Friday Fictioneers is hosted by the wonderful Rochelle, the undisputed master of what I call Sound Bite Fiction.
She sets the weekly challenge, and the standard.
This week’s inspirational photo is provided by Renee Heath.
It reminds me of a short piece I wrote many years ago, on a topic near to my heart.
This is it, reduced to fit.
The idea, as always, is to write a story of around 100 words based on this picture, below.
© Renee Heath
Click here to hear the writer read his words:
Civilisation
As Europeans colonised the New World, their treatment of the indigenous people was indefensible.
Genocide was carried out with indifference.
But another, more insidious practice, was perpetrated, well into the 20th Century.
Children were taken from their homes, never to see their parents again, cut off from their native culture, banned from speaking their own language.
They were kept in homes and educated in the ways, and the religions, of the conquerors.
This happened in the USA.
And in Canada, much of it under British rule.
But we don’t call this ethnic cleansing.
Oh no, that’s what bad people do.
As one of those scooped survivors, thank you. Some of these other commenters need to be hung up and dried for their two sides/no innocents style of racist comments. One evil side in this story. One.
Thank you for that moving and insightful essay.
Oh, yes…We are so civilized. Great writing!
I watched a documentary on ancient art the other day, marvelling at the fact there are still Aboriginal people versed in their own traditions, in their own legends, when Western culture seemed so determined to wipe their history out. Another episode in our shameful history, C, and you wrote on the subject with passion and compassion
Thank you, Lynn, I am happy that my words touch you. This is a subject close to my heart, perhaps because of the atrocities perpetrated upon the Highland clans by our own – British – government after the second Jacobite rebellion. And the more I talk to Americans, Canadians, Australians, et al, the more I understand this was a standard tactic of our rulers for centuries.
Sorry, Lynn, by ‘this’ I mean the suppression of culture in all its forms as a follow-up to mass murder.
A depressing way to conquer nations – by tearing the heart out their culture and trying to replace it with your own. Heartless, selfish, coldly contrived. You wrote it very well, though C
It is sad that it happened and continues to happen. People find endless ways of justifying their actions and you put it well.
Thank you, Fatima.
These actions are and always have been unjustifiable, except to those who need no justification for their actions, because they always know best.
Very true. Agree with you.
Many such incidents sadly reflect the inhuman attitude. They serve as lessons as to what not to do.
Red-Hot Show – Anita
Exactly so, Anita, all we can do is keep reminding ourselves and others that it is unacceptable.
Thank you.
So very true and its effects are still felt.
Thank you, Kelley, I fear that some horrors are never really over.
There’s powerful truth in your tale.
gramswisewords.blogspot.com
Thank you, Marian
Chilling and wisdom layered here – nice take on the prompt
Thank you, I appreciate your comment
We don’t have too much to be proud of, do we. Even aftr all this years.
Au contraire, Sandra, we have much to be ashamed of, and still atrocities continue in our name.
Very powerful.
Thank you, Lisa
Grim grim grim, has happened, is still happening, will probably happen after we are gone.
Indeed, sir, there seems no end to our inhumanity
Oh! That’s so sad.
Moreso because it is true, Bernadette.
A terrible thing, to be ripped away from your family and have another culture forced on you. But, as you alluded to at the end, history is written by… well, us.
Unforgivable actions, far too often forgotten and/or glossed over by the powers-that-be.
As you say, sir, that is us.
Cutting irony. There is nothing new under the sun, and nobody is blameless, least of all US.
I don’t know if you mean the USA or all of us, and the answer of course is both and many many more.
Thank you
The ambiguity is intended,as you suspect. 😊
The collateral damages of war and subjugation. World history is replete with more such brutal happenings. Very wry, sardonic humour employed, Ceayr
Way too many of such happenings, Neel.
And yes, the humour is bitter at the end.
Such a practice was cruel. At the same time children who had seen better life in terms of education and material benefit, could have been asked to work for the welfare of their people. May be things could have been done in a different way. I am not condoning what was done.
It was not done for the benefit of their people, but for the eradication of their communities, their culture and their way of life.
I agree.
Brutal. Mine was one of those conquered countries too, but as you said, our conquerors were the ‘good guys’.
As they say, sir, history is written by the victors
Powerful story. The last two lines hit hard.
I am happy that it touched you, thank you.
Oh we did it in Sweden too… with the Sami children… sometimes education has another purpose… it always have
The sad truth is, Bjorn, that it has happened almost everywhere through the ages.
And yes, education can mean indoctrination.
Thought provoking – we should never forget what we humans are capable of!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thank you, Susan, and very true, all we can do is remind ourselves and try to prevent reoccurrences
and Australia, and and and….sad world we live in.
https://stuartnager.wordpress.com/2019/01/30/t-p-fridayfictioneers/
Sadly Stu, 100 words are insufficient to list the places it happened and the people who did it
I’ve said it often: History is the record of man’s inhumanity to man.
And it ‘Makes countless thousands mourn’, as Robert Burns wrote
Will we become properly civilised before we become extinct? I wonder…
Good polemic, CE
Good question, Penny, but way beyond the ken of this poor scribbler.
Thank you.
AYE! ! Miigwetche! Thank you! Lay out the reality, why don’t you! What a great write this week! Straight and to the point. ~ Jelli
Thank you, Jelli, I am happy that my words reached you. Reality is sometimes unpalatable, but it has to be exposed, continually, until it is stopped.
‘For their own good’ – far too many things have been done with this as the excuse.
Indeed, Liz, we can justify almost any atrocity to ourselves, apparently, as long as we have no conscience
It doesn’t bear thinking about. Sadly they thought they were – and still are doing the right thing.
I think it was called progress, Keith. Just not by anyone with a heart.
Yeah, some ugly dark things in our past. Funny how when others do those things it is evil, but when it is us, well, that was then.
Yep, ain’t civilisation wonderful
A powerful story in its sad truth.
Thank you, Brenda
Dear CE,
We can also call it identity theft. Yes, we were on a similar path this time. It can’t be written enough as far as I’m concerned. My only consolation is that my folks were in Eastern Europe enduring persecution. The most dangerous animal is human. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
It has happened in so many places, including Scotland, as I am sure you know.
Man persecutes wherever possible, it seems, m’lady.
The pecking order of man is such I don’t think atrocities like this will ever stop being committed. Excellent write CE.
Thank you, Violet. Sadly I have to agree with your tragic prediction.
it’s always a matter of “us” or “them”. I played “Indians” when I was a kid with my brother and his friends. The winner is now the culprit but the Indians weren’t angels either. Separating kids from their parents is still a present practice. Will we ever learn? Your story is sharp. Great stuff. (from threefoldtwenty dotcom)
Good to meet you, Frankie, glad the story gave you pause for thought.
I remember reading about the forgotten Australian children some time back. Your story is crisp and to the point. Well done, CE.
Sadly, Varad, this sort of thing has happened in too many places.
Thank you.
A point well made
Thanks, Neil
I wanted to write a witty comment, but it doesn’t seem right for such a troubling subject. There are no innocents in history.
Thanks, Iain.
You will be very aware that similar atrocities took place in our homeland following the ’45 Rebellion.