This episode is supported by the FX original series Reservation Dogs.

From Sterling Harjo and Taiko ITT, Reservation Dogs is a half-hour comedy that follows the

adventures of four indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma. Reservation Dogs. All episodes now streaming

exclusively FX on Hulu. Just to know before we get started, the stories were sharing the season

touch on different kinds of trauma. Please take care of yourself while you listen.

I was removed during that deep systematic removal where churches were involved, social workers.

You may remember Sandy Whitehawk from earlier this season. She was removed from her family and

tribe before Congress passed the Indian Child Welfare Act. As an adult, Sandy struggled with addiction.

On her path to sobriety, she got counseling. And one day, her counselor said something that shook her.

You've really faced all the abuse. You've done really good work and you're on your way to all the

healing from the violations that you had. But there's one thing you don't know. She goes, you don't

know what it means to be a woman of color, but that's who you are. And I was like, wow, I've never,

ever thought of myself as a woman of color. I certainly was treated like one, but I didn't know what

it meant for me to be able to say it. And that spurred my desire to go home and find my relatives.

Two months later, Sandy got the chance. My friend had to go to Colorado Springs for a training.

And she said, you want to go to Colorado Springs? Could we go via Rosebud, South Dakota?

Everything about that trip was a miracle. Sandy didn't have much of a plan. Her mom had passed away,

but she had the names of some of her siblings. What she didn't have was a phone number or an address

or any contact information. So we drove on to the reservation and didn't know really where to go.

Someone finally told me to go to the hospital. This man came into the lobby and asked if he could help

me and I told him my story. And he goes, why don't you brother? And I went, oh, well, how you're

kidding? I said, geez, do I look like him? And he goes, yes, you do. And through the smile. And I

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