Leonard George remembers the first time he heard his father, Chief Dan George, deliver his moving and prophetic speech on indigenous rights, "A Lament for Confederation."
It was 1967 and the acclaimed actor and former Tsleil-Waututh chief was set to speak at Canada's centennial celebration in Vancouver.
The speech forcefully critiqued colonization and called on indigenous people to "grab the white man's instruments of success" to rise again.
"Dad and the whole family were very nervous," says Leonard. "To stand up and tell the truth in such a profound way, he had no idea how the public would take that."
After his father finished speaking, there were a few seconds of stunned silence among the crowd of 32,000 at Empire Stadium Then, the audience rose to its feet and filled the stadium with about 10 minutes of deafening applause.
As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, George's family and friends are urging Canadians to reflect on his words.
The speech begins on a mournful note: "Today, when you celebrate your hundred years, oh Canada, I am sad for all the Indian people throughout the land."
"When I fought to protect my land and my home, I was called a savage. When I neither understood nor welcomed this way of life, I was called lazy. When I tried to rule my people, I was stripped of my authority," he says.
The speech ends with a call to rise again, like "the thunderbird of old" and to seize the white man's education and skills. It predicts young braves and chiefs will sit in the houses of government and law.
"So shall the next hundred years be the greatest in the proud history of our tribes and nations," it concludes.