Transcript of trailer, Daughter of a Lost Bird

Transcript

0:00

- [Kendra] When I was adopted,

0:02

the agency had said to her,

0:05

be careful if someone saw her

0:08

and was like, that's a Native baby

0:10

you're white, you shouldn't have her.

0:12

(choir singing)

0:13

Somehow she was terrified

0:15

someone was gonna try to take me.

0:17

(choir singing)

0:19

- OK, now I wanna get you and your mama.

0:22

- [April] I was adopted at birth

0:25

and at six years clean,

0:28

I got two letters.

0:30

One was from my birth mother

0:32

and one was from my birth father.

0:36

- Hi April.

0:37

This is Kendra Potter.

0:40

Your birth daughter.

0:42

I don't know if leaving a voicemail is too weird.

0:48

- [April] I knew that I was not capable

0:51

of doing anything but bringing her to her parents.

0:55

I was afraid that I would

0:57

create more questions for her

0:59

than provide answers.

1:01

I was so far from who that was.

1:05

And I'm so grateful you weren't a part of any of that.

1:10

It's taken a long time for me

1:13

to believe that I belong places.

1:18

When someone says, "You're Lummi"

1:21

it's very hard for me.

1:23

I can't wrap my mind around that.

1:25

I don't know what that means.

1:28

What I know is that

1:29

I'm Cha-das-ska-dum daughter.

1:32

(native chanting and drumming)

1:33

- [Kendra] This desire to be recognized as Native,

1:37

but what is Native anymore?

1:38

If you are a Native American person

1:40

living in an urban environment

1:42

who's never set foot on any kind of reservation,

1:44

knows nothing about your culture and heritage,

1:48

what is that Native-ness?

1:49

What is it?

1:50

I don't know.

1:51

I'm not saying that there's not a right to want it,

1:53

but it's elusive.

1:56

It's elusive.

1:59

- [April] And if we don't know who we are,

2:00

we can't do anything about it.

2:03

(solemn music)

English