They Called Me Number One

Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School

By: Bev Sellars

Narrated by: Bev Sellars

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

Like thousands of Aboriginal children in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere in the colonized world, Xatsu'll chief Bev Sellars spent part of her childhood as a student in a church-run residential school. These institutions endeavored to "civilize" Native children through Christian teachings; forced separation from family, language, and culture; and strict discipline. Perhaps the most symbolically potent strategy used to alienate residential school children was addressing them by assigned numbers only - not by the names with which they knew and understood themselves.

In this frank and poignant memoir of her years at St. Joseph's Mission, Sellars breaks her silence about the residential school's lasting effects on her and her family - from substance abuse to suicide attempts - and eloquently articulates her own path to healing. They Called Me Number One comes at a time of recognition - by governments and society at large - that only through knowing the truth about these past injustices can we begin to redress them.

Bev Sellars is chief of the Xatsu'll (Soda Creek) First Nation in Williams Lake, British Columbia. She holds a degree in history from the University of Victoria and a law degree from the University of British Columbia. She has served as an advisor to the British Columbia Treaty Commission.

©2013 Bev Sellars (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

True story

Many of the stories Bev shares in this book are similar to the stories elders that have shared with us regarding boarding school life.

Shame on Church and State

"Few people know anything about the collaboration of church and state to destroy races of people and cultures, genocide in the name of god."

Bev Sellars' often brutal testimony, gives insight into the cycle of poverty of indigenous peoples in Canada and (as she says) the United states, and even into Australia. She shows how dehumanization and cultural obliteration are passed down through generations.

She asks, "Is it possible to make others feel what I once felt?" The answer is yes. Her grandmotherly storyteller voice made me feel like I was hearing personal family history that I needed for my own survival.

Kindnesses shine like stars, but the bleakness is shameful and will be among the list of books that bolster my fight against systematic oppression.

A truth that must be told.

This should be required reading for all schools. I was lucky, my grandmother saved me from the 60’s sweep. And I escaped the res, school experience, but my mother let slip some of her horrid experiences.

They call me number One

This book was excellent. The explanations of life in the residential schools was so well described. The author brought you into the world of the Indians and their struggles, physically, mentally and generationally.
I learned so much and have a better understanding of the reservations and the residential schools.
Bev Sellars tells a story that reaches one’s soul! She is an amazing author!

Every Canadian should read this

This was a powerful, heartbreaking, and heartwarming story. Bev tells her story with clarity and determination. She goes to pains to name the people who were kind as much as she names the abusers. She doesn’t flinch when describing tragedy caused by colonization, but she also tells ordinary stories of family love that will be familiar to every person who listens. I feel like her grandmother and mine had much in common, and I’ve never admired anyone more than my grandmother. This is ultimately a story of personal victory, and a call for meaningful collective action. I am so grateful to have listened to Bev’s story. It is the most important book I have purchased from Audible.

A reading of short anecdotes

There wasn’t a story line. It didn’t hold my attention because it didn’t flow.
It’s a lesson for sure but if this is how it’s taught, I don’t think it will be learned.

So grateful for this book

The author tells a raw story that is informative and moving. It paints a picture of historical trauma that puts you square in the middle of a family’s home. Bev is as wonderful a narrator as she is a writer. I am so grateful to her and so grateful to know about gram. Gram seemed like a hero to her family. A thread in the wind that refused to let go. She embodied the culture and strength of her community and she passed those traits onto Bev. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Exceptional

I don't normally write full reviews for books that I listen to, but I believe it is important for you to know that this book will always be in the back of my mind. It has completely changed my worldview on residential schools, challenges that indigenous people in Canada face, the social ills that surround them, and the pre-judgements on both the white side and the First Nation side. The author speaks with such clarity, wisdom, knowledge, and frankness that it is impossible to ignore the truth of what she's telling you.

Good Listen

loved it, couldn't stop listening. residential school era is what should be in the history books.

Important Sorry Beautifully Told

I have heard stories about residential schools in the US from Indigenous people here but the stories are usually a short recall that isn’t very personal. I’m sure they are not easy memories to share. Bev somehow manages to tell her personal stories, along with generational stories, with dignity & laughter & directness. The laughter she shares is beautiful & reminds the reader that people are more then what they suffered & more then their ongoing struggle. Thank you to Bev for being willing to share. I hope many many people are able to listen to her story & make connections between the past and present. It sure helped me to see more clearly.