Memories of the Red Earth

Prologue: Memories of the Red Earth ​(Scene: Prince Edward Island at dusk. A road of red earth stretches as far as the eye can see. An elderly Asian man, looking down at his mud-covered boots, speaks to a child playing by the roadside...) ​"Oh, hello there. Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. Take a look at my boots. The soil of this island is a truly magnificent red, isn't it? But tell me, do you know why this earth is so red? ​It’s not just the iron or the clay. Within every single grain, there are the prayers of those who lived here thousands of years ago—those who called this island 'Epekwitk,' the Land Cradled on the Waves, and lived in harmony with the forests and the spirits. ​And then, there are the tears of those who crossed the ocean later... the blood, the sweat, and the despair when they realized they had been deceived. This earth has soaked it all up. ​This beautiful island where you live so proudly today... Once, there were the 'People of the Forest' here. They had no written language, yet they could speak perfectly with nature itself. But then, kings and nobles from far-off lands drew arbitrary lines on maps, as if drawing lots, and stole their home away. ​It is heartbreakingly similar to a story from a northern island in my own country... a place called Hokkaido. It’s the story of a proud people called the Ainu. They, too, were cheated out of their treasures and driven from their land. ​'Pioneers,' 'Settlers'... History textbooks praise those who 'discovered' new lands as heroes. But beneath their feet, there are always the tears of the people who were erased. ​Listen closely. The reason I came here today, with these mud-stained boots, is to take those lost 'grains of tears' and turn them into a song once more, to release them into the sky. May I tell you the rest of the story?"