Master carver Sanford Williams is well known among art circles across Canada. His carvings adorn the walls of notable institutions world over.

He not only comes from a lineage of renowned carvers, but his people 含羞草研究社� the Mowachaht First Nation from Yuquot (Friendly Cove) on the west coast of Vancouver Island 含羞草研究社� have a rich 4,000-year-old history. Yuquot is where Captain James Cook含羞草研究社檚 arrived in 1778 and 含羞草研究社榝irst contact含羞草研究社� is recorded between Europeans and Vancouver Island First Nations.

But that legacy is brought crumbling down every time Sanford faces discrimination 含羞草研究社� which has been a steady reality throughout his life.

And every instance has made him relive the trauma of his time at residential school, the sexual and physical abuse he endured there and the centuries of mistreatment that his people have witnessed through colonization.

Since he was a young man, employees at retail outlets have followed him around in stores to make sure that he含羞草研究社檚 not 含羞草研究社渟tealing含羞草研究社� or intoxicated.

When he is out his wife Marlana 含羞草研究社� who is not First Nations 含羞草研究社� servers and clerks either ignore or hassle him, and question his ability to make a purchase until Marlana drifts to his side.

Sanford is now 54, but he has never retaliated nor spoken out against the discrimination. This is a trait he says he shares with many other residential school survivors in Canada who either 含羞草研究社渟hrug it off含羞草研究社� or 含羞草研究社渓earned to deal with it.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚 didn含羞草研究社檛 know how to speak up,含羞草研究社� he said, adding that he always ended up feeling like a 含羞草研究社渞eally bad person.含羞草研究社�

It含羞草研究社檚 a feeling that constantly follows him around mostly in cities. On the west coast of Vancouver Island, he is most comfortable with his family and friends 含羞草研究社� First Nations or not 含羞草研究社� without being judged.

含羞草研究社淏ut when I leave that environment, I can feel the change right away.含羞草研究社�

Sanford silently burns inside with hurt and anger at the way society treats Indigenous people. He only began venting about it, when he met Marlana, who over the years helped him articulate and speak out these feelings.

含羞草研究社淗e won含羞草研究社檛 say anything but in his mind he含羞草研究社檚 thinking, 含羞草研究社業 am not a drunk, I含羞草研究社檓 a world-class artist, why are you treating me like I含羞草研究社檓 beneath you when you don含羞草研究社檛 even know the person I am?含羞草研究社� she said.

Marlana said that as a 含羞草研究社渨hite woman married to an Indigenous man含羞草研究社�, although she is not the one experiencing racism, she feels its ripple effect of it, especially when her husband is mistreated.

On social media, ignorant people take every excuse to perpetrate racism against First Nations, she said.

含羞草研究社漈hey try to find a way to explain their racism without saying that they含羞草研究社檙e racist.含羞草研究社�

In a recent altercation on social media, Marlana received flak for defending Sanford and his family in a conversation about the poor quality of drinking water in First Nation communities. She said commentators refused to acknowledge the racism in their statements instead calling her a 含羞草研究社渓iberal含羞草研究社� and adding 含羞草研究社渆verything triggers you.含羞草研究社�

Both Sanford and Marlana want people to research and go back to history before they propagate stereotypes and misconceptions. But sometimes asking the crowd to research and look at the full picture also backfires. They see it as an insult as nobody likes to be told that they don含羞草研究社檛 have all the information. Those who make discriminatory remarks are ignorant about the cruelty of the past and the ongoing issues that First Nations communities continue to face.

含羞草研究社淭he problem is that too many people are touting free speech, or using that as an excuse to say hurtful things,含羞草研究社� said Sanford.

Sanford said that those who racially profile natives as drunkards, don含羞草研究社檛 realize that many Indigenous people historically resorted to alcoholism to cope with the trauma inflicted on them in residential schools. 含羞草研究社�

There含羞草研究社檚 a need for more constructive dialogues between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, said Marlana and added that people entering these dialogues must exercise caution.

含羞草研究社淭here are a lot of First Nations people that were abused in residential school and they don含羞草研究社檛 have the communication skills. They have got it all in their mind and they want to let it out but don含羞草研究社檛 know how.含羞草研究社�

If the other side joins this conversation with fixed opinions and without the intention to listen and understand,it含羞草研究社檚 meaningless, she said.

For more news from Vancouver Island and beyond delivered daily into your inbox, please