LOVE THAT WAS TRUE OR WISHING

FOR, YOU KNOW, HAVE MY KIDS IN

MY LIFE AND THINGS LIKE THAT,

RIGHT?

WELL, I REMEMBER WHEN MY OLDEST

DAUGHTER, CRYSTAL, WAS BORN, I

JUST HELD HER AND LOOKED AT HER

AND I SAID, "I WILL NEVER DO THE

THINGS TO YOU THAT WERE DONE TO

ME," AND I NEVER DID.

FOR THE FIRST 14, 15 YEARS OF

HER LIFE, I WAS NEVER THERE

MUCH.

ONE TIME PAULA WAS IN JAIL.

THE GUARD COMES UP TO ME AND

SAYS, "YOUR DAUGHTER PHONED,

THERE'S AN EMERGENCY.

SHE SAID THAT AMANDA GOT RUN

OVER."

AMANDA, MY YOUNGER DAUGHTER, SHE

WAS FIVE YEARS OLD.

SO, I'M ON THE PHONE AND I SAID,

"WELL, IS SHE OKAY?"

AND ALL I CAN HEAR IS CRYING ON

THE OTHER END.

AND I THOUGHT, "SHE'S DEAD."

I THOUGHT MY DAUGHTER WAS DEAD.

FINALLY, CRYSTAL WAS ABLE TO

TALK, AND SHE SAID, "NO, SHE'S

IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE, SHE'S IN A

HOSPITAL, BUT SHE'S GOING TO

MAKE IT."

BUT I REMEMBER GOING AND WALKING

AWAY ON THAT PHONE CALL

THINKING, YOU KNOW, "WHAT THE

HELL KIND OF A DAD AM I?"

YOU KNOW, MY KID'S 500 MILES

AWAY, RAN OVER, THE OTHER ONE'S

GETTING IN TROUBLE.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?

YOU KNOW, WHY?

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH ME?

STRANGE, FOOLISH DESIRES.

THEY COME OVER ME.

I FEEL THE CHAINS TIGHTEN.

I AM NO LONGER FREE.

I WENT AND SAW THIS DRUG AND

ALCOHOL COUNSELOR.

HE SAYS, "WELL, I JUST WANT TO

KNOW WHAT PEOPLE DID TO YOU."

I SAID, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

HE SAID, "WHAT DID PEOPLE DO TO

YOU WHEN YOU WERE A KID?"

AND HOLY-- THAT BLEW ME AWAY.

YOU KNOW, NOBODY EVER ASKED ME

WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.

YOU KNOW, THEY ALWAYS WANT TO

KNOW WHAT A BAD GUY I WAS.

AND... I LOOK BACK NOW, THAT WAS

THE KEY.

( SIGHS )

THAT WAS THE KEY TO LOCKING

ALL-- UNLOCKING ALL THAT

BITTERNESS AND HATE, ANGER I HAD

FOR THE WORLD.

I HAVEN'T HAD A DRUG OR A DRINK

SINCE.

♪ ♪ ♪

WE PROVIDE A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE

CAN GET HELP, WHETHER THAT BE

COUNSELING, OR TRADITIONAL

HEALING, OR TRADITIONAL

MEDICINE, CEREMONIES, DIFFERENT

THINGS LIKE THAT.

WE DON'T FOLLOW ANY WESTERN WAY

OF DOING THINGS, WE DO THINGS

OUR WAY, THE INDIAN WAY.

( LAUGHS )

WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY WHO WORKS

HERE WAS NOT ABORIGINAL.

>> EVERY TRIBE HAS THEIR OWN

MEDICINES AND THEIR OWN LAND,

YOU KNOW, SO WE UTILIZE OUR OWN

MEDICINES HERE.

WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING

THROUGH A LOT OF PAIN AND

THEY'RE FEELING SO GOOD WHEN

THEY LEAVE HERE.

>> WESTERN COUNSELING THE WAY

IT'S SET UP, YOU GOT TO GO INTO

A COUNSELING SESSION.

YOU SPEAK FOR 50 MINUTES OR

SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND THAT'S

IT.

OUT HERE, ANYBODY CAN COME ANY

TIME THEY WANT FOR AS LONG AS

THEY WANT.

TALK WITH SOMEBODY FOR A LITTLE

WHILE, GO HAVE SOMETHING TO EAT,

RELAX A LITTLE BIT, TALK AGAIN.

WHEN PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO BE

WHAT THEY ARE, SAY WHAT THEY

WANT AND DO WHAT THEY WANT,

THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO OPEN UP

ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S GOING ON

WITH THEM.

>> UNLIKE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS,

THESE PEOPLE SAID, "COME ON,

IT'S OKAY IF YOU FALL DOWN.

COME JOIN US, SIT DOWN, HAVE

COFFEE, HAVE TEA."

DONALD IS A NO HOLDS-BARRED

ELDER.

HE'LL TELL YOU EXACTLY THE WAY

IT IS.

HE CARES SO MUCH FOR

INDIVIDUALS.

I LEARNED QUITE A BIT OFF OF

HIM.

I LEARNED HOW TO STAND UP FOR

MYSELF THEN.

GROWING UP IN RESIDENTIAL

SCHOOL, YOUR VOICE, YOUR SPIRIT

IS TAKEN AWAY, BUT WORKING WITH

HIM AND IN THIS CAMP HAS GIVEN

ME MY SPIRIT BACK.

>> WHAT MOTIVATES ME IS SUCCESS,

YOU KNOW, AND SEEING PEOPLE LIKE

STANLEY OR INUK WHO ARE SOBER

TODAY AND THEY HAVE GOOD LIVES.

THEIR KIDS HAVE GOOD LIVES.

THEIR GRANDKIDS HAVE GOOD LIVES.

I'VE LET GO OF THE DARK SIDE.

THERE'S GOING TO BE BETTER DAYS.

THINGS ARE LOOKING BETTER NOW

SINCE I'VE CHANGED MY EVIL WAYS.

SOMETIMES THE TEMPTATION IS NOT

EASY.

IT'S HARD FOR ME TO ABIDE.

BUT I DON'T LET IT GET ME DOWN,

I JUST PUSH IT ALL ASIDE.

I'M FOCUSING ON THE GOOD TIMES

AND KEEPING AN OPEN MIND.

I'M GOING TO LOOK AHEAD OF ME.

THE PAST IS ALL BEHIND.