“Stolen Sister” by Riva Farrell Racette - A Song Feature
Riva
Farrell Racette is a powerful voice for the causes she champions. She is an Indigenous
singer-songwriter affiliated with the Keeseekoose and Timiskaming First
Nations. In 2012, Riva's song "I Am a Witness" was adopted by the
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society as their awareness campaign song
for their historic human rights claim against the Federal Government for the
underfunding of child welfare services on reserve. Riva is also a lawyer based
in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
The most recent release of Riva Farrell Racette is “Stolen Sister.” During
the initial opportunities to hear the song, we weren’t aware of the message and
focused on the vocals and the instruments. Her voice is purposeful but soft. The
first minute of “Stolen Sister” builds the perception that the song is one in
which the instrumentation is standard to the Folk genre. Then, the single unexpectedly
goes electric. Riva’s voice is well-suited for multiple genres, even within the
same song.
After
listening more often, we became aware of the message, and the instrumentation
became less important. The video begins with the message, “This song was
written to honour the voices, dreams and spirits of Missing and Murdered Indigenous
women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+people.” During the minute with Folk instrumentation, the video shows Riva
Farrell Racette, but in silhouette. It is fitting with her point that the preyed
upon are seemingly invisible.
Riva’s
songs are deeply personal and inspired by her lived experiences and observations
as an Indigenous woman in Canada. We recommend watching the video and
pausing as needed in order to read the statements. Riva posted a story about
the song in her Bandcamp site, where you can purchase the “Stolen Sister” at
the price you name and 100% will go to charity - https://rivafarrellracette.bandcamp.com/.
The story is included in this post (immediately below our understanding of the lyrics).
Lyrics of “Stolen Sister” by Riva
Farrell Racette It’s me your stolen sister You saw me yesterday But when your patch crossed mine You saw my face and looked away You couldn’t see the truth You couldn’t see the truth It’s me your stolen sister They found me yesterday The place they found my clothes Is one that you threw away [apologies, best
guess] You see the boyfriends were restless They came after me They took me to the country They raged on me They said when they found me There was no way to tell A brother from a sister In that broken shell They couldn't see the truth They couldn't see the truth I am your mother I am your daughter I am a sister I am your lover I may be on the other side You can find me Follow my footsteps And you'll be beside me It's me your stolen sister And I'm one of nine Whose tears will stay on this payment For the rest of time So what if I was restless? What if I was lost? I dare you to find me someone who's not Cause me, I had force and all these plans A boy who I loved A degree in my hands You couldn't see the truth You couldn't see the truth We are your mothers We are your daughters We are your sisters And we are your lovers We may be on the other side You can find us Follow our footsteps And you'll be among us We are your mothers We are your daughters We are your sisters And we are your lovers We may be on the other side We may be on the other side We may be on the other side You can find us Follow our footsteps And you'll be among us You'll be among us You'll be among us About the song: In the summer of 2014 my dad took me for a
drive to the Qu’Appelle valley. He took me to his childhood home on the road
allowance near Katepwa Lake - a small two room dwelling at the bottom of the
valley. My father’s family and many other Metis families lived on those road
allowances throughout the valley around Katepwa and Lebret. That day he showed us where they would pick
berries and the road to Indian Head they would walk every Saturday. He was
about 5 years old. He remembered how his mother would take him and his siblings
to Indian Head to the theatre where they would watch films that often featured
Elvis. His mother was a fan. As we drove along the winding road he explained
that during those walks they would have to stay alert for sounds of approaching
vehicles. If they heard a vehicle in the distance they would have to run and
hide in the bushes until the vehicle was gone. An Indigenous woman was not free
to walk with her children without the constant threat of danger. A constant
disregard for her humanity - her children’s humanity. That disregard thrives today. It is
everywhere - in our educational institutions, in the emergency room, in our
legal institutions, at our work events, around the board table, at family
reunions, everywhere. This song is my best effort to make people
see. This song is also my message of love and
respect to those who have been lost. It is the best way that I could let them
know - we see you. You laughed, loved, cried, walked, dreamed. You lived. And
that is beautiful.
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